Jul 14th, 2024 Sunday Cloudy
Both of my parents used to travel on business quite often. Moreover, even on days they were both in town, their workplaces were so far away that it was challenging to get together for dinner every day, so most of the workdays my mom would only eat dinner with me. Occasionally I had dinner arranged (e.g. with friends or some event at school), my mom would be home alone.
“I simply have little incentive to cook for myself, so I just grab whatever for a quick bite.” she once told me when I asked about her dinner after my school event. Her definition of a quick bite is usually leftover food she can microwave or some bun that she buys from a nearby market – basically food that requires minimal time in the kitchen.
“That was not healthy. You should take good care of yourself even if nobody is with you. After all, you are very important too.” were the words that I wanted to say, and I might have expressed them at one point, only to be met by a shrug.
“I know that. I pay all the attention to nutritional balances when I fix food for you and your dad. But if it is just for myself…… you will understand some day.” She answered with a sigh.
This Wednesday, my husband took a last-minute two-day trip to visit his mom because his dad is going out of town for a few days. I decided to stay home with the kitties, so I planned plenty of things to do to occupy my time. This is a rare opportunity to cook something I love eating but my husband does not – what should I make?
Well, it turned out that the trouble of figuring out a one-person menu (a recipe for no more than two servings – our refrigerator is already full of lunches), getting groceries, doing all the washing/cutting/measuring, and packing up the portion I do not finish feels a bit too much, especially during summertime, and merely for two days.
Also, the fact that nobody will be sharing the fruit of my labor with me and offering encouraging remarks is rather demotivating.
As a result, I ended up having congee for one night, and instant ramen for another. Both dishes were easy, one-pot combos with vegetables, proteins, and lots of starch to fill me up. Arguably, they were decent suppers for one person, though certainly not an ideal long-term diet (e.g. not enough varieties of ingredients, too much carbohydrate), especially compared to the typical dinner table that we serve.
In a manga I have been reading, the protagonist, a gay lawyer who derives great pleasure from cooking, was put in a similar situation (his partner was having a dinner “date”). That was the moment that he realized how much his diet has changed after their cohabitation started. He began preparing side dishes, increasing the number of dishes and reducing the sizes of each. As a consequence, his diet has become much healthier.
“The existence of Kenji (his partner) is so wholesome. I must cherish him.” he thought to himself.
Now that my husband is back home, we got to enjoy this homemade skillet with franks, potatoes and green pepper for our Sunday brunch. Nothing fancy, yet hearty and warming, definitely a family meal.
The satisfaction of eating does not only come from the food, but also from the company. 🙂