Day 13---Yummies can be distracting

More and more am I starting to notice just how social an activity dining out is. And not only that, how completely self conscious people are when they learn that I will not be eating with them.

Everyone has said, "But I don't want to eat by myself!"

Is that why we dine out together? So that during our gluttonous ravishing we can feel that we aren't being judged?

My friends seem to think that somehow now that I am not eating out that I wield the power to judge their eating styles and habits....as if I were oblivious to them before because I was too distracted with an equally over-sized burger in my face.  This is definitely not the case and if I can be honest I feel like I am a tad more focused on our conversations simply because I do not have food as a distraction between us.

Even the waitstaff at restaurants are baffled by my polite rebuff of ordering. I can see the confusion in their face: Well why the hell are you here if you're not going to eat?

I've asked myself the same but being the socialite that I am, I still want to go out with my friends and enjoy the atmosphere that dining out has to offer. My trick so far has been to eat prior to going out and then I'm full when everyone else is eating. I made the mistake of forgetting this last week and thinking I would be okay going out to an italian restaurant. It was fine until food started coming and my tummy was growling. Luckily the place served free bread so I noshed on that and felt guilt-free knowing no tip was needed.

I'm surprised I'm not jonesing as much as I was in the beginning. Honestly I haven't craved much this past week but that could be due to my re-newed interest in some half finished projects.

Could eating out have been taking up so much of my time that I shelved other hobbies?


New recipe of the week: 60-Second Maple Brussel Sprouts (Courtesy of This Week For Dinner)