Lunch at Berkeley: Daily Cal balcony

Here's the first in a series I'm planning for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays:  Lunch at Berkeley.  I'm going to pack a lunch, probably in this little bento box I bought yesterday, and eat it somewhere on campus to showcase all of the amazing places available for people to take in their midday repast.  Like I said in the previous post, I plan on using my DSLR for photos from now on, but I forgot today (on the first day, of all days), so here's an iPhone photo:

The focus is all off.  It's supposed to be on the food, not the scenery, but to be fair, the scenery is pretty spectacular.  I decided to eat my lunch not far from the place I'm going to be storing my lunches - in The Daily Cal's refrigerator.  The newsroom is on the sixth floor of Eshleman Hall, and it has a balcony that overlooks the entire bay.  The balcony is only a few paces away, so it's not uncommon for any of the staff to eat while taking in the fresh air and the view of the bay.  As should be obvious if you read yesterday's post, I had leftover grilled chicken and zucchini over steamed white rice.

Although I fully expected my lunch to be just as pleasing as it was last night, in the way simple, well-seasoned food is pleasurable, the experience lacked that same sensation.  And I couldn't blame the view - the chilly air kept the air clean and clear enough to see right into San Francisco.  As I sat there, looking out, forking the meticulously sliced pieces of chicken, I pondered what I was missing.  I stretched my legs across one of the other chairs on the balcony, and it struck me - I was missing company.  It shouldn't have taken so long to dawn on me.  I despise eating alone unless my brain can go on autopilot while watching TV or something equivalent.  I like having someone with whom I can talk about the food and other odds and ends of the day.  My distaste for solo dining goes so far that I can't eat in a restaurant alone.  I either pick up the food and eat it in a private space (my apartment, most likely) or bury myself in a book.  Then again, if the food isn't conducive to eating with one hand, the book thing is pretty much impossible.

The conclusion I arrived at upon finishing my lunch is that I'll either have to get over my aversion to eating alone or find someone to dine with three days out of the week.  If you're hungry and free from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and/or Friday, we could make beautiful photographs together.  And eat.