Eating Alone . . . Cheerios vs. Chevre
I just wrote this post on my blog:
http://www.threepotato.blogspot.com
Anyway, it got me thinking about what people eat when they eat alone. Like I said in my blog post, most of the girls I know eat cold cereal, boxed pastas, soup, etc. when they're alone. Is this truly the norm? Anyone else take a night alone as a chance to treat themselves, cook something their partner won't eat, etc? I'm not looking for "what you eat most often" when you're alone - but your general philosophy about food-centric alone time. Good or bad? If you know you're going to alone, do you "throw in the towel" or do you cook up a one-person Thanksgiving?
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14 Comments:
Ah, single life - I cook for one a lot. I don't think dining alone is an excuse to eat poorly, though admittedly it is a lot easier. I try to cook something "real" for myself a few times during the week and at least one day over the weekend.
I'll do the more time consuming/complicated/adventurous stuff on the weekend. Weekday cooking is a lot more last minute - whatever looks good at the butcher/seafood counter/farmer's market at the store on my way home that can be prepared in a decent amount of time.
corycm at 2:07PM on 11/05/07
I like to cook for others. So I must admit that when I'm on my own, I tend not to make a proper meal but instead 1) order take-out from places I love but my partner dislikes, 2) fall back on guilty pleasures like having a tuna melt for dinner, or 3) go nuts with tortillas and whatever is around to put on top of them.
Ann Fisher at 2:24PM on 11/05/07
Considering that I'm single and live with a roommate, I'm always having meals alone.
Usually I cook and eat well but once in awhile I have cereal or ice cream for dinner. It's rare - maybe a few times a year - but it happens. Sometimes I do it because I can. When I eat ice cream for dinner I imagine jealous children. :D
I'm trying to get into the habit of making lunch my big meal and then eating healthy cereal and/or a smoothie (basically a drinkable salad) for dinner after my workout so that I don't eat too much too late and so that what I consume provides the right energy and nutrients and the right time.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 3:00PM on 11/05/07
Typo correction: That last sentence should read, "...and so that what I consume provides the right energy and nutrients *at* the right time."
CanadianFoodieGirl at 3:02PM on 11/05/07
I can basically directly quote Ann Fisher ... except for the tuna melts. :)
My partner and I currently live with my parents and my brother. I have been the family cook for the past 12 years or so. When I cook for the family I try to be fairly calorie conscious/health conscious. So, sometimes when I am eating alone I just feel so wiped out from cooking all week that I treat myself to totally unhealthy comfort food. Other times I like to get Japanese food because my partner doesn't love it.
lexophile at 3:19PM on 11/05/07
I eat huge bowls of pasta when no one is watching.
sawyerriley at 3:40PM on 11/05/07
On the rare nights I find myself alone, I am so relieved that I don't have to cook for my family that I content myself with a bowl of cold cereal, toast, and maybe tea or coffee. It's the simplicity of that combo that I find so atttractive.
I can't bring myself to haul out pans or pots just for myself, then eat and clean all that up, alone.
moibec at 9:12PM on 11/05/07
When alone, which is rare since I usually eat with my son at least, I savour the chance to either:
1. Make a simple dish, with minimal clean-up..which might actually be a fried egg atop greens tossed with chevre..
2. Eat "catfood" which is how my husband refers to canned tuna.
.3. Treat myself to take-out from a restaurant my husband doesn't like.
izzy's mama at 9:14PM on 11/05/07
Offal! When I know I'll be eating alone, I'll go out and get either a nice "hand" of calf's liver or a bunch of chicken gizzards. Either way, they get marinaded in milk for the afternoon, breaded and fried. The only rule is that I have to air out the kitchen before anyone gets home!
czken at 5:02AM on 11/06/07
I'm not a vegetarian but I like vegetables a lot more than the rest of my family--alone for an evening: Stouffer's spinach souffle is one of my favorites if I feel like cooking. Roasted vegetables topped with a poached egg, soup, it's all good!
smallblondemom at 5:15AM on 11/06/07
I always feel like I should mind eating alone, but I usually don’t. Sometimes the best companion is last week’s New Yorker. (I once knew a man who said that the best dining companions are a good waiter and a damn good sommelier.) I like cooking for myself—it’s a chance to make exactly what I want, exactly how I want it.
I’ve yet to find someone who enjoys butternut squash soup or roasted cauliflower topped with a poached egg, two of my favorite comfort foods. I never just eat cereal or take out over the kitchen sink. That’s not to say that I break out the good china or make five-course meals, but I honestly like cooking for myself and always sit down and use real plates, silverware, etc.
Yulinka Cooks
yulinka at 2:53PM on 11/06/07
I've been known to eat a bowl of cereal for dinner if I'm especially tired and could use the extra bran...LOL.
Reheat leftovers.
I freeze small portions of food for the very circumstance of eating alone. It's a good way to use small quantities of food that would either turn into science projects in the fridge or get tossed.
Yulinka - if it makes you feel any better, I will roast a butternut squash for dinner just for myself! It's so good...
Czken - I love Menudo and pretty much any other organ meat. When I go for dim sum with someone adventurous, I have the chicken feet, tripe, anything on the tray is open game.
chiff0nade at 3:09PM on 11/06/07
I think the world would be a better place if we all treated meals by ourselves more like an event than a sad inconvenience. Light some candles, play some music, open a bottle of wine and let the good times roll!
Sadly I admit that meals on my own usually involve sitting in front of the t.v., or in front of the computer.
ag3208 at 8:07PM on 11/06/07
this year for thanksgiving i'll be alone and i love it! I'll celebrate the day by making a comfort food that hubby wont eat, risotto!
huney_bumper at 3:36PM on 11/07/07