how ina eats

In response to yesterday's post about Esquire's "How Men Eat," I thought I'd make my own list about how I eat.

- I share everything: my food, my drink, my napkin. Anything can be cut in half. Or in fourths.
- If I'm eating with a close friend, I stay at the restaurant or bar until we've exhausted every conversation topic possible. In my experience, we tend to leave a larger tip the longer we stay, especially if the server is gracious about it.
- If there are half-portions available, I order the half-portion.
- If there is a cocktail with fruit puree, I'm ordering it.
- The terms appetizer, side, entree, dessert, etc. are interchangeable. There's no shame in ordering a side as an appetizer, and an app and dessert for your main course.
- If I'm in a rush or if something in the meal is going wrong, it's important that the server validates my feelings.
- If it has a side of grits, mashed potatoes or pretty much anything starchy and gooey, I'm ordering it.
- There is no such thing as three square meals a day or snacking too much.
- An unfamiliar-sounding cheese is just a friend I haven't met yet.

Do you have any rules about how you eat?