Doesn’t for me, so it’s in your head. I actually feel less satisfied if I put the effort in, doesn’t feel like a pleasant gift from the universe, more like a zero sum game.
Food has always been something that’s very social and growing/hunting/preparing it a crucial part of culture. We’re wired for it. It binds us. Even if you had made no effort as part of the process, the kinship of knowing someone went all that effort for you is difficult to replace.
Anyway, when you just heat frozen food and eat it alone, all that pretty much goes down the drain.
I do agree, but its also kind of an amazing thing. I know this meal was made by a corporation for profit, but there was still a farmer that made the contents and a chef somewhere along the line cooked it before it was packaged. You might be missing the personal interaction with them, but there were still a lot of humans involved in bringing that meal to your table.
I’d say a contributing factor could be tv/films. It’s very common to see the divorced/dumped/bereaved/generally lonely people heating up frozen food and pushing some meat puck around with a fork, feeling pretty close to ending it all… it’s just dumb social commentary but I think it shares some blame for the “universal view” of one person heating up a frozen dish being kind of pathetic
You could be focusing on “it’s amazing how easy it is for me to make food!” But you’re not. Your emotions are leading you somewhere, instead of your rational mind. Next time you recognize that you feel like that, pause, and pay attention to what exactly it is that you are feeling, without judgement. Use your rational mind to observe your emotional state. Just observe it, don’t control it or try to change it. Hopefully you’ll discover something, maybe even the answer you’re looking for.
Nourishment is nourishment. I would love to have a home-cooked three course meal every night, but that's a lot of effort and money to spend on lil' old me. Ready meals are fine for those nights where I can't be bothered to actually prepare a decent meal.
Because in general, most of them look like straight garbage. They say you eat with your eyes first so you’re swallowing a whole lotta depression before your first bite. Plate it up and pretty it up with some garnish. Some brands look better than others too. Stouffers and Boston Market come off as more of a home-cooked look.
Unless we’re focusing on the alone part. Can’t help you there. The answer as to why it feels that way is pretty obvious.
Add some love to it. Put it on a plate, add a sprig of whatever, eat with a fancy fork, whatever it is that makes you happy. It’s a little gift of love to yourself. Soon after living on my own I realized I could eat whatever I wanted out of those big wine glasses. So… I did. Juice, yogurt, cereal, mac and cheese. I liked how it looked and it was a small thing that made my day brighter.
Add comment