Growing up in a culture that doesn't really have the counter seating option, this was always an amusing concept, but one that is very true and I'd say most encountered by people traveling alone for work, as I am at the moment.
After a tiring 10 days on the road, with early starts and different time zones, I decided to treat myself to dinner at Eataly, one of my favourites. This is my 2nd visit to the one in Chicago, and I've also been in NYC and Rome, and have loved every time.
I approached the greeter in the pasta area, who asked if sitting at the counter was ok? For me, this was more than ok - it was the front row seat to sit and watch the chefs at work preparing the many tasty dishes. I ordered a glass of wine, some antipasto and my main and settled in to enjoy the show. Shortly after, I was joined by a middle aged lady who quietly went about checking her emails while waiting for her wine to arrive.
Once my food arrived however, my neighbour soon enquired what was on my antipasto plate, and the proceeded to tell me she'd be stealing my olives if I looked away. We quickly introduced ourselves and then spent the next 90 minutes talking about our love of food, our love of sharing it and our combined loves of Eataly (her's new the day before, mine 13 months and going strong). At the end of the meal, we thanked each other for the company, didn't swap details and just went on with our lives - it was such a fantastic food experience that I had to share it here. I love that we didn't know each other, will never see each other again and yet shared a great meal and many foodie stories together.
