Making meals out of nothing

My most popular post of all time is How to make a meal out of nothing. Every week it is the top  pageview on my stats page. Why is this?

I thought perhaps somebody had posted a reference to it, you know, read this clever post by this wonderful writer. But no. There is no referring site. Instead, people are finding this post by searching for information on “how to make a meal out of nothing.”

Or as some have put it, “how to create a meal with whatevers,” “how to make a meal without meat,” or “a meal out of nuffin.”

Perhaps it is a sign of the times. Cupboards are bare. People are having to make do with nothing.

A slightly more cheerful interpretation is that somebody gets home from work, too exhausted to assemble the ingredients for a decent meal, and resorts to the internet. I got nuffin. Tell me what to make of it. If so, it is also a sign of the times that such persons are not just picking up carry-out.

I am neither cash poor nor pressed for time. I wrote that piece as entertainment, not instruction. If anything it is a lesson in how it can be more fun to be frugal and creative than to go out and shop for all the ingredients you think you need to make a meal.

And it is a talent I have. I can make decent, sometimes wonderful meals out of next to nothing. I pride myself on using what’s on hand and serving up every last vegetable before it wilts. I could play that stump-the-cook game I used to hear on the radio in which callers describe the contents of their cupboards and fridge and the expert cook tells them what to make with it. Although as I recall, the expert got to add an ingredient or two. I wouldn’t even have to do that.

I did the search myself to see what else would come up if you googled “how to make a meal out of nothing.” All of the other first-page results were more serious than mine, straightforward how-to’s on making meals from nothing.

Some were not helpful at all. Like the one that told you how to stock your cupboards and fridge so you could always make something from nothing. Always have eggs and lemons and pasta and canned tomatoes and parmesan etc. etc. on hand. Come on. That is not a bare cupboard.

One post reflected my approach but put it in the form of straight instruction: It said things like “look thoroughly with both eyes,” “raid the freezer,” and “get creative.” But it also said, “grow your own herbs,” which takes some forethought. Likewise, “get in the habit of stocking up on staples.”

I didn’t purport to tell anybody how to do this. I just tried to show that it might be fun and possible and what the heck.

But it is probably true that what is fun for me is necessity for many in these tough times.