To start with, I should probably point out that, read in a certain way, this piece might come across as depressive, angsty and despairing, (or, perhaps for some fine folks, insufferably whiny).
Trust me, I /grok/ that.

However, I think I should also add that, read in a slightly different way, this piece might come across as rather dark, sarcastic, self-mocking gallows-humour. As part of that, one of the references I should probably point out comes from a quote attributed to New York journalist Earl Wilson (1907-1987), who said: "If you think no one cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments."


All of that said, the main inspiration for this comes from the inescapable fact that for low-income (sometimes no income) students and/or bachelors, especially those of us, whose mothers/grandmothers made sure we possessed at least a small amount of basic, culinary skills before we became adults, you often find yourself forced to get creative, when you set about to cook for yourself.
In a world, where everything comes in family packs, unless you want to (cumulatively) pay through-the-nose for the "convenience" of smaller packs, you need to get creative, and cook in large batches to portion up into individual meals that you store in the freezer. If you lack these skills, and don't have the money to live off of takeout and/or the campus dining hall, or you don't have access to a freezer, like it as not, you'll wind up living off of highly-processed, highly-unhealthy shit.

But, back to those of us who at least try to cook for ourselves, one of the 'fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants,' culinary sins you end up making is (depending upon the thickness of the final product), something I refer to as "Bachelor Soup" or "Bachelor Stew". Perhaps the best way to describe it, is that it's a rougher, (and unhealthier) version of the "Depression Stew" my late, Maternal Grandma used to make.
I have listed an example below, with the caveat that I will not be held responsible for any indigestion and/or upset stomachs this may cause in some people -- prepare this strictly at your own risk.

(I'm only being semi-sarcastic)


BACHELOR STEW --

(Recipe is flexible, depending on what you have on-hand.)
(Can be done on stovetop in a soup pot, but slow cooker
or crock pot is better if you're lazy or busy.)

THE DAY BEFORE:

[1] Prepare slow cooker, crock pot, or stovetop soup pot the day before, by giving it a good wash.

[2] After washing and drying the slow cooker (don't put the electrical components in the water, ya big dummy!), dump in a handful of dried lentils (if you like lentils), as well as a handful of dried red and/or white kidney beans, and black beans (or others, depending upon your personal taste and/or what you have on hand -- you can also add a bit of dried pot barley as well)

[3] Add garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce to taste/preference, as well as enough water to cover the dried beans/lentils/barley to the depth of at least an inch.

[4] Cover the slow-cooker with a lid, and let sit overnight, as the dried beans soak and expand (do not plug it in and/or apply any heat just yet -- that happens tomorrow)

THE MORNING OF:

(it saves labour, if you do this at the same time you're cooking breakfast)

[1] Chop up one (1) yellow onion, one (1) red potato, as well as carrots, celery (including some of the leaves), and add some peas, corn and/or broccoli (depending upon preference), until the slow cooker and/or crock pot is 1/2 to 2/3 filled.

[2] Take one (1) package of ramen (I prefer Mi Goreng), and add the spice/oil packets to the slow cooker, and put the dry noodles aside for the moment.

[3] Plug in the slow cooker, and put on low heat.

[4] As the slow cooker is warming up, chop up (depending upon the size of the slow cooker/crock pot), 2-4 sausage links (I prefer either Bratwurst or Hot Italian). I also find it easier to cut the sausages while they're still frozen.

[5] Add the sausage pieces to the slow cooker, as it's heating up.

[6] Add spices to taste (I prefer a combination of Black Pepper, Curry Powder, Italian Seasoning, Newfoundland Savoury, Cumin, Freeze-Dried Chive Rings, Rosemary, Thyme and Marjoram)

[7] Add a bit of hot sauce, if the stew still doesn't have quite enough zip for your taste (I like Datil Pepper sauce, when I can get it)

[8] Add enough water to cover everything in the slow cooker, so that it's at least a half inch above the various ingredients and spices, and at least half-an-inch below the top of the pot. (Be careful as you're adding things to the slow cooker, so as to make sure you don't overfill it, or you may be forced to go whole-hog, and make two pots at once.

[9] Turn the slow cooker up to high heat, and bring to a boil for two hours or so, before turning it back down to low heat, and allow the stew to simmer for a couple more hours, stirring the mixture a couple of times as it boils and then simmers

[10] Stir in some rice or pasta, and add the ramen noodles, and then unplug the slow cooker, allowing the residual heat to soften the noodles and/or rice for the next 2-3 hours, as everything gradually cools down.

[11] Serve and enjoy, freezing the leftovers afterward. The slow cooker I use yields 5-6 portions in total, depending on how much I put in there at the beginning.