Where to eat when you’re craving a book

[Here’s a special bonus list for my fellow bibliophiles.  A kind of literature/food pairing guide, because this week’s “Table for One” wanted to be so much more in its inception.   Cheers!]

So you’ve heard my views on dining out alone, and now you’re all psyched up to go out and try it.  I did mention that for various reasons it might be useful for you to bring something along to read.  Now, is it really too ridiculous to let your reading material dictate the type of food you choose to consume?  Probably!  But this is how I’m sometimes known to do it:

Thrillers:  A fast-paced suspense story can be even more delectable at your local sandwich shop.  Read with a turkey club croissant: avocado, sprouts, and a juicy, drippy tomato.  More often, though, I’ll have a corned beef and swiss melt with a smear of bright yellow mustard that’ll stay on my face ‘til a mirror walks past me.  (That’s not likely to be anytime soon, since I usually eat on the patio to soak up some Vitamin D).

Short stories go well with any place and any thing you’d like to eat.  Done right, they are curious, unpredictable things.

                                               

Non-fiction is like protein for your intellect.  It’s great with a cup of coffee   and whatever you like to eat at breakfast joints.

                                                                                                                               

 Classics are meant to be enjoyed with food that is equally timeless and substantial. Think of going to your favorite Italian restaurant for lasagna, eggplant parmesan, or a mixed seafood linguini.

  Fiction:  Whether it’s serious or light-hearted, nothing compliments a well-spun yarn like a slice of classic diner pie!

Those mystery romance novels your grandmother gets in the mail:  I mean, My grandmother… gets… those… You should just ask to borrow one of her special quilted book covers, and then read it someplace where people won’t notice you’re blushing. Like a fondue restaurant.  Everyone’s sweating in there anyway.  [Realization: I’ve never taken myself out for fondue alone. Think I just found my New Year’s resolution!  …Ahem, minus the cringe-worthy fluff.]

Magazines?  This one’s actually a given.  Good for any casual setting.  I like to take the Spring and Fall Fashion editions of Vogue out to a favorite Tex-Mex restaurant, and dog-ear anything that inspires my pretty-ometer. It’s become a wonderful tradition. 

A couple of years ago when I was doing this, a waiter told me I looked like Princess Kate.  That was weird, because I honestly don’t look a thing like her, and she couldn’t possibly be expected to maintain that physique if she were allowed to have salty food.  But he seemed pretty happy and excited about it, so I said thanks. There’s nothing better than a bowl of guacamole, and someone bringing you coke after coke… while you’re drinking in 400 pages of brilliant color and gorgeous lines that also smells like a high-end perfume counter.