Check Your Pantry
Last night, I hung out with a friend at his place. I got hungry at one point and, being me, raided his fridge while he wasn't looking.
Picture this inside the refrigerator: a bag of organic red potatoes, shredded pecorino cheese, a squeeze bottle of mayo, mustard, some sprouting garlic, and a bottle of olive oil that had congealed into a cold mass. The freezer wasn't much better. In the one cupboard that actually had something in it (the rest were empty) there was an assortment of open pasta boxes and some pouches with weird gooey stuff in it.
At least it made deciding what to cook easy. Pasta with olive oil tossed with pecorino.
We were sitting on the leather couch, eating our feast, when I commented on the sparseness of his kitchen. He, of course, got all indignant.
Him: What do you mean, I have a typical bachelor guy's kitchen?
Me: I'm just saying you don't have much stocked in there.
Him: I have all the essentials. Like potatoes. And pancake mix.
Me: Um, you don't have salt.
Him: I looked at some fancy salt in that store down the hill where we got the granola. I think I'll get some of that.
Me: You don't have pepper, either. You should maybe pick that up too.
Him: So because I don't have salt and pepper, you're saying I have a guy kitchen?
Me: No. Mostly it's the Miller Lite piggy bank sitting in the corner under the cabinet.
It got me to thinking how much a person's cupboard says about him or her. What's the weirdest thing you've found in someone's cupboard, pantry, or fridge? What do your characters stock? What does he or she keep tucked away, and what's out in the open for all to see?
In his freezer, my friend had six neatly lined up frozen meatballs. You have to admire someone who keeps things so tidy and precise.