"Seat
Taken?"
As an experiment to break a cultural norm in America I decided to
sit with people I do not know during meals. I thought it would be fun to gauge
reactions and if that was not enough I might even make a new friend. As to not
seem creepy or overly weird I did set out with certain criteria to decide where
I would sit. First off I wanted to sit with more than one person at a time.
This served multiple purposes. In doing so I could see more than one reaction at
a time. It also showed that I was not trying to draw attention to someone who
might just desire to be alone. Second, I would not mention my action were for a
class. People act different when they know they are part of something and I
wanted raw reactions to what I was doing. Third, I wanted the group to be of
mixed gender. I did NOT want to walk away from this labeled as a creep or a
"Don Jon" for sitting with a random group of girls. Besides it would
be important to see reactions from both genders. With my criteria in mind and a
good attitude, I set off towards Chow Hall.
I ended up sitting at two different tables
and was pleasantly surprised. The first time was a little awkward but once some
common interests were established I felt part of the group. My second try I was
respectfully told the group was about to go to class so I moved on. My third go
I was welcomed in enthusiastically when I asked if I could join the table.
Admittedly I went into the experiment expecting
a pessimistic outcome. I thought I would get weird or dirty looks for intruding
into people’s lives. It was a pleasant surprise to have a nice meal with people
I had never previously encountered. Upon reflection most of the people I sat
with were freshmen. Could it be that since they were new here that they were
more welcome to a person coming up and sharing a meal? That might be but that’s
a conclusion that goes beyond what happened. It could just as well be that as
soon as I parted ways there were whispers about some crazy kid sitting with
total strangers. Either way it was a fun experience and encourage people to get
out of the norm every now and then.
