But just recently I realised that, if I was to be totally honest, I haven't been totally honest. I've held back some of my most shameful secrets. And it's time to rectify that wrong.
Confession #1
I have old food in my freezer. Check out the use-by date on that lasagne.
I'm not sure if you can make it out but it says Feb '11. It is now Nov '14.
And that's not the sole packet of expired foodstuffs. I have meat from cows that were grazing pastures back in the John Howard era. He finished his Prime Ministerial term in 2007!
Having this geriatric food is an incredible dilemma to me. I hate to just throw it out. Because it's wasteful and children are starving in Africa. But I would also hate to serve it up and have my whole family die of salmonella, clostridium, E coli or ebola. So the food remains in the freezer in a state of limbo. Or suspended animation.
Last time I had this problem it was miraculously solved by a freezer breakdown. The freezer was still under warranty so I was able to claim back the cost of the spoiled food that we would never have eaten anyway. And I was able to toss out all the stuff that needed to go without feeling any guilt whatsoever.
But the warranty has lapsed now so that's never going to happen again.
Writing out this confession has given me the courage to actually take action. I'm going to chuck out the chuck, and the diced pork and the pre-made lasagne that tastes a little like cardboard. But I'm going to do it sneakily. Because if Iven found out he'd insist that I cook it up - even if he was the only one who dared eat it. That might help with my mariticide fantasy but I'm sure that it would be messy and when if I finally getting around to fulfilling that one, I'd like to do it with a minimal amount of clean up.
Give me a month or so of throwing out a meat tray on garbage pick up day and I'll get my freezer back under control.
Confession #2
Maggots don't disturb me very much.
I'm sure they would if they were feeding off a dead body that I'd accidentally stumbled across in my husband's wardrobe. But the likelihood of that happening is pretty minimal. For a start, his wardrobe is pretty small and his propensity to behave a little like a pack rat (yes, he has clothes in there dating back to when we were married and no, he can't fit into them any more) means that there wouldn't be enough room to stuff a body. Unless he dismembered it and put it in little plastic bags. But that would probably keep the flies from breeding and, voilĂ , no maggots.
I picked up a grain of cooked rice this morning as I was tidying the kitchen and the grain of rice wriggled. On closer inspection I realised that I should probably go have an eye test again because the rice I cook is not segmented and does not have mouth parts.
My reaction to realising that I was holding a fly baby was to flick it out of the window. No screaming. No fuss. I didn't bother looking into where it may have come from because that would involve house-cleaning and we all know that I'm not great at that. Which is probably why the maggot was in my kitchen in the first place.
So that's it, all my dirty laundry aired. Over to you - anyone else got a secret that they need to get off their chest?
I eat off the floor all the time, no matter where I am. My policy is that if it falls on the floor, I eat it anyway. I'm doing my part towards upping my immune system.
ReplyDeleteI have the same compunction about expired food... if it seems reasonably dry, not mouldy, andisn't walking and talking on its own I will usually eat it!
ReplyDeleteI'm also tickled by the fact that the package says 'fresh lasagne'...
I aired some dirty laundry today too. Had a rant about needing to have a rant! (As you do!)
ReplyDeleteOld food doesn't worry me - if it's been frozen. My mum is the worst offender as her freezer is jam packed and some of it will never see the light of day. As for the maggots…. you are a freak!!! (And I mean that in the nicest possible way!) ;-)
When I was young a flatmate and I got maggots in our rubbish which we'd left inside our front door to take the bin. They'd gotten out of the bin bag and were all through the carpet at the entranceway. It freaked me out for ages!!!!
So the expired food didn't phase me - I'm the same way and periodically have to force myself to get rid of stuff that is WAY past the date.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the maggot thing would have totally freaked me out - forget cleaning, I think I would be packing to move!!! Not sure what it is about maggots but they really gross me out.
I just wish we had food in the freezer...
ReplyDeleteso are you keeping the maggots to eat the old meat?
No kitchen secrets here but I do have expired food sometimes and I'm sorry but I just throw it away. As for the stuff in the freezer, I have a notebook where I write down what I put in it so I won't forget.
ReplyDeleteMaggots in the house I haven't had but did have them in the trash container in Summer. I could never get rid of them till someone told me to put the lid up in the morning and they would be gone in the evening because birds would eat them and you know what: it works.
About once every 2 years I purge my cupboards...more often if possible so the expiration dates confession had me nodding my head.
ReplyDeleteBut MAGGOTS? ROFL! I would have probably screamed like a 6 year old little girl that just saw a spider.
If I see food has expired I chuck it out immediately because the locusts here wouldn't bother looking and would eat it and probably get sick. Lol-ing at you picking up a maggot! Hilarious. I see them on our wheelie bin sometimes but I'd scream if one crawled on me!
ReplyDeleteI actually grew up with parents that believe food can be eaten even if it is more than a decade old.So I am used to not looking at the dates but rather at the colour of the food. If it is not any type of green or blue I eat it. Maggots don't faze me at all. In fact, I feed them to my fish. Flies are part of living here in Africa.
ReplyDeleteExpired food. Plenty in my cupboard. But we part ways in the maggot bit. Ewww. Ewwww. Ewww.
ReplyDeleteI liked this post...To me it's not expired if it's frozen :) The maggots do bug me though...ewww.
ReplyDelete