When I traveled all the time for work there were times when I would go out to eat by myself. Not often, because I often traveled with team members and eating out together was often a blast. We went by the mantra of work hard, play hard. However, those times I did go out on my own I started to eat at the bar. It felt more comfortable and one had ready access to not only a cocktail but also an ear.
An ear! Yes, indeed. And, I loved it. I’m a bit of a talker. As a kid I was a champion storyteller. I can tell a tale. And, both fortunately and unfortunately, I have lived through many tales.
Now, even when with another person, I more often than not, still eat at the bar. You get an intermediary to help settle debates. You get the real story of the place. You almost always end up with either a free dessert or drink. You get to be social yet also intimate. Instead of across the table, you can talk to the person to you side-by-side. You literally get to speak to their ear. There’s something to be said about that.
Categories: Culture, food, identity, mental health, Psychology, society
psychologistmimi 
Good point but I hate sitting on high stools
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It’s great when one can find gbe stools with backs. Then it’s a great find! Cheers
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SMiLes If It’s True Someone’s Ear May
Be Talked Off Dear Miriam That Social
Animal With Mostly Ears And Few Words
A Description of me the First 5 Decades of
Life Particularly Serving Out Rental Shoes
And Managing A Military Bowling Center A
Total of 18 Years A Full Generation Then A Bit
Of ‘Cheers’ Always Behind
The Counter of Real Rental
Shoe Exchange or Literally
At The Snack Bar Serving
Alcoholic Beverages There
too Some Nights Running the
Entire Establishment Solo Including
Making Quick Repairs on Machines too
Truly Leaving A Pool of Sweat Everywhere
i Ran All 8 Hours Laps Around that Place on
(True 3 Degrees in College Prepared me for
None of That Hehe First World Problems Real)
Saturday Night As Up to 100’s of Folks Enjoyed
What i Served Up to them For Recreation as my
Job to Serve the Military And Other Folks Morale
Welfare And Recreation Yes THiS Way True Not Unlike
‘Ted Danson’ And Any Other Bar Tender Behind Those Counters
i Heard Many Life And Sea Stories Indeed Always nodding and smiling
Yet Rarely Returning a Word in Exchange Yet True i Laser Focused on
The Human Before me As A True Face of God as i Tend to Do that With
Words As Avatars of Soul Folks Dance And Sing Free Online True Too
My Mother and Some Other Relatives Particularly Elders Told
Long Stories too i Wondered if i Would Ever Be Fully Human
That Way as it seems i did Too Much Damned Input in Life
To Ever Learn How to Output Socially in Words Particularly
In Grade School, High School, And University True Hehe
Oh Change Now i Have Stories to Give Away Share
Care and Heal For Real New Now Like At the Gym
on Friday Night as i’ve been Working Out
Religiously for Literally 50 Years since
Age 12 Yep Even on Friday Nights
When Everyone Was Out Getting
Drunk And A Young Athletic Looking
Man Has Been Coming in Solo Seemingly
Loss From His Party FRiEnDS too so i found
myself working Out Next to Him and said Bending
Down Slowly With Some Repetitive Muscle Strain Injuries
Making it Hard to Reach Down With A Pin and Lift the Whole
Stack of Weight As i Said This is What it Means to Grow Old
You Can Still Lift The Whole Stack You Are Just A Bit Slow at
62 Putting the Pin in at the Bottom Of the Stack And Then He
Related He Had A Full Scholarship to Play Football in College
Yet His Senior Year Someone Tackled Him And Crushed His
Knee Blowing it Out Completely
Requiring Replacement Parts
So Young in Athletics That Way
i Asked Him if Football Was Worth
it to Him Now He Basically Said Hell No
Yet i Lauded Him For Coming In Solo and
Not Quitting to Make Himself The Best He
Will With All the Tools Still At Hand That Work
And Of Course i told him my Life Story to Inspire
Him Hehe You’ve heard that Many Instances Like
Old Sea Stories Retired Salty Old Sailors Repeat Over
and Over Again too Yet There is A Warmth Indeed for
The Story Teller That is As Warm As Lending Ears Only
For Decades
True too With
SMiLes i Remember
All Their Stories Like They
Are Still Today Mostly Bar Fights
Hehe Yet Everyone Fulfills Their Dreams Someway For Real…
Always a Pleasure Hearing Your Stories Dear Miriam it Makes
me Very Happy to Hear Them Each and Every Day to Get
Inspired And to Feel Very Warm And Human Both By
Ear and
Yes SoUL
EXPReSSiNG
SPiRiT HeART FeLT True..:)
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I only ever eat at bars when I am on my own. It’s the best vantage point, you can see who’s there and you can engage or disengage as you like. Plus if you befriend the bartender, you often get an extra shot of something, a free drink or some free munchies. When I was in NYC last month, I sat at a bar in a pizza restaurant called Kesté and made friends with the bartender and got all sorts of yummy and alcoholic freebies. Great post, Mimi.
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Oh how fun. I’m glad you found that place!!!!
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