Dinner for Many, the best gift

It was my freshmen year of college. I lived in this dorm called a "townhouse" basically the place they put either athletes or lazy applicants who didn't send in their dorm preference in time. It was exactly as it sounds, a small townhouse with 2 bedrooms, 2 freshmen to a bedroom. I lived in mine with one girl from Korea, one girl who was gothic, and one girl who really really really liked to party (the kind you find passed out on the toilet a lot).


The townhouse created many obstacles to meeting your freshmen year dorm friends who would be your "besties for life". So on my 19th birthday, February of freshmen year, in frigid upstate new york, I didn't know which way to turn when it came to celebrate. Fortunately, I had a boyfriend. Unfortunately, we had recently considered going on a break, and I was half heart broken, and convinced I shouldn't call him, or any of our friends we shared. So in the end, I couldn't even tell you what I did on the actual day of my 19th birthday.


But the important part of this story is what happened on the day after my birthday. At 8pm a persistent forceful knock on our front door forced my Korean roommate to get up and see who was there. She was immediately trampled by four rather large males, one of which being my boyfriend, carrying groceries and champaign. They quickly made their way to the kitchen and began cooking while my roommate fetched me from upstairs.

I came down to 3 giant 19 year old boys cooking a feast of seafood pasta with a white wine vinaigrette, shrimp, scallops and clams, while the fourth uncorked a bottle of Andre yelling "happy birthday Tania". 


What can I say. It might have been a day late, but it was the best gift: food and booz. To this day the four giant boys are all extremely good friends of mine. I am not sure if they remember that night as well as I do, but I hope they will always remember how much it meant to me.


Of course the three friends eventually left me alone with the boyfriend who confessed that he did want to stay with me (I am not a romantic, although this story is becoming one). And yes, I'm still with the lad. He proved to me that not only did he really like me, but that he was an awesome cook! My god have I landed a gold mind.


So to this day on my birthday he cooks for me. I don't want anything else from him except a glorious meal freshly made by him, and of course, all friends are invited because he loves to share his food with everyone. So Kesley, Allison, Jess, mark the calendar: February 10th, my place.

Dining, ALONE?

Kelsey, you amaze me. I completely understand and agree with all your valid points about dining alone. But see, then I read Jessica's blog, and I realize, wow, I am just like her: I can't dine alone. Key word here, ALONE. Let's break it down even further:

You walk into the restaurant, ALONE. 

The heavily make-upped hostess asks how many, you say "I'm here, ALONE".

They start to wonder, oh wow. Either she doesn't like to cook, she's maybe a closet alchy, or she's oh so ALONE ALONE ALONE, and looking for company.

Then you sit down ALONE.

You order food ALONE.

You look around the room ALONE.

People look at you, oh wow, why is that young lady sitting ALL ALONE?

Then my bigger fear occurs, another person is ALONE. And this person has decided that you are their target, and you are the person they can't wait to tell their life story to! Now maybe this doesn't happen to other people, but I somehow carry a genetic magnetic force (I say genetic because my dad seems to have this issue also), where people for some unknown reason to me, want more than anything to tell me their life story. I have tried headphones, sleeping, straight up cold shoulder, my god I've done it all! But still, these people find me on every train, every bus, airplane, bar, cafe, in line at the store, you name it! You know exactly the people I'm talking about when I say this, and if you don't, then perhaps you should consider the option that you are maybe one of them.

Now you may be thinking, wow this girl is anti-social, and rude. But I'm not. There's a big difference here. When I do something ALONE, it's probably because at that time I wanted it that way. However, just to clarify, I so rarely do anything ALONE. I hate trying a new gym class ALONE, or figuring out a new PO box ALONE, how about signing up for a dodgeball league (yes that's right, dodgeball) ALONE, whatever it be, I do not like doing things ALONE.

Which brings me back in a full circle (I'm a huge hand talker, perhaps you can image a finger swinging around in a circular motion to make sure you understand the obvious return to the beginning), do I dine ALONE? That's a no.