Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

When in a strange gas station, I look for a chocolate pudding pie. They're like a Hostess fruit pie but they have chocolate pudding in middle. I never see them anymore but I loved them in high school and look for them now when I'm in strange gas stations because I know the ones I use don't carry them.

Otherwise, I would go for beef jerky, potato chips and Coke. And if the carrot and celery sticks in the cooler look decent, I balance my salt-fest with those. Another old favorite is the frozen chicken patty sandwich microwaved in the store with ketchup and mayo. When I worked in a gas station, I ate that for dinner often with a bottle of really really cold V8.

Mine is not so clever. I joined SE when I started cooking last year and since I didn't (and still don't) feel "foodie enough" for a foodie name, I just called myself what I do: CooksForOne. I was frustrated with all the recipes that feed 4, 6, and 8. A search (or a link from a link from a link?) landed me here and I stayed.

My first cookbook was the Betty Crocker cookbook. It's the only one my mom owned when I was a kid. I used to love looking at the foods and I even got her to let me make a couple recipes.

Thank you - I had the classmates.com one yesterday too but nothing so far today.

I use the cup method mentioned above and place a tissue over it in case someone comes by my desk.

I like dried cuttlefish snacks, sold in packages at Asian markets. Very stringy, very salty, very strongly flavored. People think I'm nuts but I've eaten it since I was a kid and still like it today.

I'm not a fan of Red Lobster but will go with family once in a while. When the promotion is going on, I do the endless shrimp deal and instead of more shrimp, I ask for more broccoli. It's like crack. It's the thing I eat there. Some go for the biscuits (which taste salty to me.) I go for the broccoli. The servers think I'm crazy but those at the table are used to my requests for extra broccoli.

I've been on both sides. A year and a half ago I discovered that I was spending the equivalent of my current rent payment in restaurants. But at the time I worked two jobs (getting free rent as my pay for one of them) so I was short on time and could afford it. Before that I either lived with people who did the cooking or I used convenience foods. When I went back to school for my masters degree last fall, I gave up the free rent gig and made cooking for myself a priority. I use some assemble and freeze meals when I'm really busy with schoolwork but mainly, I shop and cook. I'm still at a beginner level when it comes to cooking but I'm learning. Since I'm cooking for myself, I have become really good at using leftovers. I'll make a roast on the weekend and then use the leftovers to make pizzas, frittatas, scrambles, pastas, wraps and salads. I only eat out one lunch per week, bringing it from home the other four days and I only go out for dinner once or twice - usually to socialize with friends or family. I'll admit that I had to to look up how to roast veggies (time/temp) the first time I did it but it paid off. One of my favorite things to do is prepare a meal in parchment - all my veg and fish or shrimp in one fabulous little package. I bought a grill pan this weekend and can't wait to use it.

I live alone so I eat alone often. I love that I can make whatever I'm in the mood for whether that's homemade pizza, fish, shrimp or pasta. At least once a week I have a clean out the fridge dinner - sometimes it takes the form of a very veggie soup, sometimes its a fabulous veggie/egg scramble. One night I had steak and ice cream because that's what I was craving.

I'm with those who say chairs are not a silly request. In my family there is a set of folding chairs that travel. Whoever has them brings them to the house that is hosting because none of us has enough chairs for everyone (and some of the older adults can't sit on floors anymore.) For a cookout, I can see where people, especially college students, would need guests to bring their own chairs.

As students, I'm betting that the hosts just can't afford or don't have everything they need to host a party but would still like to have a party. In that case I can see the reason for the requests. If you don't want to or can't bring what is asked of you, see if there is an alternative or don't go. I belong to a very loose, large social circle where BBQs like you mention are normal. The host decides on the rules. We are usually asked to supply our own protein, beverages and chairs or blankets while the host will supply the grill, gas/charcoal/accessories, plates/napkins/utensils and some sides. Guests always volunteer to bring more sides/chips/dessert and it works out well for us.

I feel your pain. This happened to me all last year when I my little patch of a garden was at ground level. I'm on the third floor this year and really hoping it doesn't happen again.

I want to thank you for this post - I was just wondering this the other day!

This isn't cooking but it's something I wish more people would do...I don't burn popcorn in the office microwave. That smell sticks around days. As for real cooking, it's just me so I cook what I want. I just try to bring "less smelly" leftovers to work for lunch and if I do bring something even a little bit smelly (this week was portobello and beef stew), I eat it in the lounge off the hallway, not in the break room that is right off the main admin area.