An old friend came to visit me today bringing with her a beautiful cake she'd baked for me. Victoria sponge. If I want to eat it while it's still fresh, I'll be eating it for breakfast, lunch and supper, with elevenses, afternoon tea and any other occasions I can think of in between.
She was being generous but her over-estimate of what I could eat made me think of my recent supermarket visits. They discriminate against single people in supermarkets. Everything was packaged in large portions and all special offers involved buying several of the large portions.
I'm not yet at the stage of wanting to buy single portion ready-made meals so I bought what I could, cooked a large casserole and divided it up into four. Even one of these four portions will feed me twice. I did freeze most but I am going to be be sick of the sight of it before too long.
I understand that supermarkets cater more for families but I do think they could make an effort for people on their own too. The packaging cannot be a significant proportion of the cost. Are you listening, Tesco?
Hi A. --
ReplyDeleteI hear you re the single-ist discrimination. The big portions are one reason why I prefer to eat out and not cook for myself. Fortunately, in Hong Kong they do at least sell four slices of bread at a time rather than a whole loaf like was more usually the case in the US... :S
Eating out for you is I suspect a lot less expensive than it is here. But you can buy just 4 slices of bread!? I keep bread in the freezer and extract slices as I need them. Really only suitable for toast though.
DeleteHi A. --
DeleteYeah, I think Hong Kong has places to eat out at there I know visitors from the US and Europe think are complete bargains. Also, yes, one really can buy packets of bread with just four slices in them here! :)
Hmmm, looks like 'cake for one' to me dear.....
ReplyDeleteNever buy single portions, these are designed by 15 year old girls with bulimia.
Buy big and freeze, I always do.
Cook large potfull and freeze, I always do.
Visit doctor with e-coli, I always do.......
Well, yes, I'm sure I'll manage to eat the cake. :)
DeleteThe singles are discriminated against at every step. Just try book a holiday!
ReplyDeleteOr try get a room in a hotel or b&b. It's not universal, I have lucked out on occasion, but all too often, while the double rooms are lovely, the singles are odd-shaped broomcupboards. I've slept in better police cells.....
Try looking for a cruise, or a package-holiday deal. (not that I do, I just read the ads in idle curiousity, because the idea of a cruise on some floating casino fills me with the shudders...).
And waiters hate you. They'll seat you by the door to the toilets, behind the plastic fern.
I was single for a long long time, and was happy and adept at being so, I learned to speak out and not accept poorer service. I got good at pointing out to hotel receptions that the cost of servicing a single room and a double was pretty much the same, so, as they weren't fully booked, they might as well give me the double and have a happy guest, rather than a scowling one.
Food portions, buy one get one free.... yes. you either use the freezer, or throw food out because it's gone off before you're ready to cook it. gnaaah!
I dare say I'll learn but I'm not particularly anticipating holidays alone, not yet, and especially not on a cruise.
ReplyDeleteLucked out? We're losing you already. I have always thought lucked out sounded far too much like out of luck for unambiguous use in this country.
I commiserate, did it for 6 years after Dad died and eventually got used to batch cooking, even cakes freeze well but make a sponge cake (2 layers) and each layer cut in half to make a half size victoria sponge with filling.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind cooking for one, I do enjoy stir fries and therefore use up oddments of cold roast chicken or veggies...
I do begrudge solo holidays, something I hate... although last year when I went to Tunisia with the now ex I did notice some solo travellers and it struck me as a nice place to visit should I be able to afford it and I would hope that a solo traveller I wouldn't be put in a broom cupboard but then again we clutter up the place where two would be so much nicer ;-)
I want to go back to the south of france, but it fills me with trepidation on going on my own.. but living in Cornwall at least I am near the beach xx
Depending on your freezer space, you could start making a different meal every few days, or once a week. Then freeze it, in no time at all you'll have several different meals you can choose from, so you don't have to keep eating the same thing. Soups freeze really well, as can pasta sauce (depending on the type). Then you can just heat it up when you are ready, at least then you have a few things to choose from.
ReplyDeletePackaging is ridiculous though. It always seems like such a waste to have to buy such a large portion/package of something only to have it go to waste. And of course the nice butchers and grocers of old, where you could go and just buy pretty much what you needed, now either don't exist, or its not cost effective.