Eating out is such a pleasure ― the food, the wine, the joy of having it all brought to you by someone else ― that it’s a pity to ruin the experience by sharing it with other people.
Well, I do like visiting restaurants with friends. But dining out alone has its own very special attractions. For a start you can give all your attention to the food. There’s nothing worse than having to invent and deliver an opinion on school league tables or Sanchez’s move to Manchester United, plus listen to everyone else’s opinions, when all you really want to do is enjoy each mouthful along the way.
A second great thing about eating out alone is the chance to combine food with one of life’s other true pleasures: reading. You have to plan this carefully: Indian or Chinese restaurants are best ― you need food you can eat with just one hand, leaving the other free to hold your reading material.
But perhaps the biggest attraction of a table for one is the chance it gives to people-watching. Restaurants and the different reasons for visiting them ― first date, business meeting, night out with friends ― produce human behaviour of surprising richness and variety. Will the man selling his business idea get any joy out of his possible investor(投资者)? Will the married couple think of anything to say to each other before their main courses arrive?
This “human zoo” part of eating out alone is one of the reasons I’d hate to be famous: everyone would be watching you, so you wouldn’t be able to watch them. The snooker player Steve Davis says this was one of the strangest consequences(后果) of becoming well-known: he got very worried about his eating in public, almost to the level of doubting whether he was “doing it right.”
So next time you’re considering your eating out choices, remember the advice of the businessman Nubar Gulbenkian: “The best number for a dinner party is two ― myself and a super head waiter.”
12. What does the text mainly talk about?
A.The reasons for eating out alone. |
B.The trouble with eating in public. |
C.The suggestions about dining out. |
D.The fear of making dining choices. |
13. What is the best part of dining out alone?
A.One can fix one’s eyes on the food. |
B.One can enjoy reading while eating. |
C.One is likely to come across famous people. |
D.One is given the chance to watch other diners. |
14. What does the author intend to tell us in paragraph 5?
A.Steve Davis cared too much about table manners. |
B.Famous people are always the center of attention. |
C.Being famous may ruin the joy of eating out alone. |
D.Being watched seems far better than watching others. |
15. What is suggested at the end of the text?
A.Dining with friends. | B.Chatting over dinner. |
C.Having a table for one. | D.Sharing a table with a waiter. |