Dinner and the Single Girl

This is the start of a series of blog posts where I bitch about being single. Here is the first of many blogs where I talk about things that are much harder when you do not have a significant other in your life. So, if you are sick of hearing this stuff, don’t read it. I might follow this up with reasons why it is great to be single but maybe not…

Everyone has to eat about 3 meals a day. Breakfast during the week is easy. Lunch during the week is a bit more complicated because I bring mine to work every day. I have to either bring leftovers from the night before or make food that morning but once again this meal is consumed at work so there is no need to be upset about eating alone. But this post is about dinner….

Oh, dinner. How I hate the nightly fight I have with you. It’s the meal that tortures single girls everywhere. Cooking for one sucks. Every night, I play this game with myself:

Do I want to…

a) cook for myself and end up eating a fancy meal alone?

b) nuke a crappy frozen meal and scarf it down fast so I don’t have to think about it?

c) screw it and order in an overpriced dinner?

d) go out to a restaurant ALONE?

Option a makes me pretty sad but it’s what happens most of the time because of my desire to eat healthy and save some money. I dream up gourmet meals with exotic ingredients, plated with beautiful garnishes. Then I remember I am cooking for one and there is no need to impress myself. So I toss together some sad gluey pasta with sauce and whatever frozen veggie is in the freezer.

Last night, I attempted to cook a fancy meal, Bean’s coconut curry with quinoa and tempeh. Yes, I put my name on it because I made it up myself! I started cooking and as I chopped up the veggies and tossed ingredients into the pots and pans, I had two sinking feelings. One, that I would have to clean up the dishes and mess that I made, all by myself. I had used a frying pan, two pots, a cutting board and a variety of utensils. Two, that I was cooking enough food to feed a family of four.

Here is a picture of the food cooking in the pan. It actually turned out delicious but yummy enough for me to eat it for the next 4 meals? No way. I’m sure some of my food will end up in the trash, which breaks my heart, but I am a single girl and tossing out food is a regular occurrence.



As I scooped the food into four take out containers, I thought about my single status and how sad I was that no one got to enjoy this meal with me. I took the time to create something tasty but all I got were some tears while I was washing the mountain of dishes.

I am going to skip talking about option b because anyone single girl or in anyone in a couple can do that if they are busy. It’s option c that sucks. Ordering in costs extra money for the privilege of eating a restaurant meal cooked at home. Most of the time I can’t afford this option but sometimes I treat myself and will bring in food. I usually eat it in front of the TV and inhale it too fast. There goes my hard earned money and usually I am still hungry.

Option d is for the bold, happy single girl. I have tried a few times to go out to eat on my own but I need to be armed with an arsenal of things to keep me occupied while dining out alone. I have found that a book seems like a good idea but it is hard to turn pages while shoveling food into your mouth. I feel like the server is constantly bothering you and the worst feeling is when you ask for a table for one and they scoop away the second table setting and seat you in the back corner at the worst table. It’s not worth the embarrassment I feel sitting alone when I go out to eat myself.

So there you have it… dinner… one of a single girl’s worst enemies.