Going out to eat is a treasured pastime for me.

I love socializing, and I love eating good food. Going out to dinner gives me the chance to do both of these things.

However, I have come to the conclusion that maybe a home-cooked meal at home might not be so bad.

I recently went out to eat with a girlfriend of mine after a day of shopping. We were hungry, we were tired, but most of all, we were really hungry.

We were seated right away, our waiter promptly took our meal orders and we received our food in record time. We had everything we could ask for.

Everything, that is, except personal space.

Our waiter was constantly interrupting us and hanging around our table needlessly. The majority of the time he tried unsuccessfully to flirt with us. He probably thought this would increase his tip, which it didn't.

I think he even tried to cop a feel when he placed my plate of food down in front of me.

Now, I enjoy friendly service more than anyone, but this was just too much to take.

My friend and I were forced to inhale our food just so we could get out of this nightmare as soon as possible.

But this was not a one-time occurrence.

After looking back in my past, I found this seems to be a recurring nightmare in my life.

No, I don't mean an obnoxiously flirtatious waiter.

I just mean bad food service when I go out to eat. Very rarely do I ever get a really professional, attentive waiter who respects your personal time or space.

I always get the rude waiter who never refills my drink (this always happens when I am eating spicy food in a Mexican restaurant) or the waiter who does not know how to take a hint and back off.

I am not the type of person who usually complains about this kind of stuff. I have worked in the retail business for years, so I know how rude customers can sometimes be.

Because of this, I am never rude to my waiter, and I don't think I have ever asked to see a manager because of poor service. I always tip at least 20 percent.

I can relate to the plight of the average waiter. They work hard for their money in a low-paying, little-respect job, and all it takes is one annoying waiter to taint the entire bunch.

I am a good, understanding customer, so why can't I get some professional service?

All I ask for is someone who takes my order (preferably writes it down because I don't think anyone's memory is that good), delivers my food and refills my drink when I need it.

I don't even mind small talk. I actually like a waiter who will make conversation --- as long it is in small quantities and doesn't involve flirting.

If I want a long-winded conversation, I'll talk with the person I came with, not a total stranger who makes me self-conscious when I shovel food in my mouth.

After all, I did come to eat.

Jennifer Watson is a senior journalism and history double major from Shreveport and serves as managing editor for The Tech Talk.