Blog From A Broad

the psychology of fridges



Ed has inspired me yet again (maybe I just pay more attention to his writing 'cos he's always talking about food) and got me thinking about the contents of my fridge (see? Food.). First of all, let me just say that fridges in this country are really annoying. Actually, let me rephrase: all the fridges I've had have been annoying. What is it with these little tiny fridges you always get here when you rent a house/flat? They are what we call "bar fridges" in North America; refrigerators that are about 3 feet high that will fit two bottles of water and a few items of very flat food like bacon or torillas. You're screwed if you want to store things like bottles of wine (upright) and big bags of salad. Even the bigger houses I've been in had these little tiny fridges. Do you know what they call (what I think of as) regular fridges here? "American fridges". Bizarre.



Anyway, so I was thinking about what's usually in my fridge and how I store food. If I'm going to be here a fair amount, then it's pretty well stocked. I always have my staples: milk, butter, condiments (mayo, mustard, chutney, Branston pickle, salad dressing), usually some sort of cheese, and a few veggies hanging about from previous meals. Then I've got my freezer, chock full of pre-portioned sauces, curries, and other meals, breads, oven chips, and various other bits and bobs. Stuff in my fridge is always contained somehow, either in cling film/Saran wrap or plastic containers and jars. I check sell by dates fairly often, and chuck out stuff that's starting to look dodgy. On rare occasions, I'll wipe the inside of my fridge clean. Then I go to Paul's house and I have to resist the urge to a) wrap everything up in cling film (sandwich meat! In its original wrapping but half open! Aaaieee!) b) throw things away and c) move everything to the bottom shelf so I can reach it. I know what I said about small fridges here, but his is on top of a good-sized freezer.



So yes, not a lot of psychological analysis needed there. I'm tidy. He's not. But at least I'm not cleaning out his fridge because frankly, I think that would be a baaad sign.