foodperson.com

I’ve lived alone quite a bit over the years, but I just learned from the Christian Science Monitor that there’s supposedly a stigma against cooking for yourself. The “news” is that the stigma is abating.

I didn’t even know there was a stigma. Better to starve, perhaps? Eat out of a bag of chips or ice cream carton? Buy (gag) fast food every night?I think not.

The article’s headline, “A growing number of Americans are warding off the stigma of preparing meals solo,” rather overstates the story, fortunately. Among the article’s statements:

Still, for many, the idea that cooking – and especially eating – should be social endeavors keeps the “psychological block” intact. Food marketing strategies are partly to blame for this, says Andrew Urbanetti, the chef de cuisine at Lumiere restaurant in Newton, Mass. and the teacher of a cooking-for-one class in Cambridge. “It’s a shame that some commercials make eating alone seem like it’s come down to a desperation meal, rather than something to be enjoyed,” he says. He likens a part of his classes to a “therapy session,” in which he tries to “diffuse the negativity and stress” that students might associate with cooking alone.

I’ll grant you that cooking is more fun when you’re cooking something to share with others. Social beings that we humans are, it’s natural that we would enjoy a meal with others more than we might most meals by ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t enjoy cooking and eating alone.

I’ll admit that when I’m living alone I’m more likely to punt and scramble eggs or heat up a can of soup than I would be if I had company. I’ll tell you what, though: I have never regretted taking the time to make myself a delicious dinner, served up nicely and only for myself. If it feels indulgent it’s in a good, not a guilt-provoking, way.

And there’s a bonus for cooking just for me: There will probably be leftovers.