Eating out, I don't enjoy it.

Yes, we prefer to eat out at lunch time. As our digestion time has increased with age, eating a meal late, especially a large one always led to a disturbed and uncomfortable night as we battled with indigestion and discomfort.

We now have our main meal at lunch time at home and the same when eating out.

I prefer going out for lunch rather than dinner and I agree with those who find loud music too much.

Those of us who are lucky enough to have some disposable income, after paying all our bills, can chose to spend money wherever we like.

Those who like eating out are doing their bit to support the hospitality industry.

Others might buy stuff, give money to families, go on lovely foreign holidays, support charities or do all of these things.

One way or another we are privileged to have the choice and hopefully our money is put to good use.

MissChatelaine!
I envy you….been there twice, Hue is beautiful, with the Perfume river, and the food is wonderful.

Everybody is saying how much they like eating out, while the OP is feeling defensive that she doesn't.

I am sure Kirkcubbin is feeling even worse now, Kirkcubbin do not be put off. If you you do not like eating out. Don't. It desn't matter that other people like eating out. they are not you and surely by the time we are members of GN we can do what we damn well like and ignore other peoples preferences. If you do not like eating out, do not do so. Do not be apologetic or defensive. Just say you prefer to eat in if a meal out is offered and leave the others to get all tangled up in themselves. You do not want to eat out. End of.

I like eating out, having lunch with friends, chatting over a glass or two of wine is a great way to spend a few hours. Combined with the fact that I have finally acknowledged that I really dislike cooking, eating out is a favourite. Having said that, I have really noticed steep price rises, but I do understand why. It is now a case not going out quite as frequently as I would like, but I am glad that I am still fit enough to do so, and financially able to make this choice to cut down rather than have to stop completely. Eating out with friends is my social life, the food is almost co-incidental, I am happy with an omelette or interesting sandwich as long as I am enjoying it with friends. Good for my mental health

I used to enjoy eating out. Here in Manchester we have a wonderful selection of ethnic restaurants and we are only a short drive from the famous "curry mile". Alas, that short drive is the killer. I dont drive and a taxi ride each way makes it a very expensive evening out on top of the meal. I have also stopped going into the city center at night as it can be very intimidating.

Im no longer very interested in food and prefer now to eat at home with a nice bottle of wine. All the restaurants do take out.

Germanshepherdsmum

We very rarely eat out as we love our home. North Norfolk is very peaceful and has some great, quiet, restaurants and pubs - good food with no loud music.

Oh so agree about North Norfolk - so many happy memories there over decades of family holidays.

I enjoy eating out but overly loud music means I never go there again. Ditto restaurants that are overcrowded and too noisy to hear what my fellow diners say.

I love eating out and do it fairly regularly, with my family or my neighbour. There are some great pubs around here, real country pubs. I also like Wetherspoons in various towns not that far away. Prices are increasing though so not going out as much now.

Farzanah

Everywhere you go now, shops, restaurants, even the doctors there’s a soundtrack. I don’t think younger ones even notice it.

I absolutely detest the loud intrusive 'background' music that, as you say, is everywhere now.

I was in a hospital waiting room recently and the music was not only loud but (IMO) completely inappropriate. Most of the patients were middle-aged or elderly - do they really want to listen to someone almost screaming about "lurve" and longing at 11 in the morning?

If you go to a restaurant and you can't converse, what is the point? In your own home you probably would turn down any background music if you couldn't hear each other speak. If the proprietors of such restaurants are so cloth-eared that they refuse to lower the volume... I'd simply not ever go there again.

Ages ago now I went to a pub restaurant with my family and the music was so loud we couldn't discuss the menu with each other. Asked the waiter if he could turn down the volume only to be met with a pitiful smile of condescension and the explanation that it "was not possible". So we got up and walked out (not a flounce though!) and the people at the next table who'd finished their meal realised what we were doing and one of the group said that the whole experience had been a "nightmare" and they wouldn't be coming back.

Love eating out, anywhere. Yesterday after the hairdressers I was supposed to be meeting DH at a nearby Wetherspoons, for a cheap and cheerful lunch. However my appointment over ran so the car park ticket was about to expire. Instead we came home and went to the local pub where they had changed the menu. It was good before and there were now even more different and delicious choices. We spent a lovely couple of hours enjoying an afternoon time lunch, followed by double G'nTs. Lovely and came home to a home as tidy as it was when I left it at 10.30 so could just sit and watch tv. So yes I love eating out and as we are off to North Wales tomorrow for a few days away I shall be loving much of the same next week.

Kate1949

We had lunch out today. Two lunches, a pint for DH a glass of wine (large) for me. £15.50 Wetherspoons.

And Table Tab le /brewers fayre, whatever they are called, our area at any rate, can have the savers menu 12 - 6pm, two main meals, £9.95 in total. plus relatively cheap starter and pudd too with that, if desired.

I like eating out as well, we mainly meet up with friends for lunch so it's a pleasant social occasion as well. Like JackyB I dislike have large portions of food on my plate puts me off the meal completely.

I don’t think that music is played often in restaurants in Sussex, as we eat out quite a bit and I can’t say I’ve ever noticed it except in a rather nice Indian restaurant, but I liked that, just wish I could understand what the singer was saying😄.

When the children were young we had a friend who was unmarried and childless and was much richer than we were. He used to take us out for a meal once a year so the children would have the experience of eating out. It was a real luxury back then. I think things changed ( especially in my village which has loads of pubs) when drinking and driving was clamped down on and pubs realised that, to attract customers, they had to provide cheaper meals so they relied more on that than the sale of alcohol. The children were much older when I realised that I could afford to have a coffee whilst out shopping and I think that came about when different coffees became available and I didn’t feel guilty about buying eg a cappuccino that I couldn’t make at home. And, again because of the clamp down on drinking and driving, pubs started to provide coffee. I’ll always remember DH saying how lovely it was to go into a pub and be greeted by the smell of coffee and not tobacco ( this was when we were in Ireland and smoking in pubs had been banned a few years before England).

My ex and I usually celebrate our birthdays – one in September and one in May – with a lunch together at one of the many restaurants in the small town where we live. There is quite a wide choice of cuisines and, although it's not gourmet dining, it has always been very tasty. They are all reasonably priced and tipping is not expected in New Zealand.

I am secretly delighted that the McDonalds in the nearby shopping mall has closed. I have never eaten there but usually took the youngest grandchildren there once during the school holidays. There are a number of different kinds of food stalls, so I usually chose a "pick your own" plate of pretty standard Chinese – nothing special but it always fills the gap. There is another McDonalds not far away, which I guess is why the one in mall closed. It's a bit of a walk –I don't drive – so even the boys don't suggest going there. The do love sushi, although it's not my favourite, so perhaps next school holiday I'll treat them to some of that.

Read this sitting outside a cafe in Hue Vietnam. Dinner for 2 with beer £3.50. Chatter of local diners and delicious noodle soup. Not complaining.

Lunching out is definitely my favourite pastime and I do it regularly. Particularly enjoy trying out new restaurants. Have certainly noticed an escalation in prices but that is understandable under current inflationary financial chaos.

I love going out full stop! Although I’m lucky to have a comfortable home I like to go out everyday and almost never spend an entire day indoors. I love to eat out too and enjoy most types of food. I’m careful about what I spend so choose restaurants carefully. I realise I’m fortunate to afford these meals and will do so for as long as I can.

I too love eating out and when my H was alive and well we would eat out regularly with friends and on our own.
Now sadly so many friends have died or no longer well enough to go out .
I go out about twice a month with one friend , occasionally with my GD and tomorrow I shall be going to another friend for our monthly Chinese takeaway.
She doesn’t like paying for food out although she does do it now and then with a singles group she belongs to.
I really wish I could do it more.

We both enjoy eating out, either together with friends, family, a mix of both or on our own. It’s a treat not to cook, although I enjoy doing so, trying different food and no clearing up for anyone.
We either use local pubs/restaurants we know, recommendations from friends or on holiday read reviews, then take pot luck. We’re rarely disappointed and enjoy supporting small businesses, we tend not to use chains.
We’re out this Sunday, a family meal for 8 of us, nothing better!

We had lunch out today. Two lunches, a pint for DH a glass of wine (large) for me. £15.50 Wetherspoons.

Oh dear I am obviously the odd one out, I love eating out, popping up to London, exploring other regions restaurants, why not if you can afford to.

I also love cooking as does DH

Message withdrawn at poster's request.