What to do with your mobile?

Can one leave one’s mobile on the table during a meal in a restaurant?

It is of course uncomfortable to leave one’s mobile in the trouser pocket during a meal. But the table is no solution. It is best to tuck your mobile away in a bag – or leave it at home. Except when expecting a really urgent call and you have informed the others at the table beforehand.

The mobile on the table signals: “I am always reachable”. The others at your table might come to the conclusion that your vis-à-vis or the conversation do not mean a lot to you. Even when setting it to “silent”, it is oftentimes a reflex to look again and again at the phone. This may sometimes leave the impression that your interlocutor bores you. And should, indeed, a text or call arrive, it is hard to resist answering. Concentration is gone.