HUMOR | LIFESTYLE | CULTURE
Staring Into The Abyss of the Fridge
What are you really looking for?
You know when you’re really hungry, you go to the refrigerator, open it up wide, stare at the shelves full of food and declare, “There’s nothing to eat?”
Even as I say it, I know it’s not true and that I’m acting like a petulant teenager who expects to open the doors and find a delicious plate of whatever I’m craving ready to eat, preferably without needing to go to all the trouble of putting it in the microwave.
What is it we really expect at times like these? I know I am not going to open my fridge and find an order of fully loaded nachos or grilled salmon with a pear and pecan salad on the side. I understand that my refrigerator is primarily a storage space for ingredients that need to be combined in order to create a meal. Sometimes, there are containers of delicious leftovers ready to heat and eat. On a really lucky day, there might even be leftover slices of pizza that I can grab and eat cold.
Perhaps this is where the confusion begins. Occasionally, I actually do find grab-and-go food that I don’t have to assemble. Also, sometimes, I’m in the mood for something really easy — a container of yogurt, a cheese stick, a bottle of olives. The thing is, I don’t know what I am in the mood for until I open the fridge and stare for a while. It’s a bit like standing in front of your closet trying to decide what to wear. You don’t know until you see it.
Deciding on food is arguably harder than choosing an outfit though. A pair of pants is always a pair of pants. They can’t suddenly become a belt, or a shirt or a jacket. With food, you have spread before you an array of ingredients that could be combined in countless ways and it’s not even predetermined what foods can be a main course versus simply an enhancement. For instance, cheese could be the hero in a grilled cheese sandwich, cheese and crackers, or enchiladas. It could also be the co-star in a turkey and cheese sandwich or a featured guest on top of a taco or salad. The endless choices can be overwhelming.
So, I stare into the depths of my refrigerator, barely seeing the jars of condiments, packages of tortillas, cartons of eggs, and containers of I’m-not-sure-what but I think it’s been in there since last week. Am I really looking for food? Am I hungry? Or maybe I’m looking for something else.
Is that my sense of adventure back behind the milk? Are those my dreams of travel being crushed under the sticky jar of blackberry preserves? Will I find an infusion of energy from something other than the can of Red Bull if I simply look long enough? Doubtful, and yet, I still try. I won’t be surprised if you confess you do, too.
The kitchen is the heart of the home and the refrigerator is its central feature. It’s where we go for sustenance, for food that nourishes our bodies, but perhaps we also gravitate towards it when our mind or soul is in need. There are certainly times I’m staring in the fridge and know for certain nothing in there interests me. I’m looking to fill a void but bread, apples, and spaghetti sauce aren’t going to do the job. I’m in the wrong place.
It may be instinct that draws me to to the refrigerator, but I’ll need to use my wits to stop looking for answers where they cannot be found. When my soul needs nourishing, I’d be much better off listening to some good music or taking a walk in the woods than munching on hummus and pita bread. When my brain needs a challenge, picking up a puzzle or working through some Duo Lingo lessons is more likely to feel rewarding than mindlessly eating another piece of peanut butter toast. When I’m lonely or in need of comfort, giving one of the animals a good belly rub will make us both feel much better than eating the last Snack Pack pudding.
I’m not saying that everytime I’m staring vacantly into the fridge it’s because I’m trying to subconsciously fulfill a barely disguised need. Sometimes, that’s the case. Others, I’m just hungry and don’t feel like cooking. Would it be such a bad thing if my refrigerator had a setting so it could serve me hot, cheesy nachos?
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