Musings and Reflections

The Bowl of Soup

This unimpressive bowl of Crab and Corn soup is more than just a bowl of soup. It is a challenge for me. Let me tell you why.
Years ago, ( around 8 years ago) I have almost perfected the life of a Singleton. I was able to watch movies on my own in a cinema and eat in a restaurant without being conscious of the fact that I am alone in my table. A friend commented on my eating alone in a restaurant as 'very sad' but I did not feel sad then. His comment was a symptom of what society thought of being alone in public is like. There is a stigma to being alone but I do not think of it that way. It was actually quite liberating. I ,actually, was enjoying my meals in good eats. I did not hide behind a book or magazine or my phone. If anybody knows me well enough, they would know I love my food. Besides Single persons do get hungry and need to eat too - not just take away, in a canteen or in a park somewhere but seated in a good restaurant with good food and good ambiance. But my life got busier and I was no longer on my own for a while. There was no reason to eat in a restaurant on my own. A year ago, I underwent my own 'conscious uncoupling' but I was either too busy, too tired, too sleepy or too ill to be willing to try enjoy a good meal in a restaurant. I always have a friend to tag along with when going out. That is one advantage of having lots of friends. Often times, they tell me of the activities way ahead of time to prevent me from double or triple booking. But in the last two weeks, I actually have enough energy and time to do more than my usual shopping or marketing.
Today, after spending 7 hours in the office, I was famished and cannot concentrate on shopping. I have made a decision to go for a sit down meal somewhere. The weather and my craving demanded for hot stew or soup. I thought I will start easy on my first venture and just go for Satori's Udon Noodles in Satori Spicy Soup base. My mouth was already watering in anticipation. I made my way to the top of the mall and waited patiently to be seated. The hostess apologetically smiled and said that they are no longer taking on new customers. Of course, today is Sunday! Places close earlier than usual. My mind and stomach was focused on an Oriental soup. The next best option for me was to go to a Korean restaurant and have the spicy beef stew but I cannot face the idea of yet another bus ride. I reasoned I could go to Vanilla Omelette which is only 3 minutes walk from my flat. But at the second to the last bus stop I decided to just buy from the Chinese take away which is only 2 minutes away from my flat. However, as it was only 1630, it was still close. This is when I decided to just make my own Crab and corn soup. I am a good enough cook, albeit a lazy one as until now I have not mastered the art of cooking for one person. Anyway, my soup was delicious and satisfying. But it serves as a challenge for me to reach that stage again to be completely confident on my own. After all, singletons do get hungry and foodies like me would like to enjoy our food in a good restaurant. But until then, my Crab and Corn soup would warm my tummy.