Foodists

What’s in a Foodist’s Fridge?

Posted by Guest on Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Tags for this Article: fridge, guest, ingredients, secret

When it comes to people, food and fridges, “it’s what’s inside that counts” is the Foodist credo.

We all have an intense symbiotic relationship with our fridge. We are defined by the contents of our fridge while conversely the contents of our fridge are defined by us. It’s our second stomach —  the holding area — the Green Room for staging our salads…

Simply put, we are what we eat (out of).

I got that impression after asking foodists to open their fridge and reveal it’s contents. This was tantamount to looking into their very souls and I felt slightly ashamed of asking when it became apparent how personal a request this was. One by one the fridges revealed their personas. Some were full, messy, apologetic and self effacing while others were slightly proud but somewhat empty. Some simply pretended to not even hear the request. One had a mistress in a completely different city!

It really seems our immediate selves are reflected in the convenient door pockets while our real deep seated fears and desires cower in our freezers.

Let’s examine a few of the cold souls who were brave enough to reveal the inner shelves of their inner selves shall we…

The willing participants shall remain nameless and speak of themselves candidly, here:

Fridge #1 – Recognizes his short comings but is unafraid to dig deep inside and examine his ugly inner core.
“What do you find when you start rummaging around inside yourself? A shocking number of condiments and hot sauces apparently, combined with some really grotesque discoveries in the back of the freezer (my deeper inner self). I am currently in an embarrassing state of shambles overflowing with condiments and hot sauces, which is perhaps the point here, and when I did a little clean up of the freezer at work today I found long forgotten and virtually unrecognizable items in there. Gross.”

Fridge #2 – Completely ignores her easily accessible traits and deep seated issues, choosing to focus on her main issues.

“Here’s my main section (not including the side door, 2 bins of fruit & vegetables below, or the freezer above). The 1 item to point out is my love of fresh Japanese mushrooms beyond the ubiquitous shiitakes (I buy those fresh at IGA; these were from Kin’s). Big ones: king eringi mushrooms – sliced up and sauteed / Small ones: enoki mushrooms – use in stir fry or soup. My all time favorite is Maitake, which are sometimes available at Whole Foods but really pricey; I have it as tempura whenever I’m in Japan. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2340.html“

Fridge #3 – Creates a bold, sensual chameleonic presence.

“I look different depending on where I last shopped. At the moment, I’m fully stocked with Asian ingredients after a trip to T&T. My guilty pleasure is pricey baby Japanese cucumbers. They are sweeter, crisper, and have thinner skin than the English variety.  And yes, that’s pre-peeled garlic cloves that you see.”

Fridge #4 – Defines themselves as a walking cocktail party!

“It appears that I don’t actually have “food” in me. Condiments and numerous types of olives and potential tapenade and charcuterie ingredients, but no real food. Might have to fix that—which leads to the question, what the hell do I eat?

Stay tuned to my freezer (deeper inner self)…it’s equally compelling!

Fridge #5 – Seems a little vain perhaps, slightly promiscuous and pestered with little details.

“Here’s three photos of myself. One is some pickled beans and asparagus, indicative of drink-making habits.

In the other are some pancetta, salami and parmigiano reggiano I got today from the 1906 Tosi Italian Deli in Chinatown.

In the third are organic greens, Braggs Apple Cider vinegar, houmus and a jar of Sloping Hill pork fat I rendered from a porchetta.

I suppose the one thing that stands out, is how many items I have in my box that don’t need to be in there.”

There you have it, five Freudian Foodists’ fridge psychoanalysis. If I were you I would take a deep look into your fridge and come to terms with your deviled eggs or angel food cakes. Chances are if you can’t come to terms with your contents, things will pile up and compromise your efficiency.  The shelf clutter will prevent any real flow within and one will be forced to work twice as hard to keep things cool. If this happens, I guarantee, you are heading for a breakdown.