social eating, are you uneasy with it?

[Shadow Nexus]

I’v found that I hate eating around people. All that yakking interferes with the enjoyment of the food, not to mention the choking hazard. Social eating is weird and uncomfortable. When I was young, we had the family dinner table. I didn’t like it. First chance I got, I started eating alone. It was annoying when people started talking to me while I was eating. I usually tried to end chat quickly, sometimes snapping(in anger) at them. At home or out, I ate alone. Today, I eat alone all the time. When at relatives, i’m better able restrain myself from snapping at them. I will have chat with them about this someday.

These type things fill me with dread and avoid like the plague:

Dinner date, eating at the movies, “breaking bread”, picnic lunch with date, business meeting at restaurant, party with food, office picnic, office party with food, and anything else with food and socializing mixed.

If you can relate to this, post here. Else, don’t! Thanks.

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[laddybug3]

I eat with people and that is my social time. No, I had a friend go to the consoling office at college to talk about spending more time. I included breakfast, lunch and dinner.

However, my high school and grade school hated eating with people. I am not sure what changed. Maybe, I just got bigger.

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[Shadow Nexus]

Are there any people as adults that are this way? I know I can’t be the only one.

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[memzak]

You are probably not the only one but my annoyance level is much lower than yours. I tend to either eat and not talk or talk and not eat. I have taken home more food because I was talking not eating.

I have a nephew that has always “protected” his food like he grew up in a prison or something. He would lean over his plate, shovel the food into his mouth and have his other arm circled around the plate like he was expecting someone else to try to steal it. He has always been like this and no one can figure out why. Some people truely enjoy the taste of their food. Maybe you are just hyperfocusing in this pleasure and become more than a little irratated if this hyperfocus is interrupted.

Personally, I used to dread eating out because I was always being critized for my table manners. I always seemed to drip something on my clothes. One time in a restaurant I suddenly coughed all over the table. I always seemed to do something embarassing when manners count. It got better and now as long as I remember not to lick my plate or drink the salad dressing that escaped the salad I do all right. I have found just in the last few years that I enjoy the company more than I worry about table manners.

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[newday]

Yes I am like this, and I thought I was the only one. At work we are provided lunch in the cafeteria (I usually bring my lunch) I was and still am not quite sure why I am uncomfortable or feel I do not have the time to go to the Cafeteria. When I do go to the cafeteria my team usually does a double take and applauded when I enter. LOL

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