Dinner Alone..more importantly..dinner alone and Instagram-less

My elbows rested on a table that glowed purple from within. Directly in from of my hands was a mushroom lamp. I leaned back against a fish tank the size of a TV and looking up there was a giant gecko painted all sorts of colors and patterns. Welcome to Lehka Havla, or "The Clean Head" a restaurant specializing in all raw, vegetarian, and healthy eats that you could imagine.

But really, who is surprised? 

Although I was LOVING the atmosphere, I still looked around awkwardly. "We only have a table for four and that might be odd if it is just you" my waitress said. Even with an accent I could sense the judgement. But I held my head high and marched right over to that four-top and sat down. No wifi, no phone service, I stared at the gecko. 

So...this is what eating alone is like...

I checked my phone even though there was no way for anything to be on it. Then I hated myself for it. Really??? Do I really have that much of a millennial-esque compulsion that when something feels awkward I immediately press the home button? At that realization I recognized the validity in this experiment  and tucked my phone far into my purse. I studied the decor, I thoroughly looked through the menu, I thought about my day, what to name my blog, and what I wanted to do tomorrow. I appreciated the joy in thinking, as ridiculous as that sounds. 

I asked for the red lentil and coconut milk soup and the raw cucumber spaghetti with homemade pesto and goji berries. I could sense my siblings gagging from across the Atlantic and Debbie Katz beaming at me. The soup was maybe the most incredible soup I have ever tasted. After the soup, the cucumber spaghetti tasted like cucumbers. But still, how COOL does this look?! 

I did realize that I cannot completely think for very long, at least not yet. I want to experiment and see what it is like to truly spend a meal eating alone (without Frank Underwood, Hannah Horvath, a book, Instagram, or my homework to quasi-keep me company). I still defaulted to my map, and decided that maybe in the future I could ease myself into alone-ness by reading or writing for pleasure. 

Also loved this quotation in the front of the menu! 

Another positive to this became evident very soon after, as the table for two next to me  both asked to come join me! This was a perfect mixture of solitude and meeting new people. I learned many things about these two good friends, one from Canada and one from the Netherlands, who take a yearly backpacking trip from everywhere from Germany to Hawaii. Jake and Sasha made good conversation and had even better tips about things I should do and see on my own trips. Staring at a phone, everyone is in their own bubble. This conversation  reminded me to break down those walls occasionally and LOOK UP. You never know if some interesting experience is passing by as you are focused on "Fascinating Pics" on Twitter. From now on, I am vowing not to carry my phone unless absolutely necessary and instead to use as many senses as I can, so I can keep a "Clear Mind" even without the decor and deliciousness I experienced tonight.