Cooking for One

My wife is drawing out her time at the summer home on Lake Michigan because she’s retired and she can. That gives me a rare two weeks alone in my own house and truth be told, I love it. Everything stays exactly where I put it (except that TV remote!), the energy in the air is entirely my own, no one else’s that I have to respond to or react to and though the line between Solitude and Loneliness is thin, it has mostly been on the Solitude side of things. Don’t we all need some of that?

But the most challenging part is cooking for one. I seem to be engaged in an ongoing battle between the shelf life of some foods and my capacity to eat it in time. Doesn’t feel like half of cooking for two, but more like a fourth of it, some intriguing math that I don’t understand. But I guess it makes sense. If we cook for two and there’s leftovers, then either of us might eat them the next day. Cooking for one, you’re the only show in town.

Then there’s the pleasure of sharing a meal well-prepared. After years of making fun of my Dougzpacho, my friend Sofia finally taught me how to make the real thing (gazpacho) and along with the leftover quinoa salad, grilled vegetables, Tartinne country whole wheat bread with goat cheese, early girl tomatoes and arugula, I had a 4-star restaurant-worthy meal last night. Alone. I enjoyed it but something was definitely missing. Oh yeah, my wife. 

I’m hearing stories of people cooking for one who have fallen in love with their Thermomix (Sofia), their Air Fryer (daughter Talia) and other devices that cook food while you’re gone. Seems like a good strategy and intriguing even when cooking for large groups. Good retirement project. 

Meanwhile, another week of the bachelor life and then back to the shared life, of which food at that shared table and a companion on the couch moving on to the next year of the Australian mini-series “A Place to Call Home” will bring other pleasures. Until then, still trying to figure out the art of cooking for one. 

Anyone want to come over for dinner?