Stories that Inform
3 min read
The joy of eating alone
There’s no longer a stigma towards solo dining. The younger generation in Singapore enjoys such activities.
BY: CELEST THAM
With more consciousness on the benefits of alone time and the restrictions of pandemic to adhere, solo dining has become more mainstream. PHOTO: CELEST THAM
Miss Tan Sin Er, 19, a first-year university student, loves solo dining. She dines alone whenever she goes out.
“I’m a person who enjoys alone time, and I think that's important as a time for me to understand myself better and learn to love and care for myself,” says Miss Tan, who also enjoys going to the cinema alone.
Solo dining was stereotyped to be lonely and pitiful but in reality, it is relaxing when you actually want to do it.
This trend is no longer exclusive to foreign countries. In recent years, there are more restaurants that cater to solo diners in Singapore, from single-serving hot pot to barbeque restaurants offering individual grills. More restaurants have a bar table section, which is ideal for individual diners to enjoy their meal.
The bar table section is perfect for solo diners to have their meals and enjoy the scenery outside. PHOTO: CELEST THAM
Based on a survey conducted on youths aged between 15 to 35, more than 76 per cent of respondents tried solo dining. More than 80 per cent of these respondents who tried solo dining before enjoyed the experience. The common reason they started eating alone is due to the need to settle their own meal. They eventually developed a fondness for solo dining.
Polytechnic student Elijah Poh, 18, is one of the many solo diners who eats alone for lunch almost every day.
“I used to eat alone because I had no one to eat with, but now I like to eat alone because it gives me ‘me time’,” says Mr Poh.
Haakon, a food and beverage (F&B) business, has been seeing customers aged between 20 and 40 who dine alone in their outlet. According to manager Tham Yu Ming, 30, they make up 50 per cent of their customers.
F&B businesses have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. As such, they have to adhere to safe management measures and adjust themselves to the ever-changing dining group numbers. They must also make sure their customers are fully vaccinated.
“Technically solo diners would follow the COVID-19 rules and restrictions by default, that reduces our burden a lot,” says Mr Tham.
National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Ser says the reason why people dine alone could vary, including not having anyone to share their mealtime, preferring spending less time on a meal, or wanting to use mealtime as for quiet reflections.
“In Singapore, ‘eating out’ is usually associated with socialising, catching up, or having a formal or informal meeting; hence, the prevalence of ‘eating out with others’,” he says.
However, he mentions that solo dining is all about one’s choice and that it can be liberating.
“I think it boils down to whether we have the option to eat alone when we prefer to or eat with others when we need to chat with someone. My view is that we gain if we have options; we lose if we don’t have options,” he says.
As for Miss Tan, she believes that being alone doesn’t mean she’s lonely. Her decision to dine alone depends on the person she’s with.
She says: “I’m an extrovert but I do enjoy solo dining too, these two don’t conflict with each other at all!”