Mark Twain, I believe.

Nope, I was wrong.

Will Rodgers - Strangers are just friends I haven't met yet.

That was definitely the mood around the breakfast table this weekend :-)

Of course! What a treat to meet new people! Have shared meals (tables)many times and quite enjoy the experience! Most B&B's have common tables as do many public houses in Europe (from my experience), also Carnegie Deli in NYC!

rb - I rarely eat out casually at home. It's usually a chance for me and DH to get away from the hustle of raising children and being at work.

No foie gras, but bacon biscuits, biscuits 'n gravy, french toast and eggs on the table. I doubt the eggs were free-range, but I did confirm that no LARD was used in the preparation of the meal. :-)

I have never been asked to share a table in any restaurant I've been to here in the states, but we have done it on several occassions in Europe and it just added to the fun. We loved talking to locals and getting recommendations on places to visit, and its great fun meeting new people from all over the world.

Tracy

Hmmmm...seems that posting at Fodor's is a bit like dining at a community table, strangers that become friends
and strangers that stay strange...
and yes Mr R5 and I have enjoyed dining this way all over the world. Many places in our hometown have community tables that are rarely empty. My one exception is breakfast as I am better of with a known companion or a newspaper.

((R))
R5

Of course we'd share tables with strangers ... and they'd not be strangers for long. Many have aided me in my travels, and usually it's begun with a shared meal. One prays this civilized mode will endure the ones who deem not.

But <u>CiaoLeone/blacktie/Leone/CPHsmiles/travelsmiling/</u>Gads! Who can remember all your screennames?? , then you start to stalk all those nice people who were helpful to you and then Fodors has to ban you ... I cannot imagine what it would be like to actually sit down to a table with you. How are things in St Pete?

Dang! With all those identities, there wouldn't be room for anyone else at the table!

Always! Okay, well, almost always.

I, too, have not been able to eat by myself in public while at home, but am now ok with it while traveling. Believe me, I've tried. I figured, I can do it abroad, why not in my own neighborhood? It just doesn't work (for me) at home.

Also re: cruise ships. I was at the bar on the Amsterdam (Holland America line) once and chatted up some people there. They had already been assigned their dinner seating, but said, &quot;come along! half the people don't show up anyway.&quot; We get to dinner, and sure enough, many tables were half full. So we joined with others and made our own full table. Big fun.

:)

I would and I'd probably have a good time. My husband would to get served faster.
A man approached me at a little cafe once and asked if I'd like to share the table. It wasn't a pick up line or anything; he just wanted a company for lunch. It was pleasent.

Growing up, my parents took us to the Pennsylvania Dutch &quot;family style restaurants&quot; in Lancaster, PA in which we shared a table with other families.

DH and I experienced shared tables in Salzburg which we didn't mind at all.

More recently, the hotel I stayed at in Aspen, The Mountain Chalet, has breakfast included in the price of a room. Breakfast is served in a large room with shared tables. I loved it--meeting new people, discovering why they were there, where they were from, etc. Later, running into these guests was like running into friends, everyone chatty and wanting to know about your day.

Yes and no. Two years ago, at the Swissotel in Chicago during a convention, there was a huge line for breakfast because the dining room was full of businessmen with usually one and at most two to tables that could seat four. As I was led (solo) to a table, I indicated that the two businessmen behind me in line were welcome to share my table if they wanted (there were no other tables available and it didn't look like anyone was going to leave for the next 10 minutes). They never said thank you, spread their stuff all over the table, talked to each other as if I was invisible. So after that, I didn't share.
In the Vienna airport, I had a table to myself in one of the cafes. No other tables were availabe, so when an elderly couple approached me and asked if they could share the table, I said yes. But then added, please, no smoking. The woman smiled and said of course, but her grumpy husband swore at me and stomped off. They found a table at the opposite end of the cafe and he smoked almost an entire pack of cigarettes during the hour I was there. Glad I said nicht rauchen!
Finally, in Eugene, OR, at a little restaurant called Poppi's Anatolia (sp?), I was seated in a window table enjoying my favorite meal there while my husband was at home working on a computer project. Out of nowhere, a guy appeared and sat down at my table and began pestering me (this was a restaurant,not a bar). I told him I preferred to eat alone and finally had to get the hostess to chase him away.

So...my table experiences haven't been positive, but I'm still hopeful!

I don't recall having a negative table sharing experience. Although I would guess I've only done it a handful of times.

Oh, and for restaurants that have counters, I've definately taken a counter seat to avoid waiting. and I recall getting takeout in Morro Bay, CA and eating at a picnic table/ bench to avoid waiting. :-)

I'd be happy to share a table- I offer all the time at places like the 3rd &amp; Fairfax Farmers' Market here in LA or mall courts, and such.

And I'd be happy to accept someone's offer to share theirs.

On the condition that I wasn't on a romantic date or having a serious talk.

share a breakfast table? no.
share a blackjack table? ok.

I think there is a subtle difference between sharing a table when on holiday and when at home, especially on what is being termed a &quot;date night&quot;. I think on holiday it would add to the whole holiday experience the occasional shared meal with a stranger, especially one from another country and culture. It is often enlightening to hear over peoples views on subjects we may have entrenched views and of course if the person is a local they may have good advice on what to see an what to do.

Hi, I haven't been on Fodor's much the last days but this is an interesting thread.

In the morning I really don't want a lot of conversation, lol, so I really would not want to share a table, one reason that I am not interested in staying at B&amp;B's..although I sure caught holy &quot;you know what&quot; from a poster on the Australian Board when I posted my thoughts on that.

But I have shared table with people at dinner..basically at Basque restaurants. There was one on Broadway in SF (now closed). My late husband and I always had fun at this restaurant. We also have shared tables at Basque restaurant in Reno, Elko and south of Gardnerville (can't remember the name). We always had fun, but we knew that we would be sharing a table.

And since I have been on my own more than once I have had people at airports ask if they could sit at my table while I was eating at airports. I would have said no if they seemed shall we say like &quot;creeps&quot; but that has not happened. I have had some very delightful conversations with other travellers from around the world (women and men) while sharing a table at airports..no difference really than sharing thoughts and stories here on Fodors.