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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Sex and the City Changes Lives, or the Many Plights of the Single Girl

Every time I eat at a restaurant by myself, I think of that episode of Sex and the City where Carrie asserts that taking yourself out to a nice meal alone, with no book to defend yourself against the great scrutiny around you is an important, liberating part of being single.

Today, nursing a bit of a cold and being grateful for a few minutes to myself, I took myself out to a pho restaurant near campus. This place is not at all famous for its good service, and there are great banks of tables, where they throw you down, shove a menu in your face and promptly ignore you.

I sat there thinking, it's just because I'm alone that the servers keep walking by. If I was in a big group, they'd look at us like potential for a big tip. Or, if I was in a couple, the boy would get the server's attention.

They didn't even offer me a glass of water.

So I had to stop someone and order. And then they forgot my glass of water.

So I had to ask someone else.

And then a large group of students I recognized from student-teaching walked in.

So I hunkered down with my soup and inhaled it, glancing over my lesson plans as defense, eating as quickly and discreetly as I could.

As I sat there, the patrons around me left and suddenly, I was surrounded by other, sadder singles, all men.

And as soon as one of the creepier ones started talking to me, which I figured was inevitable when they all caught my eye as they were seated, I finished my soup, gathered my things, and shot out of the restaurant before any of the kids could recognize me.

Sometimes being a liberated single girl is harder than it looks on TV.

4 comments:

Mel said...

Oh, that's hilarious. At least tell me you "forgot" to pay.

Annie said...

No. I'm too much of a good girl to EVER do that. Sigh.

rebecca joy said...

i think of that episode all the time too! it's not easy... i usually cave and bring a book.

great post!

Annie said...

I do too. I resorted to rummaging through my bag at one point that day. Thanks for the comment!