I’ve realized that I really don’t like eating out. I do like the idea of someone else making food for me, and someone else doing the dishes. But I don’t like that the food is often not very healthy, and the ambiance is often a little overwhelming. Restaurants can be very loud when there are other customers there.
Sometimes I think I want to rent a restaurant and invite just my friends. Or maybe I want to go to a restaurant that has a limit on the number of people that can be in it. And maybe even the kind of people. Loud, shrill voices are not great for the digestion. This is regardless of age.
I have actually asked to move tables when people have ordered tequila or margaritas. What is it about social drinking that makes people unsociable? They laugh too loud and too high pitched. They become boisterous and belligerent. I’ve also asked to be seated in a different area if there are families with small children. I don’t think it is charming to see a toddler running all over the area, yelling at the top of his lungs.
There are very few restaurants that will go up to the customers who are being loud and ask them to be quiet. They think that if they do, the customer won’t come back. They don’t get that the good customers, the other ones who are not being loud, will really be the ones who won’t come back if this keeps happening. Then the restaurant will be filled with only loud, obnoxious people.
betsybeadhead 
I find I eat out less now that I’m not drinking. I used to love brew pubs (shocking) and there are a ton in the town where I live (and more popping up every day – it’s become quite the cottage industry.) I save a ton of money not eating out as much and I agree – it’s far more peaceful at home. There are restaurants that are not loud – maybe search for one of those?
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I find I eat out a lot less now that I’m sober as well. Wonder if there is a connection? I’ve started to learn how to cook for myself and that is very healing. But every now and then I want to eat out. We’ve tried different times of the day and that helps a bit. I think part of my problem is that I’m hypersensitive to sound. It is part of why I like working in a library – but it can be loud there too. The restaurants that seem to be quieter are the ones that are cheaper – families with small children or people who are into cheap tequila don’t go to expensive restaurants. But I like cheap restaurants because, well, I’m cheap. Government jobs don’t pay much. So it is a toss up. I do think it is the responsibility of the restaurant manager to keep the noise level reasonable, but they don’t agree with me.
On Tue, Dec 2, 2014 at 9:28 AM, betsybeadhead wrote:
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