Food Decluttering

Every time I open fridge I see shelves crammed with food. I could not stand looking at it too long. I feel guilty. I close the door silently and try to forget. What happens?

The fact is... I don’t eat much. My variety is very limited too but I like to buy food and fruit with hope I have a chance to expand my ‘eating horizon’ (read: to eat more). It ends up.. I don’t remember I have things I may like in fridge because I hardly crave for snack and eventho I feel like… I cannot find the right time to consume between meals because I don’t like feeling full. Complicated? Yes.

That’s the same with fruits I buy. Suddenly I find it hard to find time to have ‘heavy’ smoothies. If I have in the morning, I skip my egg and bread. I don’t have space after lunch and I seldom think about it in the afternoon. Evening? I should be able to find time after dinner, only if I don’t dine too late. Hayah.

The other day my staff told me that my potato grew leaves in veg drawer. It surprised me tho. Or I could find my Chinese ginger got really dry like rock. Uh. I really don’t like food decluttering. I feel like time stops in my part. What it feels like last month when I was crazy about blueberry jam of a brand, it’s already expired one year. And all those spread and cheese. Huh. It seems that I changed variety quite often.

Not just the variety that changed but I also have relatives who are kind to send food from their hometown or place they visit. I ‘collect’ a shelf of fried snack from Solo. I don’t like to say but it’s unhealthy one. These snacks are sooo good but I have told myself not to have so I don’t. This is when you know how paru, usus, and ceker taste. Those are parts of cow and chicken. This is when I miss my Sister and some relatives who liked to come and roam my fridge every now and then to declutter. My Sis is not in the country and my relatives somehow don’t have time to visit anymore.

Eid is the time to overview what’s in the fridge. Why? This is time when more food coming. Neighbors and acquaintances are so nice to send snacks and cookies before Eid. I remember the days I got four cakes with sophisticated icing a week before Eid. Then, a huge basket of fresh fruit. I loved them all but.. I could not finish for ever. My job then was to ‘forward’ the present especially when I was not in town.

While I still have a bag of home-made cheese-stick in the back of fridge shelf from last Eid, Ibu scrubber sent me about 4 kgs of home-made Betawi snack yesterday. So heavy. I liked it but 4 kgs is beyond my capacity. I took some in small jar and shared the rest with my staffs. I also spotted a box of samosa from one neighbor. Big grilled fish from a relative. And four jars of cookie packed in a nice flowery box from an acquaintance. I made quick action for the new stuff coming. I don’t want to see them sitting still in the back of my fridge till next Eid. My staffs hardly remember to remind me what to do and time flies.

I just opened fridge to get a drink and looked at four loaves of bread. I also have one habit that can add to my food collection. I liked to buy food for ‘donation’. When I happened to meet same old Bapak selling bread passing my house, I bought one loaf. Same with old Bapak selling Javanese food, I surrendered. And in bazaar where kids from school selling cakes to raise fund, my heart dropped.

Now I really have to declutter my fridge. Spare time to analyze then to decide..

Photo of street food vendor in Yangon.