Pixiport:The Voice Behind The Lens Michael Dubiner

EATING OUT ALONE
While some manage do it with panache, most people feel uncomfortable about eating in a restaurant alone. There is something in the mind of the diner, that makes him feel he is signaling that he is friendless, someone not worthy of breaking bread with.

Of course, many feel perfectly comfortable eating out alone, some probably prefer it. Others, as the gentleman in the first image, may look at it as a respite from a busy world, a time to catch up on paperwork or study, a time for reflection, or nowadays, a time to make those telephone calls that a hectic day does not otherwise not allow for.

There is another group, those that are alone, perhaps friendless, whose decision to dine by themselves is made by circumstance, not choice. These people, are often elderly and because of the life span differential between men and women, are disproportionately female. South Florida is a haven for the widowed and therefore, it is typical to see a woman, dining alone, most often in relatively inexpensive restaurants.

Because of the nature of how I make my images, the picture of the woman above, as with most of my images, did not allow me to inquire as to her marital state, let alone her motivation or feelings on eating alone. It is the nature of the work I do. A glimpse and the press of the shutter. There is no communication and almost never any eye contact. However, when exposing the image, and to a greater extent, after reflecting on the final print, I allow myself to speculate on the meaning of what I have captured, and in this case, the woman's state of mind. Even if I am wrong about what she is thinking or feeling, to me, and hopefully to others who view the image, she is representative of that which I intend the image to evoke. That is what I enjoy about Street Photography.

I must admit, I detest eating out alone. The more formal the setting, the worse I feel about it. I recently had an experience where I had made plans to eat with friends more than a month in advance. The plans were never confirmed. I had been driven to the restaurant and the driver was to pick me up after lunch. When one of the people who I thought I was eating with came in after me and mentioned the coincidence of our being in the restaurant at the same time, my heart sunk. He was eating at the restaurant with someone else. My discomfort increased as I was seated alone with two other place settings. I was .....