A Date Night Tradition
Pretty much every Wednesday evening my wife and I have a date night. And pretty much every Wednesday we say we should try to think of something else to do other than go out to eat and chat. Yet, pretty much every Wednesday night we end up going out to eat and chat.
We can think of other things we like to do: tennis, pickleball, movies, walking, etc. But we almost always end up going out to eat.
We like doing it and it’s nice to reconnect when all the other days can be quite hectic.
The Rating for Going Out to Eat
Using my Hobby Rater System, I came up with these results:
Creative Expression — Score: 7
How satisfying is this activity as a creative outlet?
I’m not doing any of the cooking or menu planning, but I am helping to come up with things to talk about. It’s fun to share your thoughts and ideas about things over a nice meal that you don’t have to plan or make.
There is also something creative feeling about eating at different places. It’s like enjoying art. You didn’t make the art, but you feel creative by looking at it.
That’s how I feel when I go to a restaurant.
Cost of Participation — Score: 6
How satisfied are you with the costs of the hobby?
It must have been some time in 2022 — just after the pandemic — that I went to a burger place with some friends for lunch. The burger was about $12!
“Twelve dollars for a burger?!” I thought to myself. “This better be a really good burger.”
It wasn’t. It was just a normal burger. So, wait… I guess it means that it was really good because I think burgers are normally really good … but it wasn’t so good that I thought $12 was a good price at the time.
I remember thinking, “If this is the price of burgers now, I guess this is the last time I’m going out for burgers.”
I guessed wrong. I’ve gone out for burgers many times since then. So many times that $12 for a burger seems like I’m getting off easy.
And that’s the problem with going out to eat. It’s so expensive now.
Fortunately, my wife and I have adjusted our approach to eating out. When I turned 40, I realized that I needed to do a better job of watching what I was eating. This meant that I had to reduce my food intake to about 1,800 calories a day for health reasons.
To make this happen, my wife and I started sharing meals when we would go out. I was reluctant at first. But now when we share a chicken chimichanga plate, I can’t believe I used to eat the whole thing myself. Half of a meal at a restaurant is a good-sized meal.
Using this method, our cost of eating out is about half what it used to be. I’ve also lost about 10 pounds over the last couple of months!
Eating out is still expensive, but I’m okay with the cost at this point. (Taking out my family of 8 is a different issue. That feel cost prohibitive!)
Intellectually Interesting — Score 9
Learning new things or stretching the mind.
This score of 9 is not about the food; it’s about the company. I enjoy having conversation, troubleshooting life’s issues, or just discussing interesting things.
Challenging/Learning Curve — Score: 6
Are you satisfied with the level of challenge this hobby brings?
The main challenge with going out to eat is deciding where to go. I also feel like it’s harder than it should be to discover new places. Yes, there are website like Yelp or TripAdvisor that make lists, but I don’t trust those lists and I don’t like those websites.
But it’s not like these issues are really that challenging. I also don’t mind going to our favorite Mexican place if we can’t decide on something else.
Stress Level — Score: 8
Is this hobby adding or taking away stress?
I would give this a 10 if it weren’t for the fact that it is expensive and going out to eat makes it a little more challenging to manage your calorie intake. I took a point away for each of those stress-inducing issues.
Time Commitment — Score: 7
Are you satisfied with the time required for this hobby?
When we moved to the Seattle area, I envisioned there being a ton of really good and really interesting places to eat nearby. But where I live, everything seems at least 30 minutes away. So going somewhere new to eat takes more time driving than I would like.
Fun — Score 10
Are you having fun doing this hobby?
I gotta say, I always enjoy going out to eat. It’s just a fun thing to do.
Escapism/Recharge — Score: 9
Does this hobby help you recharge or escape so you feel more ready to take on life’s challenges?
Talking and connecting with people around the table is a great way to find commonalities in life’s struggles, solutions to problems, and even new discoveries. Connecting with people is a great way to recharge.
And I’m saying that as someone who is mostly introverted.
I’m only not giving this a 10 because you do not escape from the impact on your wallet.
Sociality — Score: 10
Are you happy with the amount of socialization that comes with the hobby?
For all the reasons I’ve said before, connecting with people over a good meal is one of the great joys of life.
Payoff — Score: 9
When you are done with the hobby, do you step away admiring your accomplishment?
Same story as above. I like everything about it but am docking a point due to the cost. I know I said the cost is a 6, which is “pretty okay,” and that’s why I’m only taking off one point.
Overall Score for Going Out to Eat: 8.1
Here is how an 8.1 fits on the Hobby Rater scale:
1 – Terrible fit
2 – Not a good fit
3 – Probably not good for you
4 – It’s alright, I guess
5 – Very mixed feelings
6 – It’s pretty okay
7 – You like it!
8 – You really like it!
9 – You love this hobby!
10 – Bruh, you know this is the best hobby ever!
Based on this scale, Going Out to Eat scored “You really like it!”
In all my hobby ratings so far, I have said the same thing: that score feels about right. I wouldn’t say I love going out to eat because of the cost and the calories. Plus, I said in the intro, my wife and I always talk about doing something else. But since I do “really like” going out to eat, it’s a very attractive activity to do.
