What We Eat When We Eat Alone

I eat alone often, so often that in many ways this entire blog is a chronicle of what I eat, do, think about, when I am alone.

But for other people, eating alone is a rarity, such a rarity that there are entire books of essays and recipes published to address the idea of eating alone. The most recent is Deborah Madison's, What We Eat When We Eat Alone. I haven't read it yet, and I don't know if I will. After all, I know what I eat when I eat alone. I'm not sure how curious I am to know what others eat solo. Right now I'm a tad more interested in entertaining, gathering people together, and cooking up a storm.

Still, I found Madison's essay on the Powell's website intriguing. Eating in bed? Pouring margaritas over bread? Swilling scotch? These are not really things that I do -- alone, or in a crowd!

It's lunchtime and I am getting hungry, so I'm off to compose my second meal of the day that will be eaten alone. The first was noshed in the car -- granola bar, banana, coffee. The second will be a bit more refined: cold chicken, salad, beans, toast... I'm not quite sure yet, which I guess, for me, is the REAL joy of eating alone.

And you?