an aussie in austria

Shortly after we moved into our house, hubby and I started up a tradition – Friday Night Dinners. Friday Night Dinners is exactly what it sounds like – on Friday nights we go out to dinner. How indulgent of you, I hear you say. Well, not always.

Friday Night Dinners started for a number of reasons – a treat at the end of the week, because we LOVE food, an opportunity to sample some of the local restaurants we always pass by but never visit, and a chance to spend some quality time together.

It’s so easy, in this day and age, being busy and always connected, to bypass each other in our large house, to shout goodbye down the stairs, to use dinner time to catch up on texting friends… sometimes we forget to make time for each other… to make time to actually talk. And I’m sure we’re not the only ones. Friday Night Dinner gives us that chance. No one has to cook, we can use the occasion to glam up a little, and off we go. Seated across from one another at a restaurant, we’re more inclined to talk and less inclined to reach for our phones – except for the mandatory food porn pic, naturally.

But just because we go out for dinner, it doesn’t mean we necessarily go fancy or break the bank. Many of the local Gasthauses provide a decent feed for not much more than the cost of takeaway. And takeaway counts, by the way. If we don’t feel up to it, a kebab or pizza is a perfectly acceptable option! Of course, sometimes we do go fancy and crack the bank a little, and that’s a good treat too, and usually well-deserved.

In our area there are tons and tons of cool places to go for a meal – from the smallest cafes, to the largest hotel restaurants, you’d be surprised by how much choice we have. I’m sure it’s the same in your area. The thing is, before Friday Night Dinners, we tended to frequent the same places time and time again. We’d want to try something new, but we’d be romanced by the memory of our favourite ribs or the classic schnitzel.

With Friday Night Dinners, we go out so frequently that we have the time and inclination to try new places. Which is not only fun, but it expands our favourites list, and gives back to local businesses too. Mostly we stick to within a 10-20km radius, but sometimes we go further afield. From elegant multi-course dinners to a quick bite at a mountain Jause Station, Friday Night Dinners is something we look forward to every week.

And hey, I’m not saying we never sit grumpily across from one another, or always have something interesting to talk about, but it’s something to do together, and that’s almost as important… as eating.