Its very usual for me to walk up to the maître d' at a 5 star and ask for a table for 2. Girl friends, business partners, colleagues or just someone from the family always accompanied me for lunch or dinner. Its a fun experience tasting new kinds of food. From having good food from the road side, tasting new spices to going to a different state to taste the authentic local food, has been my forte.
I love Mexican, Thai, French and Italian but I have tried almost every cuisine known to man, except cannibalism. I have been to so many places for food that I can't even recall. But it was usually with a person.
A few months back while driving back from office, I was speaking to my friend. She told me that she had been to a place where they served the most amazing white sauce pasta with bacon. I was quite intrigued as I had never had pasta with bacon. (If I had then probably it was with someone I hate and I have erased it from my mind.. I have a kill switch, which erases the memories with just one click.) I called up almost everyone in my phone book, even called someone from the Middle East. Haha the desperation of not being alone while having dinner. Since it was a Saturday night everyone had plans. A single guy, living in a metropolitan city can be tough at times. I had never dined alone before that day. I was scared that people there might look at me as the lonely man who is grieving over some past issue.. Well I wasn't.. I asked myself what is the one thing that I liked doing while eating.. My answer was reading something interesting or listening to music or probably watching a movie. I had my laptop with myself and I knew that it would give me company while I feast on the pasta with bacon.
With full courage and confidence, I drove to the restaurant. As I gave my keys to the guy who was suppose to park my car, anxiety grew again. I knew that there was no turning back. I had to do this. I was wearing jeans and a shirt with converse, so I felt that I wasn't apt for the place. However my confidence told me that I needed to experience this. I walked up to the maître d' with all my courage. I prepared myself to say the inevitable, " A table for one please". She looked at me shocked. Everyone was out with their dates. What do you expect it was Saturday night, people were out with their lovers, partners or maybe blind dates for a one night stand or something like that. She politely said sure sir and asked me to follow her. She took me to a table, next to the bar where a single like me could have been easily accommodated. However I felt it would kind strange. My palms were wet, so I tried to fool her by taking my phone out from my pocket and pretended that someone had called. " Hey babe, I am here already, are you sure that you ain't coming? Oh that's wonderful, I was feeling sad that you won't join. Anyway see you here in a while. Love you" The maître d' looked at me and smiled she said " thats wonderful. A table for two right?". I said yeah my fiancee would be joining me. She looked at me and smiled and took me to a better place. I sat there for a while. Looking outside the glass window. I asked myself am I really that alone in life rite now? Isn't there anyone who would like to sit with me and have a conversation over some good food. A tiny drop of tear rolled down my eyes. The maître d' came and put the menu on table asking " would you like to have bottled water or mineral water".. Ok over here I said something stupid, "I have enough tears in my life which are from my contaminated past, I guess I'll go for bottled water". Although bottled water is nothing but tap water put in a plastic bottle, cooled to the optimum temperature and costs about 10 times more than tap water, I ordered for that for no reason. Her immediate reaction was "ss there something wrong? Isn't your fiancee joining you?". I finally answered the truth, "I am here alone and I didn't wanna look like a loser hence I lied". She smiled and said " Oh that's so sweet sir, anyway what would you like to have". I had one and only one reason to go there the BACON PASTA. I immediately said " A bottle of Cheateau St. Michelle and the Bacon Pasta with white sauce please..
She smiled and said " Splendid sir, so that's called the blah blah blah, I'll get that rite away sir". She said something in French and all I understood was blah blah blah. All I cared was about the pasta.. While waiting for the pasta, I took out my laptop, pretended to be a busy man, who has loads of work. But my wallpaper said a different story. I had a mickey mouse wallpaper. I wanted to change it, but somehow I felt I should be myself and not pretend to be something I am not. I put on my headphones and started watching " How I met your Mother"..
