wonderful 'different viewpoint' topic bear!
When I'm sickish, strong tea, toasted cheese (thin cheddar) sandwich. The sandwich picked apart tiny piece by tiny piece.

I do really love a good buffet, I can go back 10 times getting just the littlest piece of each thing. Rob fills a plate with a normal meal (meat and gravy, or sausage and eggs for instance and he is done. Not worth the effort or cost! Around here they are $35.00 to $40.00 a person for special occasions.

A meal out is a rare treat so we go for Chinese as a rule.

My favorite meal for celebrating is the one I do not have to cook. :D

We had brats, pork steak burgers, ball park franks, buns for them. Bought potato salad, lettuce, sliced tomatoes. A Grandson's girlfriend made her Chocolate Eclair cake. The Grands had eaten at the girl's parents houses so they weren't hungry. Youngest Grandson is 16 others are older, one married, two not. We always spend a lot of time talking and love it. I got a beautiful card from one Grandson and gift cards to Red Lobster and Olive Garden we will use later.

Our late Son use to buy me a dozen of Krispy Kreme Donuts for Mother's Day and my birthday. I miss that.

My favorite meal depends on who I'm with, and where we go. DH and I love one or two special restaurants, so we go there, and order steaks/seafood/pasta, depending on what they are offering at the time. Our sons love to try any and everything different, so we have been to several places that we can say "nice to visit once" and not go back. My go to, favorite meal is a nice hunk of steak, cooked rare, served with sauteed portebellas, a nice au gratin, and balsamic/spinach/strawberry salad. If a veggie is available it's asparagus. If I have room, mint chocolate chip ice-cream finishes the meal, and I'm in 7th heaven!!

I don’t really have a favorite meal. I miss my husband and his cooking! I would love a bowl of his onion soup! I don’t like to go to a restaurant on a holiday because it is to rushed, poorer service and higher prices. I feel sorry for the waitstaff! One son and his family are just down the street so I was invited down for coffee. So much fun with them and the teenagers. We were back and forth all day. My freezer is stocked with mini eclairs for the kids. It was a nice day. I got lots of attention from grown children from Texas and Florida.

When my mom was alive, she always cooked a full turkey (Thanksgiving) dinner on my birthday, which is in February. It's the perfect time of year because it's far enough away from the holidays that everyone enjoyed having it again. I miss my mom. :(

There's a local restaurant that serves a turkey dinner on certain days. I should go there and treat myself sometime, because there's no way I'm cooking that dinner for one person!!

Any meal in any restaurant is my idea of celebrating. Since I'm on the Gulf Coast, usually we hit a seafood restaurant. I love not having to mess up the kitchen and clean it up. Though I do occasionally make "comfort meals", just because.

For going out Sushi is my fave too and sashimi, followed closely by Hibachi table teppanyaki meals. I am a good cook so most fancy meals I can make myself but I have not tried my hand at making my own sushi. For celebration meals, I like something out of the ordinary, something that I only cook a few times a year. Prime Rib, Tenderloin of beef, Rack of Lamb, Duck Confit are all some of the special celebration meals I like. Unfortunately my husband is not a fan of duck and lamb which happen to be two of my favorites, so I reserve those dishes when my brother comes to visit and fix DH a pork chop or a steak. I almost always make a Caesar Salad to go with and get input on other sides from the other diners or guest of honor.