Feeding Yourself

So many great food minds (Deborah Madison, MFK Fisher, our own Samantha Wallace in edible Upcountry’s early days) have written about the pleasures of eating alone. Cooking for yourself is another, parallel matter, and the geometry of indulgence, restraint and ease can be extraordinarily satisfying. This should be cooking that happens in 30 minutes or less, that dirties minimal dishware, that does not leave you with leftovers to feel guilty about later. This should be food that feels generous but not decadent, like a treat and not a bender.

When eating alone, you should have these things on hand:

A good piece of chocolate: because it’s not a meal without dessert

A fresh loaf of bread: because bread is a vehicle for saucy, yolky, drippy bites, because leftover bread makes toast or breadcrumbs, and because you probably know an excellent local baker who’s fun to visit. We recommend Bake Room in Greenville.

Good cheese: because cheese . And because maybe you’re not a chocolate person.

A nice cocktail and a glass of wine are also lovely additions. They require you to put the cap/cork/genie back in the bottle, but the adage about not drinking alone seems to run counter to a) the pleasures of drinking, and b) the idea that we’re grown ups.