Cook for Yourself As a Guest
One of the luxuries of living alone is that I can eat a bunch of grated cheese and pickles for dinner without burdening my hearing with the opinion of culinary cowards. However, it is very easy to become lazy if the only person you are feeding is yourself. To maintain an interest in cooking for one, imagine yourself as “the only one,” that is, someone you love deeply or are trying to impress (for reasons of sexuality).
All long-term relationships need to be maintained, and the relationship with oneself is the longest. Just like someone diving into the routine of only wearing sweatpants next to their spouse, one might end up making only utilitarian bowls of boring food, and (I believe) it will reflect on the soul. (Recently, I noticed that the food I cook when my boyfriend is around is much more beautiful than the food I cook for myself and only for me, which made me think. If I am a double Leo, I do not value myself enough to fully realize beautiful dishes, who will?)
To spice it up and make things interesting, prepare a meal that you would cook for someone else, someone you have a crush on, and then seduce yourself with all of your little cooking tips and tricks. Don’t save your best recipes for other people. You deserve them, friend. By thinking this way, you’re more likely to cook meals properly – rather than shortcut – and pay attention to your technique, and you’ll likely find yourself doing things like completing the dish with a side dish, using good napkins, and sitting. down to enjoy your meal (instead of eating cereal while standing at the counter). You can even break your fancy wine glasses; go where your mood moves!
I am certainly not suggesting that you completely ditch your garbage monster alone. Eating popcorn in sweatpants and calling it a “grain bowl” is one of the (many) greatest pleasures of living alone, but try to impress yourself once a week. Feeding yourself is an act of survival, but just surviving is very boring.