Eat at Joe's

 

I think there are two kinds of diners in the world: Folks who go to a lot of restaurants for just one thing at each. O'Brien's for the steak. Halligan's for the seafood. Tony's for the pasta, etc.

Specialty diners.

And folks who go to just a couple of restaurants but eat nearly everything. They have had every item on the menu at Joe's.

Deep-dive diners.

I think a lot of folks manage their friendships in the same way. They either use the specialty or deep-dive strategy.

Men seem to prefer the specialty scheme. They have "hyphen friends." Golfing-buddy Jack. Hiking-buddy Sam. Drinking-buddy Milton. Workout-buddy Lester, etc.

Women seem to have all-purpose friends with whom they do lots of things. BFF Glenda.

That's not to say men are more superficial; they just seem to want different things.

I have no idea why this is. Probably, as with so many things, it has to do with culture and socialization, what society expects or thinks it needs.

Men are expected to be practical and purposeful and that's how they see their friendships. Women are expected to be more comprehensive and immersive.

The happiest people would probably be a bit of both.