Wow... your friend seems kind of weird...

January 22, 2003 2:42 PM

"Today I'm Having Lunch With My Friend." A game anyone can play, centered around eating lunch with a total stranger. A minimum of rules... an ambiguous and open ended "goal." (more inside)
posted by cadastral (18 comments total)

Here's some excerpts from the Menu... feel free to make some more...

The All Visual Lunch: this is where after we initially exchange greetings and sit down that we (from that point forward and for the entire remainder of the lunch) say absolutely nothing to each other. Not a single word spoken to each other even by way of a third party. Acceptable forms of communication shall be the exchange and interpretation of facial expressions, body language, hand signals, and even thought transference. This level of interaction shall be strictly adhered to up to and including departure.

The Tell A Complete Stranger Your Problems Lunch: this is where you've really got to get something off your chest (e.g. work, family, mate, finances, etc.) and just need an attentive listener who is not compelled to offer any advice sort of thing. Please note that I'm neither a priest, nor a lawyer, nor a psychologist so please do not ruin the game with anything heavy. This lunch is all about me listening and not necessarily dispensing any advice.

The So Whaddyathink Lunch: this is where you ask me something about some "it's so crazy that I think it just might work" scheme, opportunity, plan, invention, idea or concept that you've come up with that you just want a second opinion about.
posted by cadastral at 2:45 PM on January 22, 2003

There is a movie about this idea. I forget the title maybe somone remembers, but it was along the idea of a girl who would spend a day with someone. The storyline goes a guy ends up falling for her, guy chases girl, girl falls for guy, finds out she is terminally ill and trying to experience as many people before she dies.

Anyway, this does look interesting if one can take it at face value. The games people play.
posted by stbalbach at 2:54 PM on January 22, 2003

Ah, but how quickly The Tell A Complete Stranger Your Problems Lunch becomes The Stab a Complete Stranger In The Throat With Your Salad Fork Lunch.
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:57 PM on January 22, 2003

stbalbach - it's not that horrible keanu reeves/charlize theron movie, Sweet November, is it? Cause that's no good.
posted by jonson at 2:59 PM on January 22, 2003

stbalbach are you talking about Sweet November maybe? That would be for an entire month not just one day though...
posted by SweetIceT at 3:01 PM on January 22, 2003

You owe me a Pepsi jonson!
posted by SweetIceT at 3:02 PM on January 22, 2003

Or the ever popular Kidnap me and tie me up with duct tape game in New York.

It was not Sweet November it's an older movie but it might have been a month, it actually was a good movie if I remember perhaps Sweet November is based on.
posted by stbalbach at 3:04 PM on January 22, 2003

Sweet November the original 1968 version.
posted by stbalbach at 3:09 PM on January 22, 2003

Huh. That's in my vicinity. I'm tempted.
posted by padraigin at 3:09 PM on January 22, 2003

I wanna do the "Let's Discuss Whether 'Anal Retentive' Has A Hyphen Lunch".
posted by Wet Spot at 3:32 PM on January 22, 2003

I love the reverse psychology... "there is absolutely no touching or physical contact" yeah... right...
posted by banished at 3:49 PM on January 22, 2003

You are to play the game solo.

The All Visual Lunch: this is where after we initially exchange greetings ...............h) say absolutely nothing to each other. Not a single word

the exchange and interpretation of facial expressions, body language, hand signalsxchange

I would want to request to have lunch with a Mime if you ever been a round one, you know why.

and even thought transference. This level of interaction shall be strictly adhered to up to and including departure.

This would be a game.
posted by thomcatspike at 3:49 PM on January 22, 2003

You owe me a Pepsi jonson!

Yikes...does that taste anything like Pepsi Blue??

But I digress...

I wanna do the "Let's Discuss Whether 'Anal Retentive' Has A Hyphen Lunch".

I would prefer to play the "I'm a Lonely Nobody Yearning For Human Contact" version.
posted by JaxJaggywires at 7:19 PM on January 22, 2003

I dunno. A combination of zero obligation and well-defined structure might be just what the doctor ordered for social phobia. (i.e. the "Social Skills" lunch might be too open ended, so somebody that's not at that point yet might just go for the "What About You" or the "All Visual" lunch.)

So, where's the version of this where I can practice asking out women so I can get over that pesky fear of rejection?
posted by Skwirl at 12:45 AM on January 23, 2003

eh? I get This post has been removed by the craigslist community from the link
posted by gravelshoes at 5:48 AM on January 23, 2003

I used to play a game kind of like this, but instead of having lunch with a stranger I'd just put tape on a cat's feet and film it.
posted by mcsweetie at 6:50 AM on January 23, 2003

Does anybody have the list preserved? I'm curious to read the whole thing.
posted by johnmunsch at 10:52 AM on January 23, 2003

Oh man, that sucks. I wonder why they removed it? It seemed like a reasonable "activity partner" thing to me...

Assholes.
posted by kavasa at 12:22 PM on January 23, 2003