Eating alone at restaurants was a lot different & more awkward before the era of smartphones.
In the 90s, I'd walk to the local burger joint when I was home alome for the weekend. And would buy a 2 or 3 buck Weekend edition of the newspaper out of the newspaper coinbox to entertain myself at the table.
One stood out a lot more with the whole newspaper spread out on the table reading the Sports boxscores and the Editorial section. Though the newspaper was also useful to catch stray toppings from your burger & ketchup from your fries.
Now, whipping out your smartphone, eating alone and never looking up to make eye contact with anyone probably puts you in the majority instead of being a weirdo.
It's definitely a generational thing. Im a grey hair Millenial and I can strike up a conversation with someone else that's bored to just kill time. Today everyone has anxiety and cant speak to strangers even when no wifi is available. Side note: that's the best time to monologue on crime statistics and per capita
Actually had that conversation the other day. Just minding my own business on my own, and an eighty-year-old chinese woman just plops down in front of me, and first words out of her mouth, "Faaahking Indian men cannot drive!"
The most "sir, this is a Wendys" mixed with "who starts a conversation with that?" that I've had in a long while.
It sounds to me it was a great opportunity to learn new slurs in Cantonese. A little diversity in a man's slurs makes him sound like a well traveled racist
Eating alone at restaurants was a lot different & more awkward before the era of smartphones.
In the 90s, I'd walk to the local burger joint when I was home alome for the weekend. And would buy a 2 or 3 buck Weekend edition of the newspaper out of the newspaper coinbox to entertain myself at the table.
One stood out a lot more with the whole newspaper spread out on the table reading the Sports boxscores and the Editorial section. Though the newspaper was also useful to catch stray toppings from your burger & ketchup from your fries.
Now, whipping out your smartphone, eating alone and never looking up to make eye contact with anyone probably puts you in the majority instead of being a weirdo.
It's definitely a generational thing. Im a grey hair Millenial and I can strike up a conversation with someone else that's bored to just kill time. Today everyone has anxiety and cant speak to strangers even when no wifi is available. Side note: that's the best time to monologue on crime statistics and per capita
I’ve been talked to by old people randomly at eating places so this is probably a thing
Actually had that conversation the other day. Just minding my own business on my own, and an eighty-year-old chinese woman just plops down in front of me, and first words out of her mouth, "Faaahking Indian men cannot drive!"
The most "sir, this is a Wendys" mixed with "who starts a conversation with that?" that I've had in a long while.
It sounds to me it was a great opportunity to learn new slurs in Cantonese. A little diversity in a man's slurs makes him sound like a well traveled racist