The joy of cooking has somewhat lost its thrill for me since I’ve been on my own. And I’m not talking about the cook book, but about the actual joy of grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking food. 

I’ve been cooking for one for six months and counting now. And I mostly like my food ok, but cooking for one isn’t all that enjoyable. I get lazy when I cook for myself; in the past few months, I’ve eaten more bean burritos than I can count, most of which have not been nearly as authentic as the ones I’m used to eating. 

(I’m a huge fan of taco stands and had the great privilege of eating homemade Mexican food on a fairly consistent basis.)

I haven’t gotten into baking so much either; it seems counter-productive. Last year, I baked a lot as a way to release stress and to get myself out of the living room and into the kitchen. There’s no reason to escape to the kitchen now; food is just a means to an end. As a caveat, I should mention that that all changes when I’m out and about and have the option of eating truthfully good food; then, eating once again becomes a pleasure. 

Which leaves me to either my infamously wicked bean burritos and whatever piece of meat, chicken, or fish that I happen to pop into the oven. I had salmon with cumin, salt, and pepper tonight and it was delicious. 

But again, I ate it by myself--the big secret to enjoying by yourself is taking the time to find a good place to eat on your couch in front of the tv or in the kitchen standing up. the use of a table is superfluous when it comes to eating alone. There’s no need to worry about social etiquette or about offending someone when you’re eating alone. 

That doesn’t make cooking for one any more enjoyable. It’s hard to think of food that will taste good enough to eat for a week; leftovers last much longer when there’s only one person. 

On the plus side, there isn’t anyone to complain about what my cooking skills or lack thereof. There aren’t any wild gesticulations or gestures when I’m cooking. Which is actually kind of a good thing. My food may not be as good as it could be, but if I’m the only one that has to eat it, that’s totally ok.