It’s amazing how quickly I’ve fallen into my old undomesticated habits. Now that I’ve got a job, I’ve been seriously slacking off around the house. There’s a pile of dishes in the sink and while the laundry is folded, I haven’t had time to put it away. I don’t remember the last time I cooked dinner that didn’t come from the frozen foods section.
When pressed for time when something’s gotta give, it seems cooking and cleaning are the first things to go.
Somehow Avo manages to find time to go to the gym, work a full-time job, and cook — even when he doesn’t get home until 8 p.m. Last night, I was prepared to have cereal for dinner, but he was determined to come up with something more nutritional and satisfying. Using the few ingredients we had in our fridge, he whipped up the best omelet I’ve had in my life (no kidding) — eggs, ham, onions, and mushrooms never tasted so good. Or maybe I just appreciated the fact that I was eating a home-cooked meal for a change.
For the past week, I’ve been harboring plans to cook chili. I have all the ingredients on hand, but I still haven’t gotten around to it yet. I fear that unless I start cooking soon, I’ll forget everything I’ve learned (and the meat will go bad).
I’d hate to come this far only to settle back into my old undomesticated life. Sometimes I wonder if there are two types of people: those who cook because they love it and those who cook because they have no other choice. Maybe I’m just not hardwired to cook. What do you think?
I have made an effort to cook more in the last few months. What helps is to have a staple of dishes that are easy to prepare and to buy the ingredients in advance. I enjoy going to Fairway and buying a couple of “meals” like a chicken to roast, a piece of fish to grill and some lamb chops broil or veal cutlets to “scallopini”.
The pressure of not wanting the food to go bad is one motivation.Worse case, you can always freeze the stuff if you can’t get around to cooking.
I also find that I need to have some take-out at least once a week just to chill out.
And cooking after working is nearly impossible, so it’s good to have some “prepared foods” like the turkey chili from Fairway to basically throw in a bowl, garnish with sour cream and shredded cheddar and call it a night – And have a glass of wine or two along with it.