As someone who is less than one year from 70 (I look younger, but still), I can identify with at least some of the changes Bruni wrote about, even if I don't drink martinis. I'm all about a reasonable noise level, a reasonably comfortable chair, and a reasonable amount of light (i.e. enough to read a magazine w/o a flashlight and/or see what my food actually looks like).
However -- and this is a big however -- I get bored easily, and always have; and while I appreciate the consistency of my favorite everyday-type restaurants, when I can I actively seek out new food and beverage experiences, both at home (I do a lot of cooking) and away. This is why I'm so looking forward to our eG Gathering at Bulrush in July, and why I'll soon be eating at these restaurants in Chicago: Filipino/Cuban, "elevated" Vietnamese, and innovative small-plate vegan. And I've been expanding my making and appreciation of cocktails, most recently the Corpse Reviver #2. (Next up: the Negroni.)
I also would like to comment on this paragraph from the article:
QuoteIf you’re under 50 and definitely if you’re under 40, you have yet to experience how you disappear over the years, especially if you’re not a looker and all the more so if you’re a woman. Sustained gazes, casual glances and solicitous words go disproportionately to the young. To age is to feel as if pieces of you are falling or fading away, so that you somehow take up less space in the world.
And how you're treated can be subtly belittling or not-so-subtly condescending. (Here's a good NY Times article on the subject.) Ms. Alex talks about this all the time. She says that when she travels solo she sometimes enjoys the anonymity, but most of the time she feels that invisibility acutely. I feel it, too, but less so, being a man. I don't simply accept it, though. I usually try charm first. If charm doesn't work, then assertiveness. If assertiveness doesn't work, then I walk. (I have more to say about this, but it's not food-related, so I'll save it for another time, another forum.)
