I write about how much money we spend on food. I don’t usually take a picture of it because the shopping usually happens over several days and I just can’t get everything together for a photo shoot. (I wish I could though, I think it would be interesting to see the total quantity. It feels like a lot, but is it really?)
I write about any food that gets thrown away at the end of the week. Yes, yes, I know I haven’t been very good about throwing food away but don’t worry there’s a surprise this Friday. Wait for it.
But what about the in-between? How about a look inside? Our refrigerator is a utilitarian necessity. (I know there is a movement of people getting rid of their fridges – I’m not there yet. Or probably ever.) We have a fridge, we put food in, we take food out. I’m working on teaching a not quite two year old that standing with the fridge door open is not okay. But what does that fridge say about us?
This freezer says I let the husband go to the store by himself. (Apparently buying a Banquet meal is a good way to get enough quarters back for a load of laundry.)
But it also says we portion out our meat and don’t buy a whole lot of frozen foods. I feel pretty good about that story. Granted, these pictures were taken before our weekly shopping, but this week’s list is mostly fruits and veggies anyway.
I don’t think the fridge says too much bad stuff. I like to think it’s pretty well organized and there’s nothing we don’t really use. Except the mayonnaise which has never been opened. It was purchased months ago when I really jumped into the home cooking and thought it was something I would need to cook for true Midwestern boy. Apparently not. And you can just glimpse the top of a whipping cream can. I don’t even remember the occasion this was bought for. I don’t seem to have a lot of need for whipped cream. Maybe I’ll just serve it as dessert with lunch today. I should probably check the date though, maybe you’ll see it again on Friday. Hope not.
So, why the look? I thought a little personal exposure was only fair. It started with this interesting picture show You Are What You Eat by Mark Menjivar for GOOD Magazine. Menjivar decided to document the contents of strangers refrigerators. With no background except a very brief caption of each photo [Bar Tender | San Antonio, TX | 1-Person Household | Goes to sleep at 8AM and wakes up at 4PM daily. | 2008] we have a look into the lives of 17 random people. I highly recommend checking out the full story. There are some things you just have to see to believe.
What does your fridge say about you? I would love to do a follow-up to this post showcasing some of your insides. Take a picture of your fridge, you can even provide your own caption if you like. Send it to me [calimama33 @ gmail . com] and I will shine a light on your story.
