With restaurants raising prices, I’ve avoided going out to eat, with few exceptions, even at the restaurants that are sparkling clean. I am completely exhausted from taking home meals from Applebee’s, Freddie’s, Jimmy John’s, KFC, Olive Garden, Food City, and Panera, to name a few. There are two “buffet” restaurants near me offering “dine-in”: China Grill and Shoney’s. While both have reasonable prices, their food is questionable; one offers a local take on Asian cuisine, and the other, Southern American. Strangely enough, the food from both places tastes much the same.
I only visit these two places when I’ve totally run out of other options; each time I do visit one or the other, I instantly regret it, vowing never to return. Closing down these options brings me to cooking for myself. I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and while I am an amateur, to say the least, I’ve cooked and served up many, many meals for guests and myself with some success. Yet, staying home 99% of the time and cooking for myself has thoroughly convinced me I am totally sick of my own cooking.
I’ve also loved all kinds of markets and stores, and in my travels, I’ve taken dozens, if not hundreds, of food-related photographs. Now, when I go to a market that I love (like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s), I buy stuff that looks super for the moment and not-so-super when I am back home. A few minutes ago, I was thinking of heading out to lunch. I couldn’t think of one single place I’d like to go for a take-out meal, so I reached into the fridge and pulled out a hard-boiled egg. I think that was a new low for me, and I do hope that my food fog will lift, and soon.
Are we there yet? 