It gets really hot in New York in the summer. 90 degrees isn’t unusual. When I lived and worked in Westchester County, just outside NYC, my coworkers always seemed to want to eat lunch in the courtyard outside our workplace. Even when it was like 90 degrees and humid.

eating outside is overrated

most people think this looks like a pleasant lunch. it looks like bug bites, sunburn, and sweat to me.

Their reasoning was that since they were stuck inside all day, lunch was their one time to escape and be outside. I understand that, but I also didn’t want to sweat in my nice work clothes when an air conditioned building was right next to me. Does. not. compute.

I remember once opening the door to the outdoor patio at work and it felt like air from a furnace hit me in the face. “You guys, it is really hot outside… are you sure you don’t want to eat inside with the A/C?” came my whiny plea. No, they inexplicably just HAD to be outside. Even though we were suffering the entire time.

Then there were the bees. There was a bee problem in the courtyard at my job, and everyone knew about it. Why sit outside, sweating in a cloud of bees, when you don’t have to?

~~~~

When I was a kid, my dad built a neat wooden picnic table for our front yard. I think the idea was that we would eat out there occasionally. I dreaded putting my legs under that table, wondering what spiders and bugs would be having their way with my ankles. I was always on the lookout for ants and flies around our food. Why can’t we just eat inside, where there are no bugs?

So, anytime I’m given the opportunity to eat or work outside, most of the time, I’d prefer to be inside. Sorry. I can’t help it. I kind of hate eating outside.

Buzzfeed did a series on why eating outdoors sucks.