Blog 15: Solo Living or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Chores and Love the Kitchen

Gogoal Falia

There is a comfort in numbers. Something about being surrounded by friendly roomies alleviates the specter of responsibility looming over one’s thoughts. Although I seldom concern myself with such ponderance, albeit in the depth of my solitude, I do wonder if the benefit of solitary living outweighs its drawbacks.

Moving on from a desolate opener, let me tell you about the ways I have been trying to address the recent price increase across all facets of everyday living. For grad students, time is at a premium. Almost all of us are either studying full-time while working part-time or working full-time and studying part-time. We often try to save a few precious minutes by grabbing a quick bite to eat (or worse, skipping a meal). And even though I am guilty of it at times, especially in the past, based on money spend and the diversity of meals eaten, I have realized for some time now, that there is no better way to control expenses, and eat a diverse, healthy meal than by cooking it yourself!

Yes, I can hear many of you say, “Where’s the time?”, but let me tell you about my experiment with cooking. It has been more than half a decade since I have had to prepare my meals. Borne out of a multitude of reasons, it was never sometimes I thought I’d be doing on the regular, yet, after the first few times, I realized that preparing my food while playing Chopin in the background was not only therapeutic but also, provides me a sense of calm as my marinated chicken thighs baked in the oven. I have found these calm moments help me recollect my thoughts, plan for the day and week ahead, and teach me the virtue of patience. Be it the serenade of Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 as I chop bell pepper and onion for my fajita, or the melody of The Swan when I roll my sushi rolls, music and cooking are a divine combination. Playing the Concerto Grosso Palladio while I await my butter chicken curry to cook is as exhalation as anything I can compare it to.




Pic: My pantry is never bereft of cilantro and watermelon (Image courtesy: Gogoal Falia)


Perhaps cooking is not for you. As someone who didn’t think it was his cup of tea, my advice is-Give it a try if you haven’t, and if you have, try it one more time. Aggieland is diverse. Ask your peers for recipes and learn from their culture and food. Spend a weekend preparing your meals for the upcoming week. Not only will you save money in the longer run, but also you will be in charge of your dietary destiny, and let's be honest, who doesn’t want to be the ruler of their destiny?

“That’s one small sponge for an Aggie, one giant leap for Aggiekind.”- Unknown

Let's talk about the elephant in the room-chores! If you are at home with the family, chores are not as tedious. Even with housemates, they can be divided and organized in a way that reduces the workload. Alas! If you are living solo, you are out of luck, my friend. You are the ruler of your destiny of course, or in this case, of the vacuum, and the kitchen sponge. But it doesn’t have to be that bad. While there are many ways one can address these, I prefer a set routine, and the “earlier you do them, the less annoyed you’d be of them” approach. Doing the dishes immediately after eating, keeping the kitchen and the counter clean before going to bed, and doing the laundry and vacuuming on a fixed schedule, etc. are a few ways I hold myself accountable. Do not try to make Marie Kondo proud but be the spark of your own joy. It’s a habit, and you will succeed. Just try, and as your favorite blogger, I am counting on you, my friend.