Eating Alone Is Not Always Lonely

On setting a place for one, taking your time, and making a meal feel like your own.

Draft opening: a table for one can be a small interval in a busy day. There is no need to hurry a meal simply because nobody else is sitting down.

Editorial note: commission a personal essay around one specific meal, with the writer’s own memories and observations. No first-person experience has been invented for this preview.