Why Won't You Sit With Us?

[Ted in Halifax]

I love to talk ... so sit down and enjoy the meal. One warning:after a few drinks my "Maritime accent" also comes out. Nevertheless, just a harmless small town boy from the edge of North America

 

[kmk1180]

As for the poll, I didnt' respond because I don't like any of the options.

Are you willing to share a table?
1. Never under any circumstances!
I would never say never.

2. If I'm alone, and there's a blank chair between me and them.
Well I'm never alone, we always eat as a family, so this wouldn't apply.

3. Only in long table establishments like Biergarten.
No not really, if it's crowded and we had room, first glance gives you a good instinct, why not offer.

4. Sit down, stranger, and enjoy your meal!
We like our family time and enjoy a quiet time together so I'm not
going to offer just because.


I think a 5th option should be offered.
5. We will be willing to on occasion to sit and chat with others just not all the time.

 

[cherjp]

Love it ! Well actually YOU are the ones with the accents okay I have one too Brooklyn NY all the way....FWIW my maternal Grandfather was born in Glasgow & if I hear the accent I gravitate to you..




Great idea PlutoLuvr ! Start a thread

Hahaha will have to watch out for crazy brooklyn person getting too close..... hahahahaha!!!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Hahaha will have to watch out for crazy brooklyn person getting too close..... hahahahaha!!!

and I will look for you too I will hear you a mile away !

 

[Beauty & the Best]

As for the poll, I didnt' respond because I don't like any of the options.

Are you willing to share a table?
1. Never under any circumstances!
I would never say never.

2. If I'm alone, and there's a blank chair between me and them.
Well I'm never alone, we always eat as a family, so this wouldn't apply.

3. Only in long table establishments like Biergarten.
No not really, if it's crowded and we had room, first glance gives you a good instinct, why not offer.

4. Sit down, stranger, and enjoy your meal!
We like our family time and enjoy a quiet time together so I'm not
going to offer just because.


I think a 5th option should be offered.
5. We will be willing to on occasion to sit and chat with others just not all the time.

I'm with you! Well, not with you b/c you don't want me sitting at your table LOL, but with you in thought!

For us, dining is a nice time to talk to each other and dare I say, become romantic This proves a little harder to do when folks we don't know are at the table.

I don't mind sharing a table at Biergarten or wherever, but would I rather have a private one? Certainly.

Of course if we're in a crowded place and there's space at our table, we always offer it to those we may see searching for seats. That's just common courtesy IMO.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's not that I mind sharing the space with strangers; what I mind is being expected to carry on a conversation over a meal. For the most part I cannot do that, as I'm hard of hearing and need to be able to read lips to fully understand what others are saying. When people converse over meals they tend to look down at their plates when they speak, so that they can look up while chewing and hear the other person's response. With the table settings in the way and the face pointed downward a bit, I usually cannot see the person's mouth clearly enough to accurately lip-read.

General dinner conversation with multiple people is always very difficult for me because it requires perfect timing to be sure to be looking directly at each person whilst they speak. If I try to do it I end up never being able to eat my food. I absolutely HATE business conferences where I'm expected to attend large dinners, because people always want to network around the table, and it is darned near impossible for me to participate in a conversation that is taking place across an 8 ft. wide 10-top.

Now, if you just want to sit there and don't expect me to speak with you beyond "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" and "Thank you.", then we're fine.

 

[minniecarousel]

One of the reasons that DH & I prefer NCL cruiseline - we don't have to share a table at dinnertime! On our Disney cruises, when it was just DH & I and we were celebrating our 25th Anniversary - they seated us with newlyweds (we felt so old!) The other time, we had taken our 21 & 23 year old sons with us and they seated us with a family with a preteen and a teenager.....awkward!

So, my point is that on cruises, I prefer to not share tables, mainly because you'll be eating every dinner with these people. However, at CS meals, if we have room at a table and we see someone looking, we will invite them to share our table. Also, if we go the Biergarten, we know that we'll be sharing a table - no problem!

 

[holden]

I wouldn't mind at a place like Biergarten, but I do not like sharing a table on a cruise. I think it's because they are forcing me to sit with the same strangers every night. If they mixed up the tables, it might be better. We have gotten "stuck" with some pretty boring tablemates - you know the ones - they just sit there, don't talk, like lumps on a log. Or the family of 3 who sat with us and just whispered to each other the entire meal. At a round table! They were right across from us. Now if it's a fun crowd...that's different!

So, cruise ships - no. Fun restaurants that I don't eat at every night with the same people - yes!

 

[enigmaticorange]

I absolutely HATE restaurants like cheesecake factory that have long bench seating.. I always request a booth.

That place is such a struggle for us, lol! We LOVE Cheesecake Factory food but hate the weird scrunched seats. I was so paranoid last time about upsetting the really elderly couple seated next to us. They were so close I could have reached over and eaten off of their plates!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes, I can hear the "buts" from here. "Well, then they should eat at one of the romantic table restaurants and not dine at the Biergarten." Maybe, but what if they became engaged at the Biergarten or love the food? Should they be denied that pleasure just because they want to sit in their own little world at the long table? Or be judged because they don't want to share every breathless word with your great-Aunt Sally who is sitting next to them?

Respectfully, it wouldn't matter. Biergarten and Teppan Edo, you either come with your own party of seven or eight, or you're seated with other people. It's not a choice. You go there, you get seated with others, period.

Given that, of course, it's unlikely anyone would have gotten engaged at either of these two restaurants.

I know in the post-60s era of "teach the world to sing in perfect harmony"

Post-60's? That was the sixties!

Guess all I'm getting at is that polls such as this one tend to sound a little judgemental if you don't agree completely with the initial line. I mean the question itself, "why won't you sit with us",

Pushy? Why? That's what the OP wants to know, of course that's the question she's going to ask!

 

[AJA]

I'm more of the please sit, and we can talk, they might regret sitting with me lol!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bevgray
I know in the post-60s era of "teach the world to sing in perfect harmony"


Post-60's? That was the sixties!
QUOTE]


Interesting since that song has been in my head now I learned something
http://www.richieunterberger.com/newseekers.html

I thought I was in high school at the time and according to the link I was commercial first came out 1970 & rewirked to become a hit song in 1971 (graduated HS 1972) share a coke anyone ?

 

[larryz]

All you america folks could talk to me all day long, i just love listening to your accents. Love to chat to people in the queues, my kids will say do you know those people? hahahaha ! As I love to talk, but sometimes i am aware that you dont understand my accent ( Scottish ) and often get mistaken for Irish or the worst sin which is ENGLISH !

That's why we love sitting with Scots! It's like watching a movie made in a language you studied in high school -- you get about every third or fourth word, but all in all, you understand the story line.

 

[larryz]

Guess all I'm getting at is that polls such as this one tend to sound a little judgemental if you don't agree completely with the initial line. I mean the question itself, "why won't you sit with us", puts anyone who doesn't want to on the defensive and makes those who don't agree feel that they are somehow not behaving properly. Isn't it better to say something like "Do you prefer to eat alone or with other groups"? This topic comes up frequently on the cruise board and makes for some interesting reading.

Guilty. I wrote the title just to suck people into voting on the poll.

But please note, in my OP, I wrote it to get people to say WHY they don't like others sitting with them/sitting with others. It's just curiosity, not a value judgment. Being American myself, and seeing a couple of posts on this and related boards decrying the seating at Biergarten, I just wanted to find out why.

Thanks for sharing YOUR reasons.

 

[crazycatlady]

All you america folks could talk to me all day long, i just love listening to your accents. Love to chat to people in the queues, my kids will say do you know those people? hahahaha ! As I love to talk, but sometimes i am aware that you dont understand my accent ( Scottish ) and often get mistaken for Irish or the worst sin which is ENGLISH !

I agree with pp...I LOVE listening to Scottish and Irish (and yes, even English) accents and SOMETIMES I can even tell them apart. I do have to admit, though, that we have had to turn on the CC during Harry Potter movies to figure out a word here and there.

I am extremely gregarious, but DH is introverted and it makes him nervous to have to make small talk with strangers, so we prefer to dine with just our family when on vacation. That being said, I have ADRs at both Biergarten and Teppan Edo in October.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I think that we, in general, are private and shy and paranoid.

Mind you, there was a small restaurant i went to in Tennesee while i was on business (solo) and when i said I was alone, the hostess brought me to a long table where a number of other solo diners (also on business) were sitting, saying how no one should have to be alone just because they were away from home.

It was unnerving at first, but the others at the table were friendly and we had a good meal, and left when we were done and joined by others..

It made me feel less "alone" in the world, and i went back there for every meal, every night, and sat with some old, some new.

I wish i could remember the name of the place.. it was jsut a greasy spoon, but it was about 12 years ago ..

that is really cool! I'd love to eat at a place like that.

the reason why we don't like to share is because we don't want to torture people with DS8's incessant talking. Seriously, even on meds he's really annoying. Also when at Beirgarten we are always seated with couples, since there are 6 of us. Which is probably not what they intended.

DH and I were in the Mexico pavilion on a trip without kids and we were waiting for illuminations to start. Dh found a table for us while I got food. Anyway 2 little girls wandered over because they couldn't see. DH and I made room for them after I got a thumbs up from mom that it was ok for them to sit with us. Now I didn't mind because they were super sweet kids and it was their first trip to WDW, but I know some people would object to sitting with small children when they are there with their significant other.

 

[Lehuaann]

I think that we, in general, are private and shy and paranoid.

Mind you, there was a small restaurant i went to in Tennesee while i was on business (solo) and when i said I was alone, the hostess brought me to a long table where a number of other solo diners (also on business) were sitting, saying how no one should have to be alone just because they were away from home.

It was unnerving at first, but the others at the table were friendly and we had a good meal, and left when we were done and joined by others..

It made me feel less "alone" in the world, and i went back there for every meal, every night, and sat with some old, some new.

I wish i could remember the name of the place.. it was jsut a greasy spoon, but it was about 12 years ago ..

We live in TN and have a very small hole-in-the-wall restaurant like that with the BEST food...cars line-up for it! The owner sits at the register greeting everyone...and the waitress doesn't only put you at long tables, you sit at 4 and 6 seaters with complete strangers. I admit, it was awkward for me at first, but we meet lovely people!

 

[MajorThomasina]

I absolutely loathe sharing my table with anyone when I'm at home in any restaurant. But...yep you guessed it. I absolutely relish sharing a table when I'm on vacation! I think it's because I "know my own people", therefore I don't really want to interact with them. Most people I come across when I'm on vacation are very friendly and talkative. My family always chose a big table over a normal, "private" family table while on cruises. I actually remember getting really upset that my parents opted for a private table one cruise. Our server was so determined to cheer me up, I kind of feel like I cheated on him once we moved to a big table! So if you see a short little brown girl with a silver fox this fall, please strike up a conversation with us!

As for the OP's question, I think it's because most of us are selfish and paranoid. We were very young when we started this country, thus grew up to be spoiled brats when technology came around. We couldn't appreciate the old ways for we never really saw it. We're living in a very fast-paced environment and don't have time to "stop and smell the roses". I love my country and all the freedom and opportunities it gives, but jeez louise! Can't ya be a little more cosmopolitan and less "me me me" all the time? Keep in mind I'm just addressing the snooty and plain rude, whom I naturally ignore anyway. So please don't take offense if you're shy/reserved, have an embarrassing talker, want alone time as you can't get it at home, etc as your reasons.

 

[cherjp]

That's why we love sitting with Scots! It's like watching a movie made in a language you studied in high school -- you get about every third or fourth word, but all in all, you understand the story line.

you are hilarious, will watch out for you too when I am there , you will be the one with the puzzled look, then laugh your head off when I have finished speaking!!!!!!!
funny funny.

 

[The_Aviator]

I'm sure you guys would love sitting with us Aussies.