"eating alone" news and stories

I have a secret to share with you all. Most of the time, when I'm just cooking for myself (but want something more than just a bowl of cereal), I recreate the foods I grew up eating (there was a lot of salmon/chicken/turkey burgers paired with broccoli/string beans/zucchini in my childhoo). I don't branch out or try new recipes. I steam a veggie and quickly bake/broil/ saute a piece of protein and I call it a meal.

Last night was the perfect example. I had just enough cooking energy to defrost some frozen salmon (from Trader Joe's and of decidedly unknown age), bake it with a little butter and lemon and steam a head of broccoli. It wasn't ground breaking or exciting, but it was tasty and filling. When it was done, I sat down at the table, taking my first sustained computer break in at least four hours and ate. It was quiet, simple and really restorative. Oh, and yummy. Because what's the fun in eating if it doesn't taste good!

There are few things in life that I love more than a personal essay that creates a sense of companionship between the writer and the reader. An essay that shines light on perfect details and invites you into a space that feels intimate, revealing and fascinating. And if it also bears relationship to food/cooking/eating, I become nearly inarticulate with bliss.

I stumbled across such an essay on Culinate that hits everyone of these notes and left me wanting more. It is an excerpt from the recently released anthology Alone in the Kitchen With an Eggplant called Table for One and was written by Erin Ergenbright. It reads quickly and leaves behind a feeling of quiet appreciation for food and the time it takes to eat it. Definitely worth the few minutes it takes to read it through.

• Vietnamese Bun is not a soft roll.
• Just because you're eating alone doesn't mean you have to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or throw a frozen dinner in the microwave.
• Where do Boston teens eat after school?
• You will never get me to eat squid.
• It might be getting warmer, but it's still a good time for hearty stews.
• What is sacchetti?
• This week's recipes: Black Bean and Ginger Soup with Yellow Rice Pilaf, Chicken Stew with Grapes and Tarragon, and Roman-style Mozzarella Toasts.