Now retired, I looked forward to having time to cook

My Grandfather once said that there's nothing golden about the golden years...except for the pee.

Cooking for one is not really enjoyable nor economic

I miss SE Louisiana and it's rich tradition and culture involving food and drink

Vegas is cool and the gambling pays for great streets and infrastructure but

This is a cultural wasteland

Looks like you need a spouse. Get back in the game old timer

Cooking for one is great--you can make things exactly the way you want, no compromises. Try cooking lunch for yourself every day for a week....make it a continuous series of your absolute favorites, or try 5 different things you always wanted to try. If you have trouble making small quantities, think about the people on your block/in your complex that might like a plate of food. I'm sure you can think of at least one shut in elderly, single mom, or young broke person who would love a free meal.

Something to consider: take up breadbaking. It will offer you a new skill to master, is endlessly fascinating, can be done quickly or stretched out over days. It has technical and creative aspects, and there are some great instructional books and websites: Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice, www.thefreshloaf.com, etc etc.

OT: what did you do for a living?

I feel your pain. My wife had oral cancer and had part of her tongue removed and then radiation damaged the remaining taste buds. Her tastes have completely changed and no longer eats meat. I love to smoke and grill meats, but it's just not the same when she can't eat it.