In college, eating alone was always one of my biggest fears. Sure, I like to consider myself a strong, independent woman — that is, until it comes to Instagramming my dinner.
I sometimes wonder why there’s such a stigma when it comes to solo dining. After all, if it’s delicious enough, you’re not talking to anyone at all. Same goes for trips to the movies and concerts — while they’re friendship building experiences, it’s not exactly the best opportunity to be chatty.
If you’re equally terrified of dining alone, there’s a restaurant that was basically made for you. The Moomin Cafe recently opened in Hong Kong, and its purpose is to comfort loners with enormous stuffed animal friends at their table.
I would assume that most people don’t like eating alone because of the judgement that comes with it (although, let’s be honest, think of how often you eat alone in bed mid-Netflix binge). A large stuffed animal sitting with you would draw more attention to you, not less. It’s the proverbial elephant in the room, only it’s more of a hippopotamus.
The Moomin character is a hippo that’s popular in Finnish stories, and available for friendship during dining. At least you don’t have to worry about splitting the bill up evenly.
