Jill's Take
I happen to like the feeling I get when I open my fridge or my pantry and see lots and lots of food in there. I like knowing that if I want to make something tasty for dinner, I probably have the ingredients to do so. Want some black bean tacos? Guess who can make them RIGHT NOW - me! How about some tomato basil pasta? I'll whip that right up, thankyouverymuch. I do spend a lot of money when I hit up the grocery store, and I surely buy more than I need, but I always, always have a well-stocked pantry - and eventually I'll eat all those cans of beans and tomatoes and vegetables and so on, so what's the harm?
I happen to like the feeling I get when I open my fridge or my pantry and see lots and lots of food in there. I like knowing that if I want to make something tasty for dinner, I probably have the ingredients to do so. Want some black bean tacos? Guess who can make them RIGHT NOW - me! How about some tomato basil pasta? I'll whip that right up, thankyouverymuch. I do spend a lot of money when I hit up the grocery store, and I surely buy more than I need, but I always, always have a well-stocked pantry - and eventually I'll eat all those cans of beans and tomatoes and vegetables and so on, so what's the harm?Jack, on the other hand, is a firm believer in never having "extra" food in the house. Sometimes I wonder what he would eat if he got snowed in for a week. You know what he'd eat? Some crackers, peanut butter, and 43 different kinds of beverages. I laugh every time I open up his fridge because it's all very neatly organized by beverage type. On the right side we have the juice - grape, orange, etc; on the left is the milk (and soy milk for me!) and some organic healthy soda things. Below that we have bottled water. It's all lined up very nicely and you always know with just one glance what your options are. But they're ALL LIQUID, so if you think you're going to satisfy any kind of hunger at all, think again.
Bottom line: should there be a snow storm or a natural disaster of sorts, everyone who hasn't stocked up on their food (JACK) is going to be awfully hungry. Hydrated, sure, but still hungry. Meanwhile, I'll be smugly lounging in my house, eating something fabulous with not a care in the world.
Jack's Take
I have to admit: I just read Jill's take and it sounded rather rational. But then I remembered that Jill is notorious for leaving out key details.Details such as...
- Jill often buys items at the grocery store only to return home and find that she already has 13 or 14 of the very item she just purchased. "Oh, I guess I didn't need to buy this can of black beans after all. It turns out I already have enough cans of black beans to open up a legume retail outlet."
- Jill has absolutely positively no idea what items are in the back of her refrigerator. For fun, I put a dog toy and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure in the way back of her fridge a few months ago. Of course she never noticed.
- Jill and I recently got blood work done and the stats don't lie: my cholesterol, sodium, etc. were lower. Now whenever Jill makes fun of my empty pantry or fridge, I point out the fact that most foods that can be stored for a long period of time have preservatives and/or additives. My pantry and fridge may look a little lonely from time-to-time, but that's just because I prefer to eat the fresh stuff. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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12 comments:
I cook pretty much every night and on any given night after cooking, my fridge will be more or less bare because I only buy junk that I'm going to cook within one or two days. Fresh trumps quantity every time.
The action-figure/dog-toy thing was genius. Jack wins.
Same in my family.
My wife wants choice, I don't want rotten food.
I think I am with Jack here, too.
A) I have no fear of being snowed in, so I rarely plan for such an event.
B) I like to have a lot of beverage options. (Neatly laid out!)
C) While I do keep a few things stocked in my pantry (ie, I almost always have a couple cans of black beans, a couple cans of tomatoes, some soup, and some whole-wheat pasta), my fridge goes from stocked to barren pretty quickly because most of it is fresh. My freezer holds almost exclusively booze and veggie burgers.
If I WERE to be snowed in, though, I would want to be stuck at Jill's house! :D
you need to be prepared for the apocalypse....or random dinner guest. i think i have about 37 bottles of guldens mustard in my pantry.
I LOVE a well stocked pantry and frig. I am a grazer. I graze all day long if there is food around.
thats why i live close to family, if i run out of food, i can trek to their house
hehehe
jack wins. i have this same argument with my man, who is constantly buying stuff but has no idea what he has. i've been slowly meal planning our way through all the accumulated stuff in his pantry.
are you doing your blood work together, along with the yoga? i mean, is that what the cool kids are doing on dates these days?
Jill: You look hot in that short little apron. Meow.
Jack: You had a teenage mutant ninja turtle figurine at your disposal? Huh.
I've always liked to be well-stocked myself ... up until Hurricane Ike when I had to throw out e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in my fridge/freezer -- to the tune of roughly $300 worth of food. Now, why wasn't beer included in Jack's fridge? Lastly, I would really, really like some homemade black bean tacos, please!
Tell me more about this "legume retail outlet" you speak of.
My husband I have this same arguement. He grew up near the ocean, and in bad storms, they would be stuck for days. When I first met him, he had something like six cake mixes "just in case."
I prefer the Just In Time inventory method myself (nice CSOM term, eh?), and with a small space, that wins out.
Two things:
I first saw your headline and thought it said PANTY which caused me great hilarity because I am EIGHT.
Secondly, my fridge is full of condiments and an old piece of cheese so I really cannot comment on anyone's refrigerator habits! :)
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