Fridge Friend

There is something more satisfying than a successful trip to the grocery store. It's when you drag your bags up however many flights of stairs, drop them on the floor by your fridge, start unloading, and discover that today Maytag is going to look incredible.

Refilling your refrigerator is much like a day at the spa. Or in my case, pumicing my heels and shaving my legs. After draining the door shelves, crisper and drawers early on (those plums were too good to save for later! I had to eat four in one afternoon!), you manage to finish out the week in a less dignified manner. The end of the week (or two weeks, depending on how often you shop) is when you make the final, 1-square-inch bit of mature cheddar last a little longer than it typically should. You smell the bag of spinach and deliberate whether consuming the slightly wilted, slimy leaves that are four or five days past the expiration date will do enough harm to convince you not to eat them. I know, it's private, but we do these things. We smell our underarms too.

When you finally manage to acknowledge the serious lack of anything in your Whirlpool, it's time to break down and bear the crowds at the grocery. When you finally walk through those automatic doors and grab a basket, it's like meeting up with an old friend—one you forgot how much you liked. The produce section calls to you. It's easy to imagine any one of those fruits or vegetables finding a happy home in your fridge. You want them all. But, after a meticulous selection process, you zip through the line, pay, and so begins the rejuvination of your fridge's soul. When you arrive home, its depleted contents looks happier, fresher, healthier (not always healthier) with every item you add. You imagine what you'll throw together for a snack or lunch or breakfast tomorrow. And as the door swings closed, Fridge lets out a monotonous, humming drone, letting you know he is happy and full.