Lola’s Kitchen: Are there Dishes You Always eat/ cook on a Certain Day?

May 20, 2016 Lola's Kitchen 26



I already talked about my associative memory earlier on this blog. And how I could remember things like when and where I read a book. I realized that my associative memory also plays a role when cooking. Namely how I associate certain dishes with a certain day. So I was wondering if I was the only one who did this.

Are there Dishes I Always eat/ cook on a Certain Day?

Short answer: yes. Long answer it depends on the dish, but there are dishes I associate with a certain day or for some reason I usually make on a certain day. Some associations are really strong, other mild and for some dishes I don’t have a association with days. I usually cook for two days, so on Saturday I cook and we eat the leftovers the day after that etc. Some dishes only work on one day as it’s hard to make more of that or it’s easier to make it for one day only, so then I cook two of those dishes in one week. Each week I plan my menu plan for the next week and for some reason there are some dishes I always cook on the same day. With baking this isn’t the case, I just bake whenever I have time or am craving something sweet. But with cooking the effect is quite strong.

For example I always make spring roll on Saturday. Saturdays are usually a bit quieter for me, so when I try a new recipe or a complicated recipe I usually try it on Saturday. This is the case with spring rolls, it took me about two hours the first time I made it. Nowadays it only takes me an hour or a bit more to make, but due to making it the first few times on Saturday I now associate that dish with Saturdays and so far have almost always made it on Saturday. So if I plan to make spring rolls I usually do so on Saturday. Japanese Curry is another dish I usually make on a Saturday. Again because it was a new recipe once and took a bit more effort and now it’s stuck on Saturdays because of my associative memory. It just feels weird/ wrong to make these dishes on another day.

Then there is Indian cauliflower Mash which I usually make on Mondays, for no particular reason except that I usually make it that day and so it feels natural to make it that day. There are also dishes like fried rice that I’ve made on almost every day so far and don’t have a strong association with, although it’s usually on a weekday. Sajoer Beans and Spiced Pointed Cabbage are both one days dishes and I usually make those on a Thursday.

So some recipe have a strong association with a certain day and I almost always make them on that particular day, it just feels weird to make them on another day and because of the strong association when making my menu plan I usually plan them on the day I associate them with. There are also some dishes where I have a less strong association with a day and I just make those whenever works best.


26 Responses to “Lola’s Kitchen: Are there Dishes You Always eat/ cook on a Certain Day?”

  1. chucklesthescot

    I’m really not a cook-I just do the basics following cooking instructions. Basically, I see what Aldi has in each week and pick seven options from that, plus ensuring a small stock of pasta, tinned and frozen options as a backup in case I don’t feel like cooking. Today I’m trying to cook sea bass for the first time ever! That should be a laugh…!

    • Lola

      Sometimes cooking is just following instructions. I always plan my menu for the next week ahead. A frozen option as backup is always a good idea. I hope your sea bass turned out good!
      Lola recently posted…Sunday Post #179My Profile

  2. Lorna

    No, although in the far past I usually cooked roast beef only on weekends-now that I am retired, I cook it anytime it sounds good to me 🙂

    • Lola

      I can imagine how big changes like that also change your routines. Cooking things when they sound good to you sounds like a good strategy.

    • Lola

      I guess if you don’t cook it makes sense you have associative memory when it comes to that. I guess because I cook a lot my associative memory also comes in play there.

  3. Braine

    Spring rolls are for lazy days. Rolling can be tedious if you’re making a lot.

    When my mom was alive we’d usually have meatless Friday’s. I think it’s something to do with being Catholic. We don’t follow it anymore though lol

    • Lola

      I usually make enough spring rolls for two days, so we end up with about 20 rolls in total usually. I actually just made spring rolls this weekend, yum!

      My mom used to do Friday fish day, if we ate fish it always was on Friday. It’s interesting how habits and associations like that pop-up.
      Lola recently posted…Sunday Post #179My Profile

  4. Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight

    I’ve never associated meals with any particular days of the week, so I find it interesting that you do. Come to think of it, I don’t think there’s really anything I associate with days of the week as my schedules and things have just changed so constantly. But it sounds kind of nice having certain days for certain meals since it probably makes those days feel more comfortable and special when you make those meals 🙂
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Short Story: All’s Fair in Love, Ice Cream, and Power Outages (Part 1)My Profile

    • Lola

      I feel like I really am the exception with this. Guess my memory is weird. Maybe the fact that your schedules change so often means you are less likely to make such associations? Or maybe my mind is just weird, I have a very associative memory when it comes to almost everything. It does feel nice to make those dishes on the day I associate them with, comfortable is a good way to describe it :).

  5. Mary Kirkland

    Not really. The only day I make something the same would be Thanksgiving. I either make a turkey and all the fixings or homemade tacos and everything that goes with it. But the everyday meals…I just make whatever I’m in the mood for that day.
    Mary Kirkland recently posted…Favorite Video of the WeekMy Profile

    • Lola

      Sounds like a good system as well :). And yes I can imagine holidays are the type of days you often make the same thing.

  6. Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons

    I don’t really fix certain things on certain days. I either will fix whatever I can make with what’s in the pantry/fridge so I don’t have to go to grocery. I also will fix certain things because they are easier and I’m feeling lazy that day. Or based on what I’m in the mood for that day. I do know people who’ve done this, but I’m not that organized. 🙂

    • Lola

      I always plan ahead what to make and then buy ingredients for that. I wouldn’t be able to handle not knowing what I am going to cook that evening beforehand.

  7. Jackie

    I can’t really think of a specific dish that I associate with a particular day of the week. Though, I notice that I tend to make heartier meals on the weekend– soups, stews, chili. Foods that I consider cozy and comforting compliment lazy weekend days. Also, anything made in a crockpot is usually weekend food. I know most people use crockpots during the work week, but I’m actually terrified to have it turned on while I’m away at work.
    Jackie recently posted…Girl Power! And Other Renegade Ideas | Rebel Sisters by Marita Conlon-McKennaMy Profile

    • Lola

      I don’t have a crockpot, but I also would be terrified to have it turned on while I am away. So I understand why you prefer to make that when you are home. I often save the dishes that require a bit more time to prepare for the weekends.

  8. S. J. Pajonas

    I really like pasta with marinara on Mondays and I have no idea why! Maybe because it’s easy and on Mondays I really want something easy. And you’ve reminded me that now that I have a kitchen again, I can make Japanese curry! HUZZAH!

    • Lola

      For some of these dishes I also had reasonings at first and now I am just used to making them on that day.
      Now I want Japanese curry! I am out of curry paste, will have to order some feom our Asian supermarket soon, luckily they take online orders.

  9. Sophia Rose

    I think I do it with holidays, but the rest of the time it is more a general type of food will match a mood or milestone day. Like if I had a bad day then ‘comfort’ food is in order. If I was hot and stressed, then it is something cool and light. I do start craving family recipes near big holidays so that’s where the memory kicks in for me.

    • Lola

      That makes sense! I always plan what to cook ahead so I rarely switch it up, but it has happened a few times I didn’t want to cook and we went to the grocery store and got a salad instead or something changed and I switch things up.

  10. Greg

    For me Fridays and pizza go hand in hand- after a long week I just want to get a pizza and relax. so yeah… that’s about it though. For a while the place I worked we went and got Chinese on the same day every week, so for a while I associated that day w/ Chinese lol, but that was a while ago…
    Greg recently posted…Sunday Post #143My Profile

    • Lola

      It’s strange how those associations can pop up if you eat the same dish on a certain day long enough. Fridays and pizza sounds like a good combination.

  11. anna (herding cats & burning soup)

    Interesting. I don’t have anything like that on a regular basis. I just kind of make what I feel that day or if there’s good whatever ingredient (like eggplant) at the market that week then I’ll make something with that.

    The only thing I can think of is holidays. We usually have a handful of base dishes that we make for each holiday and then will add some other things in each time. But I’ll make those dishes year round as well. lol

    • Lola

      I guess I really am the only one who does this lol. Let’s just say my memory works in weird ways. Veggies aren’t often discounted here, I do look at the discounts first and then plan.

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