Date Nights

Years ago, when my husband and I started dating, we enjoyed going out to dine at different restaurants, and enjoy the ambience, the food, the service, etc.

Nowadays, especially around wintertime, the typical date night in our household would seem nonexistent to most. At our age, we couldn’t be bothered to venture out into the cold.

Don’t get me wrong. I do appreciate it when my husband takes me out. I like to get dolled up sometimes.

But what I enjoy more is cooking dinner at home, devouring the fruits of my labour, and sharing the experience with him. I love browsing through my numerous cookbooks for inspiration and figure out what new cuisine I feel like indulging on that particular day. Getting all tactile in the grocery, eyeing all the different fresh produce available, imagining the possible types of flavour profiles I can create.

And then when it comes to cooking, I get into my zone. Following a recipe can be a meditative process. Yet, one can still be creative, depending on your preference. A dash of chipotle here, a splash of fish sauce there. It’s pretty much like a child again playing house, except you actually get to eat afterwards.

At least that’s what I sometimes feel anyway.

Date nights at home also lend to a more laid back atmosphere. The chance of me getting irritated is nill.

I won’t have to worry about getting out of the car and carefully trudging in the snow so as not to slip.

I won’t have to be disappointed if the restaurant had poor service or that the food took too long to make.

I won’t be angered if the food I paid for was anything less than stellar than I would have made at home. At a much cheaper cost, I’m sure.

If the food I made at home didn’t taste good, then that was my fault. But if I’m using my hard-earned money to eat out, I better be impressed.

We do have a couple of restaurants in the city that we know always deliver. Great service, great food. And those we save for exceptional occasions.

For the usual date nights though, we’ll stick with staying at home, in our loungewear, watching Netflix or Amazon Prime, cuddling with the dogs.