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.
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any tips?
1Its such as you read my mind! You appear to grasp so much approximately this, like you wrote the guide in it or something. I feel that you can do with a few to drive the message home a bit, however other than that, this is fantastic blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
2obviously like your web site however you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very bothersome to tell the reality on the other hand I’ll surely come back again.
3I am glad to be a visitor of this everlasting blog! , regards for this rare info ! .
4I think you have mentioned some very interesting points, appreciate it for the post.
5It’s really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m happy that you shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
6Hello there! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My website looks weird when viewing from my iphone4. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to resolve this issue. If you have any suggestions, please share. Cheers!
7Some really nice stuff on this site, I enjoy it.
8I savour, result in I discovered exactly what I was having a look for. You’ve ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
9This website is really a stroll-through for the entire information you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely uncover it.
10Pretty element of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to say that I acquire in fact loved account your weblog posts. Any way I will be subscribing for your feeds or even I success you get admission to persistently fast.
11Greetings! Very helpful advice on this article! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
12My partner and I stumbled over here by a different page and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page yet again.
13Only wanna remark on few general things, The website layout is perfect, the articles is real great : D.
14I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100 certain. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Appreciate it
15you are in reality a excellent webmaster. The website loading pace is incredible. It kind of feels that you are doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a wonderful process on this topic!
16Just want to say your article is as amazing. The clarity in your submit is simply excellent and that i could assume you’re a professional in this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thank you 1,000,000 and please keep up the rewarding work.
17Terrific paintings! That is the kind of info that are meant to be shared across the web. Disgrace on the seek engines for not positioning this put up upper! Come on over and discuss with my web site . Thank you =)
18so much fantastic info on here, :D.
19Hi , I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbled upon it on Yahoo , i will come back once again. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and help other people.
20Excellent blog here! Also your site loads up fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
21I have been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this web site. Reading this info So i am satisfied to show that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I such a lot surely will make sure to do not fail to remember this website and give it a glance on a continuing basis.
22Would love to perpetually get updated great site! .
23I dugg some of you post as I cerebrated they were extremely helpful very useful
24fantastic post, very informative. I wonder why the other specialists of this sector don’t notice this. You must continue your writing. I am confident, you have a great readers’ base already!
25Some genuinely good info , Sword lily I found this.
26Awesome blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your theme. Thank you
27I’d should check with you here. Which isn’t one thing I normally do! I take pleasure in reading a put up that can make folks think. Additionally, thanks for allowing me to comment!
28After examine a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your manner of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website listing and will be checking again soon. Pls take a look at my web site as effectively and let me know what you think.
29Hi I am so excited I found your blog page, I really found you by accident, while I was browsing on Aol for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the excellent job.
30The very root of your writing whilst sounding reasonable initially, did not really work very well with me after some time. Somewhere throughout the sentences you managed to make me a believer but just for a very short while. I however have a problem with your jumps in assumptions and you might do well to help fill in all those breaks. In the event that you actually can accomplish that, I could undoubtedly be fascinated.
31I too think therefore, perfectly written post! .
32I was very happy to seek out this net-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this excellent learn!! I undoubtedly having fun with each little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
33Neat blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your theme. Cheers
34I’m very happy to read this. This is the type of manual that needs to be given and not the accidental misinformation that is at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this best doc.
35Thanks , I’ve just been looking for info about this topic for a while and yours is the greatest I’ve came upon till now. However, what about the conclusion? Are you certain in regards to the supply?
36Those are yours alright! . We at least need to get these people stealing images to start blogging! They probably just did a image search and grabbed them. They look good though!
37Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Many thanks
38Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web-site is very cool. I am impressed by the details that you’ve on this website. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for extra articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and just could not come across. What a great site.
39I like the efforts you have put in this, appreciate it for all the great content.
40Keep working ,great job!
41Thanks for another excellent post. Where else could anybody get that kind of info in such a perfect way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I’m on the look for such information.
42magnificent post, very informative. I wonder why the other specialists of this sector do not notice this. You should continue your writing. I’m confident, you have a great readers’ base already!
43Utterly composed subject material, Really enjoyed reading through.
44Thank you for sharing with us, I believe this website truly stands out :D.
45Loving the information on this internet site, you have done great job on the articles.
46Hello my family member! I wish to say that this article is amazing, great written and include almost all important infos. I’d like to look more posts like this .
47Whats Going down i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve discovered It positively useful and it has aided me out loads. I’m hoping to contribute & help different customers like its aided me. Great job.
48I do like the manner in which you have framed this particular issue plus it really does supply us a lot of fodder for thought. On the other hand, coming from everything that I have observed, I just trust as other feedback pile on that men and women keep on issue and don’t embark on a soap box of the news du jour. Yet, thank you for this excellent piece and whilst I do not really go along with the idea in totality, I value the perspective.
49Great, I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your website. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs and related info ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or anything, website theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Nice task.
50