And if to stove, what stove may it be?

I am pretty set on all my big basics- tent, sleeping, pack, shoes-ish. However, the question of whether to bring a stove or cooking implementation is still tugging at my mind. I hadn't even thought about not bringing a stove until I did a solo for a week with no hot meals... It got me to thinking.. If I wanted a hot meal while on the trail, surely I might be able to score one (or at least something hot) when I went into wherever to re-supply. This would mean that I wouldn't have to carry a stove and I wouldn't have to fiddle with cooking when I expect I will be dead tired. But then, a friend of mine, Wanderbus told me that I might live to regret that decision... He finished a AT thruhike in 2013 and told me that after a particularly raining or draining day a hot meal could be just the ticket to uplift one's spirits.

I have previously used coke can stoves, which is probably why I even thought to not go with any stove. You see, I absolutely hate fiddling with it. While hiking in Patagonia this past April, I used an MSR setup and loved it... But yet again my thruhiking friend told me that it was heavy and expensive.

So, here I am... I need suggestions... thoughts... opinions on the matter.