{"id":2451,"date":"2019-07-06T13:18:30","date_gmt":"2019-07-06T10:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/test.thebitterolive.com\/?p=2451"},"modified":"2019-07-11T11:47:08","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T08:47:08","slug":"solomeal-tomatorisotto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.thebitterolive.com\/?p=2451","title":{"rendered":"Tomato Risotto – Solo Meal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have been wanting to do the \u201cSolo Meal\u201d for a while now and was not confident that it is worth sharing. I started trying some of these recipes a couple of months back and was not really sure if it would turn out to be good or I would be able to deliver the message I have behind it. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSolo Meal\u201d<\/em><\/strong> falls under my new year resolution for this year, which is to learn how to love myself, what a cheesy clich\u00e9 right? I have always read \u201clove yourself\u201d but never really understood what it means, till this year. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I moved to Doha to work, I passed through a really hard phase, you can say I have lived the worst days of my life with almost no one knowing what I was really going through. This went on for almost a year, a year that was not easy at all. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year was not any easier, work wise nor personal. Work stress was only piling up and so did my life till I reached a phase that I felt I lost my direction again. At the end of the year, I figured out that I might have passed harder times before, however, things won\u2019t really get any better till I learn how to love myself.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to love yourself? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What do I mean by loving myself? This actually does vary from a person to another but what it meant to me was to take care of myself and put myself first, basically be selfish. It is funny how my parents did all that they can to raise us not to be selfish, and here I am doing my best to be one. During this journey of finding how do I love myself I realized that even as a chef for 6 years, I have never cooked a proper meal and set up a table just for me. It has always been for others, in fact coming from a big family I didn\u2019t even know how to enjoy food if I was eating alone. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSO MANY YEARS OF EDUCATION YET NOBODY EVER TAUGHT US HOW TO LOVE OURSELVES AND WHY IT\u2019S SO IMPORTANT\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cooking for myself was one of the few things I thought would help me take care of myself, another thing was to learn how to say NO!! Another word my parents have taught us not to use. I had to say no to go outs when I don\u2019t feel like it, no for eating when I don\u2019t feel like it and no for many other things. Definitely lost some friends along the way but finally, I felt like I was my self\u2019s priority. One of my accomplishments was that I stopped meeting the whole town when I go home for a vacation and stuck to seeing my family only. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking and self love<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Moving back to the food part, I am happy to say that I finally started to cook for myself and I learned how to enjoy a meal being alone, dine out alone even in places where I would really look odd. Hence came the username I use on Instagram <\/strong>Thelonerdiner.<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these recipes, I do my best to learn how to love myself and take care of me. Also, want to share with anyone out there that is going through hard times that it is okay to put yourself first sometimes, even if it meant to cook and prepare a meal and enjoy it by yourself. .  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope that these recipes would reach out to anyone that needs them, even if you would not cook or recreate the recipes. The point behind these is not to tell you to be happy for being alone, but rather to say enjoy the time you have alone and learn how to get through that, cause it is only till you learn how to love yourself you learn how to truly love others. And if cooking didn\u2019t help and you ever needed to talk, please do reach out we are just a bunch of loners in this world. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tomato
” I am happy to say that I finally started to cook for myself and I learned how to enjoy a meal being alone, dine out alone ” <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enough drama Let\u2019s get cooking! <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tomato risotto is full of umami, we had a similar dish on our menu in Hong Kong. After all these years I can\u2019t get over how it was such a mood booster for me.  Follow the steps below: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n