Ever suffer from Culinary Ennui? If so, what do you do?

[Smithy]

I believe I just coined that term. Culinary Ennui is the exact equivalent of looking at one's wardrobe and thinking "I don't have a thing to wear!" And it's just as ridiculous.

 

I mean, look at this refrigerator!

 

 

The freezer compartment is similarly packed. There's another refrigerator / freezer combo and a separate small freezer in the garage. They're all packed. It's an embarrassment of riches, and I know I'm very fortunate to have this wealth.

 

Still...I just spent a preposterous amount of time thinking that I'm hungry and need to eat something, and not being able to think of a thing I wanted to eat. Coooked beans? No. A sandwich of some sort? No. Green bean salad? Cole slaw? Too much work to make.

 

Some, maybe most, of this Culinary Ennui is due to personal issues that are affecting my mood and energy. I have a singular lack of ambition despite oodles of things I need to be doing. But is that all it is? I dunno. I just know I need to do something about it. There's no point in having all this food if I don't want to eat it. 

 

So I've thrown together a green salad to provide some sustenance while I contemplate this issue and toss it out for discussion.

 

 

What do you do when none of your food options appeals? This is related to, but not quite the same as, Help! I've lost my cooking mojo and I want it back! except in the sense that I'm the only person cooking or eating in this household. 

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

I've got no advice because I'm suffering from the same thing. For about the last month, the only thing that appeals to me for lunch is salami sandwiches on homemade bread. And yet, like you, I have two refrigerators full of food. I'm anxiously awaiting to hear some good answers.

[weinoo]

25 minutes ago, Smithy said:

What do you do when none of your food options appeals?

 

I go out to dinner.

[Katie Meadow]

@Smithy, one thing I do NOT when ovetaken by said ennui is make a salad. I hate making salads with lettuce anyway; it seems like a lot of labor, washing and chipping and mixing dressing, etc. In this situation I make a cheese omelet. If I can still walk over to the fridge I might have a raw carrot and/or an apple and crackers. 

[C. sapidus]

For me, minimal prep food includes an omelet, tuna salad, leftovers, or just a can of sardines with hot sauce. Or, as weinoo says, go out for dinner.

 

Hope your ennui is soon on its way. 😉

[Maison Rustique]

Yes, in the same boat. I generally have crackers and cheese when all else fails. 

[liuzhou]

I think there are two types of such ennui, although the two can sometimes coincide.

 

a) Cooking ennui. Sometimes I just can't be arsed with the shopping, cleaning, chopping, stirring etc. When that strikes, I just go out or order meals in.

 

b) Eating ennui. Obviously more dangerous. Sometimes, although hungry, I just can't be bothered with the whole eating exercise.  This is especially annoying, after I have spent hours preparing and cooking an eight dish meal for friends and then just feel totally uninterested in eating it myself. 

 

It's easy for this to last a few days. I usually ease myself back by making a simple, slightly spicy lentil soup. Or just have cheese with bread or crackers.

 

 

[Maison Rustique]

I said crackers and cheese above, but then realized that lately it has been a sandwich (whole wheat) with butter, cheese and lots of dill pickles.

[Shel_B]

Cooking ennui (I love that word) sometimes snakes into my life, and usually I ignore it and make a simple potato or rice dish or ramen with veggies. Essentially, it's just boiling liquid, although with the replacement microwave a meal is just a zap away. Frozen veggies live in the freezer, often alongside frozen rice, so it's a simple, no-brainer task to make a quick, nutritious meal.

 

The real issue is when I've purchased items for a specific meal, and there's a risk of the food going bad if it sits around for too long. For that scenario I'm lucky, as there are a number of folks in my apartment building who I can call and invite to dinner, thereby forcing myself to cook or, perhaps a better way of saying it, motivating me to cook. Mostly my boredom comes from just cooking for myself. When Sweetie was alive, there was constant challenge, motovation, and excitement. There was always someone to cook for and often the challenge of cooking with sparse ingredients as Sweetie would sometimes let her larder get quite bare.

 

And then there are time when I just don't give a rat's patoot one way or another. Then I fire up the ol' chariot, head down to one of my go-to take away joints, grab a meal, and eat it at home. The thing that makes that work is that there are a quite a few good restaurants that offer take away, so one isn't relegated to fast food or burger joints.

Edited Wednesday at 12:18 PM by Shel_B
typo (log)

[Shel_B]

1 hour ago, Maison Rustique said:

I said crackers and cheese above, but then realized that lately it has been a sandwich (whole wheat) with butter, cheese and lots of dill pickles.

I can make a meal of pickles, sauerkraut, and good, strong bread, and maybe a chunk of cheese. Making a sando can sometimes be too much work.

Edited Wednesday at 12:14 PM by Shel_B
spelink (log)

[Smithy]

Well, for what it's worth I got up and out the door for morning exercise today, came back with some ambition, and dealt with some of the produce in my refrigerator. I now have a batch of Easy Asian Slaw, along with more shredded cabbage and special dressing, made. It remains to be seen whether it will be yet another thing cluttering up the refrigerator or something I'll turn to, but I've dealt with that head of cabbage that's been lurking for weeks.

 

 

I bought it after my last visit to my best friend's place SIX WEEKS AGO, when I noted that this was a delicious salad that I'd be making again and again. Ha.

 

The trick for today may have been doing the work in the morning rather than waiting until afternoon lethargy could set in. Or maybe I'm just getting a reprieve. Maybe the sight of last night's Strawberry Moon (the farthest south for years, it barely cleared the trees here) reminded me that there are sources of wonder in the world still. Who knows? But keep those ideas coming, folks. Crackers and cheese, yes...although it isn't a good idea for the long run.

[Shel_B]

40 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Crackers and cheese, yes...although it isn't a good idea for the long run.

 

Years ago, when I was going through a period of self-doubt because of a couple of personal and business disappointments, a wiser man than me said that I should cut back on my big ideas and look for smaller things to accomplish, and those would give me some successes. IOW, little victories.

 

Little victories allow for a rebuilding of self esteem, shows you that you can accomplish things, and form the building blocks, the foundation, for greater challenges and achievements.

 

Years later, after Sweetie died, I was talking with my doctor and telling her that I've not been accomplishing much, procrastinating, and in general feeling poorly. She suggested taking on one or two small tasks a day, things that I'd usually do anyway and that I'd been avoiding, and not concern myself with bigger things. So, for example, instead of getting the car washed "tomorrow," I'd do it today, right now. Again, little victories.

 

You set yourself up to succeed. You find that there's something positive to look forward to ... it's easier to look forward to something if you know you'll be successful.

 

Doing this will help to assure here's "no cabbage left behind."

Edited Wednesday at 07:34 PM by Shel_B (log)

[YvetteMT]

My fridge isnt far off from yours @Smithy (probably more condiments in mine.Its an unhealthy obsession) and the same ennui lives here. Freezers with a plethora of wild game, fish etc. And not a damned thing to eat/cook.  Partner isn't picky by any stretch, I am the one that gets bored. (he seriously ate chicken breast, broccoli, and white rice as dinners for a year- a trainer had lined out options for a food plan and THAT was what partner decided on, I wanted to cry.) I got him to give me a list years ago as to what he really liked for dinners. When I get annoyed trying to think of what to make, I look at the list. When all else fails, its frozen pizza for both of us. If I really just cant, he gets leftovers and I might eat popcorn or a plate of fresh veggies.
I've been going back thru really old food blogs and Clean Out Your Freezer threads for inspiration. Find something interesting and I put it on a sticky note-one will get tackled this weekend for next weeks meals- smoked elk roast. 

Tonight is leftovers-only because they need to be eaten-Id be happy with buttered crackers in front of the tv. 

[TdeV]

@YvetteMT, what brand is your favourite frozen pizza?

(DH and I having some medical stuff, so we're eating pre-prepared stuff and I hate, hate, hate the options from our local grocery stores).

[YvetteMT]

@TdeV I wish you both the best on your medical stuff.  It's bad enough when one person has medical crap, both is a whole different level. 

 

This is my favorite (gluten free because i have to be). Their non-gf options are always in costco.  The gf one below shows up at Costco a few times a year. 

 

[Katie Meadow]

One thing that has consistently been a life-saver is beans. I often make 1 package of RG bean.s, typically either Red Beans and Rice, or my version of southwestern beans. Mostly I use Domingo Rojo. We are always able to freeze a quart or more of every batch. When there's little else to cook or I'm not in the mood to lift a finger, this is a perfect solution. I just have to remember to defrost the beans. Then all that needs to be made is rice, which my husband always seems willing to do. Easy and satisfying. I try to have a couple of quarts of beans in the freezer at all times.

 

The reason we are always able to freeze enough beans for a generous meal for 2 is that I don't make beans for guests. I have enough friends and relatives for whom beans don't work; my beans are not vegetarian. Some friends don't like beans, and some don't like spicy food. No problem.

[MaryIsobel]

4 hours ago, Smithy said:

Well, for what it's worth I got up and out the door for morning exercise today, came back with some ambition, and dealt with some of the produce in my refrigerator. I now have a batch of Easy Asian Slaw, along with more shredded cabbage and special dressing, made. It remains to be seen whether it will be yet another thing cluttering up the refrigerator or something I'll turn to, but I've dealt with that head of cabbage that's been lurking for weeks.

 

 

I bought it after my last visit to my best friend's place SIX WEEKS AGO, when I noted that this was a delicious salad that I'd be making again and again. Ha.

 

The trick for today may have been doing the work in the morning rather than waiting until afternoon lethargy could set in. Or maybe I'm just getting a reprieve. Maybe the sight of last night's Strawberry Moon (the farthest south for years, it barely cleared the trees here) reminded me that there are sources of wonder in the world still. Who knows? But keep those ideas coming, folks. Crackers and cheese, yes...although it isn't a good idea for the long run.

I am at my best in the morning, so I have learned to get up and get'er done. I usually hit the proverbial wall around 2 in the afternoon so I do my errands, housework and shopping first thing. Come 2:00, I have what I call my matinee; basically a toes up, on the deck in nice weather or inside if the weather is not so great. I read, or watch a movie, do crosswords and usually end up dozing off for a bit.

[YvetteMT]

@Katie Meadow I'd love your southwestern bean recipe if you're willing to share!

[Smithy]

25 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

@Katie Meadow I'd love your southwestern bean recipe if you're willing to share!

 

I would too, although I'll note that yesterday when I started this topic I was looking at 3 pint-sized containers of cooked beans! 😄 They didn't suit either, at the time. I'm glad they work for Katie and her husband.

[Katie Meadow]

@YvetteMT and @Smithy      My beans don't have a written recipe but when I get a chance tomorrow I'll write a description.

[Mjx]

I invite someone over! My culinary ennui generally stems from the fact that I cook for just myself most of the time, which is dull, there's no reveal. So, depending on whether I want my culinary ennui dispersed gently or ruthlessly, I invite over my boyfriend, or any one of my [other] friends, respectively. Cooking for most of my friends is like an an Iron Chef challenge, and although I may want to tear out my hair, I cannot complain of ennui.

 

Sometimes, I challenge myself to recreate something I particularly enjoyed at a restaurant. Or, I pull out Modernist Cuisine, and look for recipes that don't demand a melanger/centrifuge/etc. (generally, while absentmindedly eating tuna from a tin).

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, Mjx said:

(generally, while absentmindedly eating tuna from a tin)

 

😄

[BeeZee]

Canned fish or jarred tuna is always in my pantry for when I just can't be bothered. MIght put it on a plate, might not. TBH, I do have stretches of disinterest in eating and out of concern for getting "some" protein intake, at least, those cans/jars along with Greek yogurt are pantry staples. Now that it is grilling season, I'll be better at having a supply of grilled veg and chicken on hand to throw together.

[AlaMoi]

yup.  we go out to eat.

that almost always provokes a "Even I can do better at this!"

and we go home 'recharged' . . .

[Katie Meadow]

@YvetteMT and @Smithy Okay so I wrote it as a recipe. We've always called them Border Beans.

 

2 cups dry beans. I like Domingo Rojo, but pinto beans or others work.

1 white onion, diced

1 stalk celery and 1 carrot, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh thyme + 1 tsp Mex oregano + 1/2 tsp cumin

epazote, if available

1-2 Tbsp New Mexico red Chile powder, or to taste

Water

Smoked pork products: 2 smoked pork necks or smoked shank or hock

Opt additions: 1/2 cup black coffee and/or a cup or so of fire roasted tomatoes

 

Wash beans and toss any grit or stones. Soak 5-6 hours in water. Drain and rinse. Sauté onion in fat: could be veg oil, bacon grease, or lard, until soft, 5 or so min. Add carrot and celery, sauté another 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook another couple of minutes. Add beans  and stir to coat. Turn up the heat and add water so the beans are covered by about 2-3 inches of liquid. Bring to a boil and cook at a medium boil for 10 minutes.

 

Turn the flame down to low. Add herbs and spices. Add and bury the smoked pork. Cover, with just a bit of air, and simmer low until beans are tender, 2 or 2-1/2 hours as needed. When almost done add salt.

 

Take out the pork bones2 and shred off the meat and throw it back in. Then it’s done. If you wish to add coffee or tomatoes do so after the beans have cooked at least 1 1/2 hours. I follow the theory that adding acidic ingredients should be done in the later stage.

 

Note the amount of water depends on how fast everything is cooking and also on how soupy you like your beans.You can add water as needed while cooking I like mine soupy, and eat them over rice, with a little minced raw onion and more salt as desired. My husband sometimes likes to top his beans with grated Oaxaca cheese. If you have some smoky ham stock use that and omit the necks. I suppose you could use a smoked turkey wing if you don’t want to use pork, but I’ve never tried that.