Eating Out

No, not that, I'm talking about patronizing restaurants.  I eat out for lunch a lot more often than I'd like.  I inevitably end up eating more than I ought to, spending more than I needed to, and mildly regretting the whole thing as I pat my ever-expanding belly in the mid-afternoon.  The same is more-or-less true of dinners I eat out: usually bigger than I need, and far more expensive than eating in.

So why go?

1. Convenience: making food takes time and effort, starting with shopping for ingredients in advance, with an eye toward what I think I'll want to eat several days hence.
2. Socializing: eating together is a ritual of significance in every human culture of which I've heard.  We ate with parents or family as children because we could not make or buy our own food, we grow up eating with friends and family.  It's hard for me to turn down an invitation to eat with others, and I feel especially rude doing so.

That said, I need to cut back, a lot.  I'm presently much fatter* than I'd like to be, and daily restaurant meals aren't helping me.  Further, I really like preparing my own food, I've just been far too lazy or preoccupied to take the time.  The amusing thing -- to me, at least -- is that none of this would be a problem if I were poorer.  Somewhere along the way from impoverished college student to decently-middle-class engineer, I lost the disciplined thrift I'd honed so well when my wallet was thinner (and so was I).

* I tried to think of a good euphemism for "fatter" but then I realized I was trying to think of a euphemism.

Posted by: leoncaruthers at 10:29 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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