Case 7: Eating Alone

I wonder if there really are people who cannot eat alone, or allow themselves to be seen eating alone in the caf or restaurants. Perhaps, American movies and tv shows have exaggerated the teen's preoccupation to belong to a specific clique that he must hang out with during lunch. I am forced to eat lunch alone everyday at Manang's due to my food scholarship (yes, there is such a thing as free lunch) since freshman year. I could not always bring friends with me because they complain about the distance. There are a few advantages of having someone with you when eating there.
First, he can save you seats while you order. I had experienced difficulty with this since Manang's is usually packed and I cannot always bring a bag with me. Next,...
well that's the only advantage I can think of.
Of course, being with someone saves you from being tagged a loner or (to gently put it) someone without friends. For some people, that might be unacceptable. But this may only apply if you are living inside a US teen movie or tv show. Perhaps the real advantage is that you are inserting objects in your mouth seated with a person you are comfortable with and not with a bunch of strangers.
Eating with someone is not always pleasant. Sometimes, I feel compelled to start a conversation when all I want to do is concentrate on my food. I have to choose between nonsense chitchat and awkward silence. And then, there is that annoying unwritten rule where we have to wait for everyone else's food to be ready before one can start eating. And then, we have to wait for everyone else to finish eating before one can leave. Breaking this rule earns one dangerous glares, as if all our stomachs are synchronized to digest together.
So next time we meet again there, you will understand why I prefer to eat on an empty table than with you.