Table For Four...For Three Parties?

I finally made it to Burger Lab to try one of the (still!) trendiest treats in Hamburg. My intentions to focus on all the burgers in Hamburg went way to the wayside as I just don't eat them very much. When Burger Lab first opened, I knew someone who knew the owner. I guess opening night wasn't great and those reviews stuck in my mind. However, lately, all I hear is people raving about it. So I gave in and tried it. It was amazing.

Classic burger with sweet potato fries

(Full disclosure: I later threw up during the night, but I am 100% sure it was my body hating me and not the food. I'd go again...once I start eating red meat again.)

But that's not really what I want to talk about. I want to talk about how I went with one of my girlfriends and we ended up at a table for four...the two of us and two guys...who were both there solo.

When I first started living abroad many moons ago, this foreign concept really freaked me out. People sit together all the time at tables large and small and benches long and wide. It's efficient and no one thinks twice about it. Whereas, I never see this in the US. There might be a person at a table for four and a group of two will wait until their own table becomes available.

I'm often at a table with a bunch of twosomes, no problem. But adding to singles to the mix was...interesting. To be fair, we were nibbling the last bits of our sweet potato fries and drinking the last drops of fresh mint tea when the waitress asked if a guy could sit with us. He smiled nicely and plopped down next to me. We kept chatting away and he pulled out his phone. It was really only at this point that we realized how busy the place suddenly was. Then, sure enough, the waitress was back and asked the guy if he was still waiting for someone. No, he wasn't. So she plopped another dude down. They couldn't have been more different and we all kind of looked at each other like, hmmm, ok, the only thing that unites us is that we all wanted a burger on Thursday around 7p.

So, now we ladies are just wrapping up our English gossip as they may or may be listening/understanding. We wished them a good meal and left the table as they decided whether or not to engage in small talk. It's not really a big thing in the German culture. Would have loved to observe how the rest of their meal went.

I know a lot of people dine out alone and, I've been there too, but I don't think I've ever wanted a burger so badly I just had to go on my own. Just me?

P.S. Yes, I'm completely ignoring that I haven't written here in 14 months and even then it was a lame post. Baby steps.