Alone in the Kitchen with an Onion
One of my onions grew a plump white sprout.
So plump that I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out. I left it alone for a week.
Then two weeks.
Then three weeks.
It kept getting taller and plumper. At some point the unthinkable thought of throwing it out became the unthinkable thought of letting it die. For a thing trying so hard to live on nothing, what kind of creature am I to thwart its life? So I placed it in a clean container that used to contain prunes, put in some soil leftover from another plant that I’ve long transfered the custody to my mom for its better chance of survival, and poured in water. I told my mom about it, but she said don’t have high hope. I wasn’t hoping for anything, I just wanted to give it what it wants: soil and water. I placed the pot outside during the day and took it in at night so that it doesn’t get cold. The sprout grew, turned green, and another leaf came out. Then I took a trip home for two weeks, thinking that the onion, having a watery body, should be okay without watering for two weeks.
When I came back, I saw the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen of an onion: several skinny green long stalks sprouting out, tall and cheerful. Thank you for surviving, Onion. You make the apartment alive.
I’m not complaining that I’m living alone. I chose this studio apartment instead of sharing because I was looking forward to living alone all my college years. My college roommates were nice people, I don’t dislike them. One girl was there for maybe 2 weeks total the entire year we shared the dorm room, I liked her. There are just songs I want to turn the volume up to for hours on end, meals I wanted to eat while watching a movie on the computer, times to laugh or cry without explaining to two quizzical and not necessarily empathetic eyes. Times to do crazy dance. Times to burn stuff in the microwave and send the alarm screaming. I was tired of asking for and giving explanations. The best thing about living alone is that you can do whatever you want.
The worst thing about living alone is that you can do whatever you want. The only thing I’ve cooked for myself since February is garlic scrambled egg and rice. I skip lunch everyday. I thought I was bad. But Ann Patchett stuck to her Saltine diet for months: “I ate slices of white cheese on Saltines with a dollop of salsa, then smoothly transitioned to Saltines spread with butter and jam for dessert. I would eat as many as were required to no longer be hungry and then I would stop. […] Day after day, month after month, I stuck to my routines like a chorus girl in the back row.” Actually, maybe her diet has more variations than mine. But you get the point. Dining alone means dining with the person who you want to hide and to expose to the world at the same time, the person that only you know.
That person takes many forms, and that person goes through many phases, some pleasant, some weird, most are captured in the collection Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant. The beans and cornbread phase (Jeremy Jackson), the asparagus phase (Phoebe Nobles), the chili phase (Dan Chaon), the instant noodle phase (Rattawut Lapcharoensap) (I’ve gone through this phase my self – Sapporo Ichiban, original flavor – until Berkeley Bowl rearranged their aisles and I couldn’t find the packages for weeks, I contemplated boycotting Berkeley Bowl). There’s eating alone with glory, enthusiasm (Mary Cantwell, Dining Alone), a sense of self-declaration, independence, defiance (Jami Attenberg, Protective Measures), most often for a lady at a restaurant, and usually in the first days of eating alone. There’s eating alone to observe (Colin Harrison, Out to Lunch), to indulge (Anneli Rufus, White-on-White Lunch for When No One is Looking), to be relentlessly particular about your food and give no room for compromise (Erin Ergenbright, Table for One). These things happen when one has been eating alone for a long time, and accept it.
There’s happy eating alone because of a desperate need to escape the everyday hustle (Holly Hughes, Luxury), the joy is temporary like fireworks. There’s sad eating alone with a boiling thirst for companions (Laura Calder, The Lonely Palate). Then there’s the mellow eating alone because of permanent solitude, and although feeling lonely to the bones, in some way the lone diner religiously ties himself to that loneliness as if he couldn’t live without it, his repetitive meal is his only and last company. “What does an introvert do when he’s left alone? He stays alone.” (Jeremy Jackson, Beans and Me)
The person with whom I dine the most, me, has taken all of these forms. I found that amusing and sad, but to make things worse, I saw my friend in Haruki Murakami’s The Year of Spaghetti, “[tossing one handful of spaghetti after another into the pot] like a lonely, jilted girl throwing old love letters into the fireplace”. Eating alone is like dressing yourself when you’re invisible, you know you should make it good, but you wonder if it’s worth the hassle. Is that why the masked superheroes never change their outfit?
I noticed my onion doesn’t like direct sunlight, and it needed more soil, so today I went to a garden store begging for a plastic bag of soil. (I thought about digging up a cup from the neighborhood at night, but that wouldn’t sit right.) On the bus, I sat across from a boy, 12 years old he said, just far enough that he didn’t notice me watching him eat and close enough to see that it was gomiti in a loose broth with bits of carrots and green bellpeppers. Then I realized the book forgot one kind of eating alone: eating alone among a lot of people who aren’t eating. What do you feel then?
Garlic Scrambled Eggs over Rice (serves one for 3 meals)
– 4 cups rice
– 8 eggs
– 1/2 clove garlic, thinly sliced
– 1 tsp salt
– 2 tbs sugar
– 1 tsp oil
Cook rice. Oil the pan. Brown the garlic(*). Break and scramble the eggs. Add sugar and salt. Serve on or mix with rice.
(*) I used to add onion too, until Onion sprouted into a friend.
Regards for this post, I am a big fan of this internet site would like to go along updated.
1You have brought up a very superb details, regards for the post.
2I like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the superb works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my site 🙂
3Hello there! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot!
4Great post, you have pointed out some excellent details , I besides conceive this s a very great website.
5Keep up the superb work, I read few content on this web site and I believe that your blog is rattling interesting and contains bands of wonderful information.
6I see something truly special in this website .
7Throughout this grand pattern of things you actually secure an A+ with regard to hard work. Exactly where you lost me personally ended up being on the specifics. As people say, the devil is in the details… And that could not be more true in this article. Having said that, allow me reveal to you what did give good results. The authoring can be extremely convincing and that is possibly the reason why I am taking the effort in order to opine. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Second, despite the fact that I can certainly notice the leaps in reason you come up with, I am not convinced of just how you appear to connect your ideas that produce the conclusion. For right now I will subscribe to your point however trust in the near future you connect the facts much better.
8Thank you for publishing this interesting information. I really like your website. Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts on your website. I would love to see additional interesting updates from you in the coming days.
9Enjoyed looking at this, very good stuff, thankyou.
10Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the internet the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
11You made some fine points there. I did a search on the matter and found the majority of people will consent with your blog.
12Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how can we communicate?
13Hi, i think that i saw you visited my site thus i came to “return the favor”.I am trying to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!
14서울출장마사지 서울출장안마 셀럽은 고객이 머무는 장소에서 관리를 받을 수 있도록 방문 서비스를 안내합니다. 자택이나 숙소의 위치, 원하는 이용 시간, 코스를 알려주시면 예약 가능
15Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your site is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched all over the place and just couldn’t come across. What a great website.
16Thank you, I have just been looking for information approximately this subject for a while and yours is the greatest I’ve discovered till now. But, what about the conclusion? Are you sure about the source?
17You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
18Hi, i feel that i noticed you visited my site so i came to “return the desire”.I am attempting to in finding things to improve my site!I guess its ok to make use of a few of your ideas!!
19Thankyou for this marvelous post, I am glad I discovered this site on yahoo.
20I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this site. Thanks, I’ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your site?
21I actually wanted to develop a simple remark to be able to appreciate you for those wonderful recommendations you are giving here. My time intensive internet search has at the end of the day been compensated with brilliant strategies to exchange with my family. I ‘d assume that we readers actually are very much lucky to live in a really good site with so many perfect individuals with helpful pointers. I feel very much privileged to have used the website and look forward to plenty of more exciting times reading here. Thank you again for everything.
22Utterly composed content, thank you for information. “In the fight between you and the world, back the world.” by Frank Zappa.
23I got what you intend, appreciate it for posting.Woh I am delighted to find this website through google. “Spare no expense to make everything as economical as possible.” by Samuel Goldwyn.
24Keep up the wonderful work, I read few blog posts on this site and I believe that your site is really interesting and has bands of superb information.
25This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen
26I have recently started a web site, the info you provide on this web site has helped me greatly. Thanks for all of your time & work. “My dear and old country, here we are once again together faced with a heavy trial.” by Charles De Gaulle.
27Only wanna admit that this is extremely helpful, Thanks for taking your time to write this.
28I like this site very much, Its a very nice office to read and receive info .
29I am delighted that I found this web site, exactly the right info that I was looking for! .
30Kemarin, saat saya sedang bekerja, saudara perempuan saya mengambil apple ipad saya dan mengujinya apakah bisa bertahan dari jatuh setinggi empat puluh kaki, hanya agar dia bisa menjadi sensasi youtube. apple ipad saya sekarang rusak dan dia memiliki 83 penayangan. Saya tahu ini sangat di luar topik tetapi saya harus membagikannya kepada seseorang!
31Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.
32Glad to be one of the visitors on this awing web site : D.
33Unquestionably consider that which you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be at the internet the simplest factor to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while other people think about concerns that they just don’t recognise about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest as neatly as outlined out the whole thing without having side-effects , other folks can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thank you
34Thanks for any other magnificent post. Where else may anyone get that type of info in such an ideal means of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m on the look for such information.
35Hi my friend! I wish to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include almost all vital infos. I would like to see more posts like this.
36구미오피를 검색하며 구미 지역 일반 마사지·스파를 알아보는 분들을 위한 안내입니다. 프로그램 선택, 관리 시간과 비용, 시설·위생, 주차, 예약 전 확인사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 정리했습니다.
37밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.
38밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.
39Very interesting details you have remarked, thankyou for posting. “My work is a game, a very serious game.” by M. C. Escher.
40Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
41I am glad to be one of several visitors on this outstanding website (:, appreciate it for posting.
42My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content for you? I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating on a number of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome weblog!
43Some truly quality blog posts on this web site, saved to bookmarks.
44Hello, Neat post. There’s an issue together with your web site in internet explorer, might test thisK IE still is the marketplace chief and a large portion of folks will pass over your excellent writing because of this problem.
45Its such as you learn my mind! You appear to grasp so much approximately this, such as you wrote the guide in it or something. I think that you just can do with some p.c. to drive the message house a bit, however other than that, that is fantastic blog. A fantastic read. I will certainly be back.
46I like this website so much, saved to fav. “American soldiers must be turned into lambs and eating them is tolerated.” by Muammar Qaddafi.
47Terrific work! That is the type of info that are supposed to be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for no longer positioning this put up higher! Come on over and discuss with my site . Thanks =)
48I like this post, enjoyed this one thanks for posting. “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” by M. Kathleen Casey.
49Thanks for another fantastic article. Where else could anybody get that kind of information in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.
50