Leftover Snob
I'm maybe writing about this because i'm curious if i'm the only one.
There are some things in my refrigerator that need to be thrown out, but i'm hanging on to them because they're not quite disgusting enough. I'm not good with leftovers. I'm not a big fan and i usually wait for someone else to eat them. But then, sometimes they just stay there. In the refrigerator. Like forever. Sure, it happens to you too, you know it does.
But i have to leave things in the refrigerator for an undetermined amount of time before i throw it away to feel ok about it. I don't want to throw away something that is perfectly good because i feel guilty, starving children and all that. Even if i know deep down that i'm never going to touch it, it has to stay there.
Until it dies. Until it is green and furry. (Obviously these things are all in their appropriate sealed containers and not stinking up my fridge. I usually get to them before that happens. Or at least try to.) See, because these items are now unusable, I can throw them away and feel content that i did not waste food. In my head, this is perfectly logical.
Example 1:
I purchased a bunch of fresh dill-weed at the supermarket to make this chicken dish and a cucumber salad. You can only buy a whole mess of it; there is no option to take just a little, even though, really how much dill can you possibly use. So most of it is sitting in the refrigerator in its little plastic supermarket box. It will die there. I know this because i have used it to the best of my ability and i have no intentions of making any other dill-based recipes in the near future. However, i cannot on good conscious just toss the whole lot of it. That would be wrong and wasteful.
Example 2:
There has been a tuna casserole in there for about a month. It was terrible*. I made it, but couldn't eat it. I couldn't even be in the same room with it because the smell made me kind of nauseous. The Boy liked it however, so i didn't throw it out right away** He ate his portion for dinner (while i had a Lean Cuisine) and the rest went in the fridge.
And there it lies. Soon, it too, will be good enough to toss.
Example 3:
I buy bags of salad all the time. Each and every time i buy one, i envision myself enjoying the hell out of my salad and losing weight and being healthy***. However, every time i get it home, it sits in one of the refrigerator drawers and turns kind of brown. I usually get about 2 meals out of them before i won't touch it anymore. There's one in there now. It's not actually brown enough for me to throw away, but its definitely not edible by my standards.
I wonder if this somehow stems from my childhood... I'm not sure how it could be related, but you never know.
*My mother's recipe for tuna casserole calls for a can of Cream of Mushroom soup. I accidentally bought a can of Roasted Garlic-flavored cream of mushroom and didn't notice until i opened the can. The smell of it was horrific, but i Couldn't Throw it Out and used it anyway. I guess i figured the magic of Mac and Cheese would somehow change the flavor and aroma of this disgusting stuff but I was quite wrong.
**I totally would have too. It was that bad.
***The boy doesn't kid himself. He knows he doesn't like salad, and doesn't pretend to care that its healthy. I get no help from him.
There are some things in my refrigerator that need to be thrown out, but i'm hanging on to them because they're not quite disgusting enough. I'm not good with leftovers. I'm not a big fan and i usually wait for someone else to eat them. But then, sometimes they just stay there. In the refrigerator. Like forever. Sure, it happens to you too, you know it does.
But i have to leave things in the refrigerator for an undetermined amount of time before i throw it away to feel ok about it. I don't want to throw away something that is perfectly good because i feel guilty, starving children and all that. Even if i know deep down that i'm never going to touch it, it has to stay there.
Until it dies. Until it is green and furry. (Obviously these things are all in their appropriate sealed containers and not stinking up my fridge. I usually get to them before that happens. Or at least try to.) See, because these items are now unusable, I can throw them away and feel content that i did not waste food. In my head, this is perfectly logical.
Example 1:
I purchased a bunch of fresh dill-weed at the supermarket to make this chicken dish and a cucumber salad. You can only buy a whole mess of it; there is no option to take just a little, even though, really how much dill can you possibly use. So most of it is sitting in the refrigerator in its little plastic supermarket box. It will die there. I know this because i have used it to the best of my ability and i have no intentions of making any other dill-based recipes in the near future. However, i cannot on good conscious just toss the whole lot of it. That would be wrong and wasteful.
Example 2:
There has been a tuna casserole in there for about a month. It was terrible*. I made it, but couldn't eat it. I couldn't even be in the same room with it because the smell made me kind of nauseous. The Boy liked it however, so i didn't throw it out right away** He ate his portion for dinner (while i had a Lean Cuisine) and the rest went in the fridge.
And there it lies. Soon, it too, will be good enough to toss.
Example 3:
I buy bags of salad all the time. Each and every time i buy one, i envision myself enjoying the hell out of my salad and losing weight and being healthy***. However, every time i get it home, it sits in one of the refrigerator drawers and turns kind of brown. I usually get about 2 meals out of them before i won't touch it anymore. There's one in there now. It's not actually brown enough for me to throw away, but its definitely not edible by my standards.
I wonder if this somehow stems from my childhood... I'm not sure how it could be related, but you never know.
*My mother's recipe for tuna casserole calls for a can of Cream of Mushroom soup. I accidentally bought a can of Roasted Garlic-flavored cream of mushroom and didn't notice until i opened the can. The smell of it was horrific, but i Couldn't Throw it Out and used it anyway. I guess i figured the magic of Mac and Cheese would somehow change the flavor and aroma of this disgusting stuff but I was quite wrong.
**I totally would have too. It was that bad.
***The boy doesn't kid himself. He knows he doesn't like salad, and doesn't pretend to care that its healthy. I get no help from him.
posted by claire at
3:23 PM
7 Comments:
I can't get food out of the fridge fast enough. Partner's lucky if I agree to save a serving of something after a meal.
She would hold onto every morsel of food until the veggie drawer turned into a compost bin.
Together, we have a happy medium where, every couple weeks, I make a clean sweep. If anything looks like I won't eat it in two days, it's gone.
Side story, because apparently I'm determined to make this the longest comment ever:
My sister's sister-in-law (got that?) is actually allergic to leftovers. There's some sort of mold that grows on things that sit in the fridge that is harmless to most of us, but she breaks out in hives.
By
Anonymous, at 3/30/2006 4:36 PM
Whinger - That is so strange, the allergy to leftover-mold.
In fact, it gives me the creeps and makes me want to throw away everything and never leftovers again. Ew.
Shiftclick - How wonderful for us! :) I love rosemary, too...
The Boy, too, will eat mostly anything that's in there. Lucky for me, because throwing away that much food would kill me with guilt.
By
claire, at 3/31/2006 3:30 PM
I will eat leftovers the day after... maaaaaybe two days after... but beyond that, forget about it. I have been known to eat triple portions just to use it up. (Example: Dinner, night time snack, late night snack)
By
Jess, at 3/31/2006 4:53 PM
Ok, because now I am well educated on leftovers, and am wishing I never read this entry in the boob-a-la's blog.
I am a fan of leftover's. So long as I enjoyed the meal in its original state. If it is something my mother cooked, or something (like a salmon strudel which sounds scrummy in theory...encased in phyllo dough) but is nasty in reality...you can't pay me enough to put it in my mouth.
Pasta! Such as spaghetti I will not eat in leftover form. Just because *wrinkles nose* blech! But if it's lasagna served up with an appetizer of lactaid, which out...comin' at ya.
What truly pisses me off is mom coming home w/ her crappy leftovers from when the office goes to lunch or if she buys a 'sam-mich' and brings it home as 'she can't eat another bite'. What are we dogs? Waiting for her hand outs? Argh! Let me not even go on about that.
Leftovers, until I heard the mold thing were ok in my book. Erm, Is the mold thing really true?
By
Orelinde_03, at 4/01/2006 7:18 PM
Throwing food away pains me. I even used to give leftovers to the dog then I had to get rid of my dog which means I have to eat everything on my plate thus resulting in flab.
*sighs*
Its a hard life.
By
Fuckkit, at 4/02/2006 11:46 AM
so with you on the salad thing. if it starts to go liquid it's even better.
By
surly girl, at 4/03/2006 5:53 AM
Jessica - I'm very much in the same boat. I usually try to finish the meal in the restaurant just so they won't ask me if i want it wrapped up.
Orelinde - Leftover pasta is truly disgusting.
fuckkit - I hope you didn't have to get rid of the dog because you fed it your leftovers...
Surly Girl - Welcome back!! Yeah, i still haven't touched the bag that's in there now. Sure its quite ripe by now.
By
claire, at 4/03/2006 7:25 AM
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