somebody go to the bathroom. it always makes the food come.

i notice that i eat out way too much. i don't always have big meals or a rootin' tootin' time every time i go out...but i'm out all the same. sad story, the waiters at one place in town know what i order and sometimes even ask "do you need a menu tonight?" and another place in town greets me with "hey you're here!" i used to think it was because i had such a stellar personality that i left a lasting impression. however, i think it has nothing to do with my personality and rather everything to do with my frequency. so why go out so much?
i thought about that too and i think i have an answer that makes sense. it's 3-fold really:

1. cooking for one sucks.
2. cleaning the kitchen sucks more.
3. going out means that i don't eat alone...and conversation is pretty fun.

so about the cooking. it's not cheaper or easier to cook for 1 person. most food does not come in 1 person portions and the food that does is typically frozen in a box prior to heating for 4-5 minutes on high. it's not always yummy to defrost dinner. when you cook for 1 it takes a long time. unless, again, it's a sweet frozen meal you can spend the same amount of time in the kitchen cooking for 4 as 1. that is discouraging and unfair. after i spend all that time in prep work i don't even think it looks good anymore.
then there is the clean-up...gag. cooking for 1 means dirtying up just about as many dishes as a whole family. pots and pans are just pots and pans. they have to be cleaned all the same. it really is exhausting. you cook all the food. eating is fast and then you clean up. no one shares the chore and it doesn't do itself. sometimes i think my mom wanted children so she could stop doing dishes and it makes sense to me.
last the conversation, or lack thereof, when you dine alone in your home. boo. no fun. unless CSI:NY is on i like to have people to talk to. it makes meals more homey. it makes time fly by. it makes you feel like less of a loser. the company alone is reason enough to get out!
all that said...i'm going to heat up my lean cuisine. delicious. no. oh well.