Eating Out

[horselady]

Does anyone else find it really odd when you're in a pub/restaurant with loads of empty tables and another lot of people come in and sit right next to you, so close you can hear each other's conversations? This happened earlier and it struck me as funny, there was only us and one other couple in the entire place and in trooped 4 people and sat really close. Same as when you park in an almost empty car park and another car parks right next to you. I know I should get a life, just think it's odd.

[Islay]

Did they sit next to you or were they sat next to you by the waitress?

[rsvp]

herd instinct - hate it!

[melv16]

I've had the same situation when a cretin pitched their tent next to ours on an empty campsite.

[horselady]

No Islay, there was no waitress, they just sat there.

[Islay]

The need to spy on what you are eating to see if its good or not perhaps

[horselady]

Oh god melv16, you've just reminded me of a long forgotten incident from about 10 years ago when we had a caravan, chose a lovely solitary pitch on the site and a family with 3 kids came and pitched right beside us, soon started on the footie games with the ball crashing against our van. Still got a photo we took, great big field and us 2 side by side.

[snags]

I find growling and eye glaring (dog with a bone style) causes fellow diners with no concept of personal space to rapidly divert to another table.

[-Talbot-]

I just lob a boob out and start breastfeeding ... usual gets rid of them.

[gingejbee]

Yes, odd...but not as odd as the guy who stands at the adjacent urinal in an otherwise empty convenience.

[237SJ]

That's like when you are on the beach and there is lots of space and people come and sit right next to you. These days, I refuse to go to restaurants where the tables are placed 18" away from each other - I don't want to have to share my conversation with the people on the next table and they probably feel the same way

[DTCwordfan]

It's MI5 listening in.

[Karolina82]

There seems to be an unwritten protocol when filling up a bus, train carriage or male toilet (so I'm told !). Imagine sitting next to a stranger on an almost empty bus. A similar scenario in a male toilet would likely cause some discomfort.