When I was a teenager, my dear dad would often make dinner. When I asked him the classic question, “What’s for dinner?” he’d always give me the same answer: “Desiranges!” You know, the kind of phrase that doesn’t mean a thing!?!?! Needless to say, it really got on my nerves as a know-it-all teenager whose dad was just so out of touch! Clearly, the answer basically was, “I don’t know yet...”
Then he’d go into the kitchen, pull out a frying pan, and heat it up. He’d finely chop an onion and a clove of garlic. When the pan was hot enough, he’d add a pat of butter, let it melt, and toss in the freshly chopped onion and garlic. That’s when he’d open the pantry and the fridge and wait quietly, looking at what was inside, for inspiration… He always said (and still does) that there’s nothing better than the smell of onions cooking in butter to inspire a good dinner. Every time, he’d take out the ingredients one by one, and it always turned out great!
Let’s be honest—vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will agree. Is there any smell more appetizing than that of onions cooking in butter? No matter what’s on the menu, it whets your appetite. From comfort food to haute cuisine. From a quick meal to one that takes all day to prepare.
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My husband and I are exactly like that. We always decide at the last minute what we’re going to eat, depending on whatever strikes our fancy at the moment—just like my dad used to do when he was in charge of meals...
I’m just not able to plan Sunday’s menus for the week ahead… Every time I try, I end up throwing away the food I prepared in advance because, in the end, I don’t feel like eating it anymore. I know, this often causes a lot of headaches with schedules and the crazy lives of young parents working full-time—one of whom is self-employed—and whose kids have to eat exactly the four balanced food groups in the right proportions in the same meal, or face harsh judgment from the court-martial of bad parents... (That’ll surely be another topic...) Generally, though, we manage just fine.
Anyway, people used to tell me, “Just wait until you have kids—you won’t have a choice…” ” Well, I’ve decided to keep that choice for myself, even if it means sending the Man to the grocery store at 4 p.m. to pick up what’s missing or letting him make dinner (which happens more and more often because he’s a work-from-home kind of guy...) and he makes my kitchen look like a pretty countryside scene… from Kabul! It’s always good, never disappointing, and I fully own it… “Whatever” you want to call it, that’s just how I am.
Still, hats off to those who are able to plan their meals in advance and cook all Sunday (or Saturday) to whip up delicious meals for their families. Honestly, you have my utmost admiration!
Yours in “disorganization,”
The Little Bouffard Family