How Do You Feed Yourself? (Singles in the Kitchen!)

[seoulsearch]

Hey everyone,

I was reading some posts last night in which people were lamenting the fact that home cooking is becoming a lost art. One poster mourned the fact that it is hard nowadays to find potential dates who can cook anything more than ramen noodles!

Not only did this discussion make me hungry, it also got interested in the cooking/eating habits of other people on the forum. Our married friends are welcome to answer, but I'm especially curious to see how other singles balance cooking and eating for one (or for their single family.)

For instance:

* Do you normally cook or eat out?

* Why or why don't you cook? And why or why don't you eat out?

* Do you have food allergies or are you on any special restrictions?

* Do you tend to eat packaged, frozen, or fresh foods?

(Siberian_Khatru, I am going to write a poll, just because you asked about one last time. ) Please give me a few minutes to write out the poll--but please don't let the poll be a substitute for a real discussion. I'm hoping everyone who votes will also write at least one post in the thread.

For instance, I was never taught how to cook when I was growing up and had to learn on my own when I got my first apartment. Though I used to cook all the time when I was married, I now find that it takes up such an enormous amount of time that I'd just rather grab a bowl of oatmeal and spend that time doing something else.

If it were up to me, the four basic food groups would be sugar, pasta, heavy whipping cream, and cheeseburgers with fries, but I try my best to cook healthy recipes (low fat, low carb, low sugar). To be honest, the last 6 or so that I tried (cauliflower "mac'n'cheese"... argh) were such total bombs that I was disgusted at having spent half of my days off on cooking things that didn't even taste good, leaving me with little motivation to try again.

If I had a significant other, I would find out what he liked and try my best to produce something with at least the appearance of being edible (3 pounds of butter per half serving? Sure, why not? I've got to win his heart somehow... if it doesn't completely close up from all that saturated fat first), but until then, I really have to push myself to keep trying.

What about the rest of you? What are your eating/cooking habits and what keeps you in (or out) of the kitchen?

Thanks for taking the time to read, vote, and post, and I'm really hoping the poll answers will spark additional discussion as well.

 

[JeniBean]

During the week eat out - Why because I leave the house at 5:30 am and don't return until around 7:30pm 4 days a week and 9:00pm 1 day a week. Weekends and Holidays I cook! I love to cook and wish I had more time to do so! Most frozen are flash frozen at the fresh process, so I use fresh or frozen.

 

[Siberian_Khatru]

(Siberian_Khatru, I am going to write a poll, just because you asked about one last time. )

*patiently awaitz*

 

[sassylady]

I nearly always fix a meal from scratch 7 days a week. It is partly due to lack of money to get take out or go out, but even after working all day I still see cooking a meal for my children as an act of love.

No diet restrictions, but we don't eat pork or seafood.

 

[seoulsearch]

I know the poll isn't perfect.

For instance, someone might eat out all day and spend $3 on breakfast, $5 on lunch, and $15 on dinner.

But I was trying to find a way to discuss not only eating habits, likes and dislikes, but also what we are willing to spend on food.

As I said, I'm hoping that some of the poll answers will lead to participants talking about other points that are hard to spell out in a poll, but more easily discussed in a post (which will also help us get to know each other better.)

 

[Siberian_Khatru]

My habits are inconsistent. I eat out a lot, but in an effort to live healthier, I cut a lot of places out of consideration. Depending on my mood, I'll either get a lot at the market and eat out considerably less, or I'll get very little at the market and spend twice as much eating out. I avoid the frozen heat and eat "meals," in either case.

I'm looking for a good intro to cooking' sort of book so that I can just stick with preparing stuff at home and lose all the take-out. Right now, regardless of what I spend at the market, I invariably still pick something up for lunch or dinner throughout the week, and I'd like to break that habit - although today is Taco Tuesday. I'm not turning my back on Taco Tuesday.

 

[JeniBean]

today is Taco Tuesday. I'm not turning my back on Taco Tuesday.

Mmmm. TACO Tuesday!!! It's buy one get one and they are huge!!!!!!

 

[Faithful_Fay]

I eat mainly home cooked meals. Growing up with the good stuff ensured that most of the frozen or prepackaged items found in stores tastes off to me. The soups, jarred pasta sauces, and frozen pizza's have a distinct lack of taste.

When I do go out to eat, it's for shared experiences with family or friends. I live in an area rich with restaurants, so going out for food occasionally is fun. Other than that, it's home cooking. I always end up cooking/baking extras so it's not a huge chore. If I make pasta sauce, I make a large batch and freeze some for later use, same with pizza dough. I meal prep on Sundays so during the week lunch is taken care of, sometimes dinner as well.

 

[Siberian_Khatru]

Mmmm. TACO Tuesday!!! It's buy one get one and they are huge!!!!!!

Yum! The place near me does $1 'street tacos.' They're small, but good, and I'm buddies with one of the workers; if he's around, he hooks it up.

P.S - I voted for everything in this poll seoul.

 

[seoulsearch]

Yum! The place near me does $1 'street tacos.' They're small, but good, and I'm buddies with one of the workers; if he's around, he hooks it up.

P.S - I voted for everything in this poll seoul.

We'll just see if YOU get a dinner invitation, Mr. Smarty Pants!!!

 

[CatHerder]

I don't eat. I dine.

 

[seoulsearch]

I don't eat. I dine.

Cat, if you and Martha Stewart wound up together...

Would you then be known as Ms. Martha?

 

[CatHerder]

Cat, if you and Martha Stewart wound up together...

Would you then be known as Ms. Martha?

She is far too traditional for me - but that's another thread.

 

[JonahLynx]

Cooking takes too long and I do not have the patience for it.

 

[melita916]

i don't know how to cook. i wasn't interested in learning....

until recently.

i need to get to learning! lol

 

[seoulsearch]

Cooking takes too long and I do not have the patience for it.

I totally understand, Jonah.

By the time I find a recipe, shop for ingredients, chop and prep, cook, let cool, wash the dishes (and food processor... and Crock Pot... and the stove... and whatever other special equipment I have to use)... My whole day off is almost gone.

I have to admit... If I had unlimited funds, I'd probably never cook again.

 

[Grace-Like-Rain]

I cook regularly, but rarely anything crazy complicated. My meals are simple - usually something like crock-pot homemade soups, grilled chicken or salmon with simple sides, roasted potatoes, casseroles, pasta... My favorite is grilled steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions, broccoli and a baked potato. I avoid fried foods at all cost. I CAN fry great chicken, homemade fries or onion rings, but that's all from another life that I don't live anymore.

When eating alone, I often eat canned or frozen soup. If I eat lasagna, you can be assured that it was bought frozen and cooked in the oven. I eat out occasionally - probably about twice a week.

 

[Lynx]

I can answer the OP question with one word: Bread. It's a rare day that I don't have bread somewhere in a meal. Sometimes for all three meals. Scramble four eggs and lay them out on two slices of bread with a bit of stoneground mustard - tuna sandwich, or turkey sandwich, or some kind of sandwich - mash up some butter and caramel and spread it on some bread - bake some fish in the oven (preferably with a bit of dill and horseradish) and put it on a couple slices of bread.

Aside from that I have a simple gustatory life. At work I often pop open a can of corn, or sweet peas, or kidney beans, or whatever and eat it out of the can. Sometimes I walk into the kitchen, look in the pantry and say, "Hey, I bet this would taste good if I cooked it like that with this stuff in it." And it usually does.

Today is a good cross-section of my gastronomic life. Breakfast was the last of the chili I made last weekend. It was a small bowl of leftovers so I ate it with a good thick slice of bread. Lunch was a can of corn. Supper is a turkey sandwich with mayo. Tomorrow for breakfast I am seriously considering a cheddar sandwich, with three slices of bread and two layers of sharp cheddar. (And then I'll be clearing my throat and sneezing half the day because I'm mildly allergic to dairy, but it's worth it!)

 

[Donkeyfish07]

I usually just order chinese or go grab something on a daily basis. I keep a stockpile of ramen noodles for lazy days

 

[VioletReigns]

i don't know how to cook. i wasn't interested in learning....

until recently.

i need to get to learning! lol

Both my sons are excellent cooks! But my daughter hated to cook when she lived at home. Now she cooks for her husband and her boys and sends me her yummy recipes.