AS A KID, OUR REFRIGERATOR USUALLY CONTAINED:

Hmmm.. We always had milk - lots of milk. With 8 kids in the house we went through lots of it. Sealtest if I am remembering correctly.

The rest of it was mostly raw fruits and veggies except for a huge collection of salad dressings and condiments in the door.

Dad had a "special" fridge down in the garage that usually had a 6-pack or two of "Piels Real Draft" beer. Nasty stuff.

As family of diabolical flesh eaters, our meat cabinet was always filled with an assortment of fresh kill………

considering there were 6 of us, total, we had not much in the fridge. It was a diet tactic of my mother's. We had milk, a pitcher with water and OJ. Ketchup and mustard. Usually some cheese, margarine, egg, defrosting chicken cutlets, carrots, broccoli, green beans. Maybe pickles, baloney, hamburger buns, white wine, mayo.

Of course, if you ask one of my siblings what was in the fridge, you'd get a different answer.....

What was in the fridge?


I shall now run down to the kitchens and ask Cook.

Milk (yes and no--we got milk from the milk train, which was never refrigerated, because it did not last, but we also bought milk--with kids, you need lots), butter, no eggs, because we had hens, and unwashed eggs will last quite a while--longer than was necessary to require refrigeration; no vegies either, we grew our own, and out of season, ate what we canned; lots of meat, and the left-overs of meals. We had a chest freezer for meat, and for vegies and fruits which were frozen rather than canned; a fair amount of cheese, and, the ironing, wet, and wrapped in plastic bags, so that it could be pulled out damp and cold, and be quickly pressed, without as great a risk of scorchin--there was no permanent press in those days, so we ironed almost everything we wore.

practically nothing most of the time....

Milk, iceberg lettuce, individually wrapped American cheese slices in a color not found in nature, kosher chicken parts, eggs, mayo, apple juice, carrots, tomatoes, ketchup, sour cream, kosher pareve margarine, scallions, cottage cheese, cream cheese, bagels, lox, maple syrup, homemade cookies, etc.

When I became a vegetarian, TVP was also to be found in there.

TVP is a product of Satan.

When I was a kid we had no fridge- we had a well in a special cellar hich was used to store perishable foods for a day or so.
Fruit and most vegetables came from our garden and was canned, milk was bought fresh daily.
Eggs came from our chicken.
The first fridge came in 1962.

My green angora sweater.

Milk (whole) cream (heavy) Butter (salted) cream cheese (not whipped) bologna (not lite) fruit (apples or grapes depending on the season) may (not lite) and - when very lucky - icebox cake made with whipped dream and Famous Chocolate Wafers.

Boy my typos got away from me on that one. The icebox cake was dreamy, but I meant to say "made with Cream"

No milk, my mother didn't believe straight cow's milk was good for humans- but cheese was OK. Mostly veggies, some fruit, peanut butter (sometimes cashew butter) eggs, tofu, bean sprouts (mom was a hippy), and meat from my grandfathter the butcher. Iced tea and somtimes freshly made juice. No white sugar except on birthdays and holidays. Mom was a great cook and could take the most simple ingredients and make a great meal. For years I begged her for those frozen kid dinners and cereal like Capt. Krunch. "No no no" she said. When I got out on my own I bought some of that stuff and it tasted awful, I guess mom was right.

I'd been back sooner, but my computer set-up went on strike.

I'm enjoying the postings. You can tell a lot about family by the contents of their fridge.

Yes, of course peanut butter was a staple, but it was in the cupboard, not the fridge. It was the kind that you had to stir in the oil that had risen to the top; that was hard work because the rest was so incredibly stiff.

Oh, and tomatoes. Always tomatoes. And eggs.

Milk wasn't hmogenized, but top-of-the-bottle was always reserved for my father's morning coffee and cereal.

Oranges, and a grapefruit for my father.

We had a very small fridge when I was a kid. We used it for milk, butter, cream and eggs. My dad worked for the national milk supplier so we always had plenty of these.

Everything else was stored in food cupboards. My mom got grocery shopping - fresh food - every day. She would buy the meat and vegetables we would be eating that night or for the next day. She never bought a weeks worth of groceries until many years later when we got a big fridge and separate deep freezer. I used to love being sent to the shops after school to get bread and sticking my fingers in to break pieces off to eat on the way home.

Heeven,

Buying groceries everyday is a comparatively new notion for many Americans. Some of you may have the numbers, but I believe 1/2 to 2/3 of the world's population do not have the convenience of electric refrigeration. Of course, some of you would argue that the quality of our meals declined as we grew accustomed to prepared and frozen meals. And, in fact, we go to restaurants who shop everyday; thus, the meals taste better because makin's are fresher. That's another story.

Velveeta and Cabot white cheddar cheeses - the opposites in the cheese world.

Milk, cat food, hot dogs, bologna, leftovers, fresh-caught fish, a roast for Sunday dinner, and fat.

Fat - crisco for deep frying: one can for used but reusable, one fresh, lard for baking, margarine for eating.

We grew our vegetables and canned them for the winter. They were in the cellar, not the refrigerator. We ate potatoes every day, I seldom eat potatos now.