So many restaurants

By Penny Welch

We are beginning to get settled from our move from Texas back to Idaho. The Boise area has certainly expanded during our years away. Since getting married and until now, we have lived in rural areas with few options for dining out.

One observation we've made here is there are so many choices for eating out that one could choose a different restaurant every day for weeks on end. All these establishments would not stay in business very long if they had to depend on our visits. Filling all those restaurants all the time must mean that many people are choosing to eat out quite frequently.

When we were traveling, there was no option other than to eat out. We soon realized that dining out was quite expensive; and, sometimes not very enjoyable due to waiting to be served, noise, and even disappointment.

We became anxious to start cooking for ourselves again; not only to save money but also to enjoy our own home-cooked meals. We still derive a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in preparing delicious meals for our enjoyment.

Don't get me wrong. We, too, enjoy eating out once in awhile and having someone else wait on us. But, for us both, eating out has always been for extra special occasions, usually for the purpose of a celebration. We just can't get used to the idea of eating out as an everyday experience.

And with just a little planning, a trip to the store, and a visit to our pantry, we can prepare wholesome and delicious meals that are more enjoyable and cost far less than regularly dining out.

Cee Dub and Penny Welch recently returned to their native Idaho after an extended residency in the Texas Hill Country. They frequently travel throughout the West as ambassadors of Dutch oven cooking. They sell Dutch ovens and outdoor cooking equipment through www.ceedubs.com/.