1 difference between eating alone and with a group of people is the timing of departure - you never know when is the right to get up from your seat and head back to the office. Everyone has finished their food, and 1 of your colleagues has consumed all the ice in his cup. There's a conversation going, but really, it's about nothing but nothingness. You want to leave, but somehow there's a need for the group to all remove our butts from our seats in unison. You watch for the body languages. Ok, someone's leaning back and has this "can-we-leave" face on; Another has 1 leg pointing towards the exit; You would think that everyone is thinking the same thing, but there's this other dude who's still talking - about nothing - so you pretend to be interested in the subject but soon your eyes focuses on your cup or your spoon, as though something significant has caught your attention. You put your hand on your seat and push your body up, to see if anyone gets your signal. But no one's watching, and even if there is, he ignorant about the tension. You place yourself nicely back into your seat, wondering when this whole ordeal is going to end. Finally you decide to take the initiative and just stand up, but no one is paying attention and somehow a new conversation has started. You are stunnned and wonder if you should sit back down or walk to the counter for tissue... But once you made your move, the rest of the group just stands up all at once.
Needless tension... Haha.
