Eating out by yourself

What's your favorite trick for feeling comfortable when you eat in a nice restaurant by yourself? Reading something--a book, newspaper, etc.--is a popular solution. The only thing wrong with that is, you may inadvertently be depriving yourself of the complete enjoyment of your food. I know I always tend to eat more and enjoy it less when I'm reading--can't pay attention both to the content and to the food.

One way I've done it is to write in my journal. I can really be involved in the present experience when I write down what's actually happening to me and around me. It seems to me that when you look around at others and the surroundings with a pen in your hand, it doesn't appear to other people as a) nosy, b) lonely, c) threatening if they can clearly see that you're thinking about what to write next! And it has the added bonus of giving people an excuse to talk to you if they want to--kind of like having a dog or a baby. Gives you a slight air of mystery and gives others a little icebreaker when they can ask you, oh, are you a writer?

And the answer, of course, is yes! Becaues you are a writer when you keep a journal. Doesn't matter that you failed grammar and spelling in third grade. Who cares when it's your personal writing? I highly recommend journal writing. It can be very surprising--never know what you might discover about yourself.