I have some social anxiety issues.
Sometimes its problematic.
Like when I move to a big, new city and suddenly need to figure out how to make friends.
I’m terrible at making friends. Largely because I’m terrible at talking to people. Introductions of any kind freak. me. out. I’m pretty awful at talking to people I know, let alone people I’ve just met. I’m hardly eloquent on my best of days. Add that element of near-paralyzing social anxiety and I become a mumbling, bumbling, inarticulate mess.
Food helps. Somehow, if I am standing behind a plate of food, I feel ten times more comfortable (which is just enough to keep me from wanting to bolt and dive under the nearest blanket). Having food around, especially if its a dish I have made, helps put me in my element. Now I have something to talk about, some small way in which I can relate to the stranger in front of me. Food deflects the focus of the conversation away from me and saves me from asking leading questions that inevitably come out sounding canned or trite. So…how about them Dodgers…? I hate baseball. Please don’t talk to me about baseball. I can’t even handle it.
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