I took myself on a date for Valentine’s Day

They made me sit at a table for two.

Valentine’s is said to be the day all singles are supposed to dread. Luckily the girl I took on a date for Valentine ’s Day and I had so much in common. We laugh at the same things, love the same films.

Oh wait, it was me.

Yes, I got all dressed up, bought myself a red rose from Tesco and took myself out to dinner.

All dressed up for me

I made my way to Maggie May’s beside Queens for my romantic meal, pretending not to notice loads of couples looking longingly at each other.

Fortunately the restaurant was not completely full, allowing me to avoid having to wait or eat outside or any other horror.

Better take the price off that rose before I give it to myself

Of course, I ended up sitting at a table meant for two by myself in the middle of the room. At the mercy of a vast amount of pitying looks fired my way and a child in a Frozen T-shirt who managed to stare at me for about an hour.

Sounds bad, but to be honest there was something kind of liberating about it.

Empty chairs at empty tables…

There was no ordering anything out of my comfort zone to try and impress anyone. No explaining to anyone who I am and why they should want to go on future dates with me.

I didn’t have to consider where anyone else wanted to go, and there was no one to steal my food.

Cup of tea to start

Surprisingly, there were others eating alone so I didn’t stand out and it wasn’t nearly as boring as you would think.

Perhaps Valentine’s Day isn’t the big deal we’ve been led to believe.

and with this image of chicken goujons, I became one of those people who photographs their food

The boy and girl at the table next to me seemed to be having an awful time, both spending  the whole evening staring at their phones. Romance eh?

We’ve all been on bad dates, but it’s testament to how good your own company can be when you would prefer to eat by yourself than have an evening with someone who found Facebook more interesting than your face.

Hello lovebirds

Why are things that are seen as ‘romantic’ when you do them with another person seem sad or weird when you do them by yourself?

The food was lovely, the staff were really sweet to me (admittedly because they thought I had been stood up) and my self-date was a great success.

Ignore those smarmy couples and do whatever you want. Because you know you’re the best person for you.

Sweet food is best food