How did I get to be this way? How did I come to be comfortable with so much filth? The answer is not obvious; the home I grew up in was usually clean and dust free, if not entirely orderly. My mother can often be found stalking the house with a dusting cloth and squirreling away clutter. I have no memory of ever stepping into a dirty bathroom during my childhood.
Yet, this week -- as I'm staying with my parents in the house where I grew up -- I discovered something. Despite my mother's overt cleanliness, she, too, has a certain inclination towards the disgusting. For reasons unknown, my mother likes holding on to open yet barely used highly perishable foods for years.
Behold these items from my parents' refrigerator that I pulled out today:
This is carton of cheese wedges. According to the label, it was best until "October 13, 2009."
This is a bottle of "Organic" carrot juice that was best before June 11, 2008 -- just over two years ago.
Your parents may be taking the approach I take -- things that smell should stay in the fridge, where the smell is contained. If you wait long enough, someone else will get fed up and clean it out for you.
ReplyDeleteWell, to combat that moral hazard, I actually left the offending items in the fridge.
ReplyDelete