It’s a fact - people on their own often struggle to make mealtime meaningful and enjoyable. They complain about “eating alone.”

Equal fact - I mostly eat well: three more-or-less nutritious meals a day, at the table, plated and with cutlery. All done just for me. I call it “dining solo.”

“I eat, I read, I watch” is my new monthly column highlighting one of my dinners and my recent reading and Netflix accompaniments. I hope it motivates you to treat yourself well - to dine! - at mealtime too.

I eat:

It’s 5:30 when I get home from work armed with a pair of inch-thick pork chops from the butcher near my office. I’m confident I can cook, savour, and begin digestion before I’m due on a Zoom call in 75 minutes. I season the chops with a little salt, pepper, and leftover home-ground Persian spice blend. As I wash some green beans that have been in the fridge nearly too long, I heat my cast iron pan with a skiff of avocado oil. Google tells me a 1 inch pork chop is 5 minutes per side. I hear a satisfying sizzle when I place the chops in the hot pan. I set the timer for 5 minutes and heat a little butter in another pan. I slice four leftover boiled new potatoes and get them into the hot butter to crisp a little. I chop the stems from my green beans and throw them in with the potatoes, swishing them all around a bit. I remember a few leftover toasted almonds in the cupboard and add them to the mix.

At 5 minutes, I flip the chops, aiming for the same tasty-looking caramelization on the other side. When the timer dings again, I turn off the element, move the chops to a cutting board to rest, covered with the frying pan lid, and set the timer for another 5 minutes. The green beans get another little toss in their pan and I turn that element off too. The almonds are a little over-toasted but not burnt. Luckily, I’m not a perfectionist.

I set the gazebo table with my laptop, cutlery, napkin, and a glass of Kombucha. Laptop at the table? The mindfulness people gasp in horror. Just savour the food, they say. Not realistic, I respond. I’m focusing on improving digestion these days, and if I want this meal to last longer than 5 minutes, without conversation, I need an activity.

The timer signals it’s time to cut the pork. The moment of truth. Pork is not to be messed around with. Whew, it’s the perfect hint of pink. I plate one sliced chop and add a dollop of spicy Ajvar (roasted red pepper sauce). Does it go with Persian spice? Well, I’ll find out. I place the potatoes and a few green beans beside it and take the pate outside.

It’s 6:09 pm. Dinner is served and it’s tasty. Unlike some creations, this one is good enough to have served to another human, if there were one here. But it’s just me so I have a leftover chop and green beans leftover. Tomorrow’s will be a variation. I almost never do a complete repeat. Just another way to ensure I keep dining solo, not just eating alone.

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cost: $15 for two meals ($7 for two pork chops, $8 for green beans at the farmers market) + miscellaneous things on hand

Tell me in the Comments below: what would you do with a pork chop and green beans?

I read:

It’s mid-August but July’s “Toronto Life” magazine is still on the pile, set aside for the article describing how ADHD diagnosis is trending in adult women. There are three women in my extended circle who have recently proclaimed they have ADHD. I don’t know if they’ve been formally diagnosed or if, like my late husband Jack, it just became clear from their behaviour. As I read the article, I reflect on how lucky I am to have the executive function skill I have - that is, the cognitive process that organizes thoughts and activities, prioritizes tasks, manages time efficiently, and makes decisions. I didn’t cultivate any of this, but they’re the attributes that made me an A student as a kid and that have allowed me to keep bosses, colleagues, and clients happy throughout my career. I didn’t realize the extent of my dumb luck until I lived with Jack. At first, I thought he was actively trying not to get his shit together just to irritate me. But no, over time, I learned that we were wired differently. So unfair. I hope all those newly diagnosed adults learn strategies and get meds that will help. An interesting article and I’m glad I saved it. You can read it on the “Toronto Life” website here.

Got a good reading recommendation? Drop it in the Comments below.

I watch:

“Memories of Jack,” as was conjured by the ADHD article, is the metaphoric sauce that often accompanies my meals. For much of August, my Netflix dinner companions are old friends he and I made together nearly a decade ago: Don Draper, Roger Sterling, Peggy Olson, and the rest of the gang on “Mad Men.” It popped into my recommended viewing list when I finished “Good Girls,” another series featuring “Mad Men” cast member, Christina Hendricks. I generally avoid doing things Jack and I enjoyed together, especially binge-watching shows. But “Mad Men” is so good as I’ve been reminded by a colleague who has just finished rewatching it. I have a notoriously poor memory for shows so mostly it’s like I’ve never seen it before. Except sometimes I remember us chuckling or gasping in tandem at the show’s incessant smoking, drinking, and infidelity, or its blatant -isms; sex, race, disability were all fair game for discrimination in the ad world of the 1960s. But those moments of ennui that result are fleeting. "Mad Men” is a perfect dinner pairing and at seven seasons, it’s going to last for the next few weeks.

I’d love to hear about what you’re watching - something old, new, or even blue. In the Comments below please!

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