Expired

The other day I cooked and ate bacon that was 9 days past the expiration date. Nothing happened. When it still looks and smells good, I’ll eat it.

Because I hate throwing away food. I was brought up to believe that food waste is a big sin. That’s why my lunch is always yesterday’s dinner. And unlike Seinfeld, I have no problem drinking milk 2 days after the expiration date. I once had cereals with milk that was over a month old, and I survived.

Yet even I have to regularly throw away food. Simply because I wasn’t aware of the expiration date. Especially when a product has moved to the back of our full fridge, out of plain sight. Last week I had to discard pre-packed fresh guacamole, just when I was craving for nachos. Made me feel so bad, and sad.

I wish there was a programmable sticker that changes color when the date is nearing. Or even better, a fridge that somehow magically knows which products need to be consumed. Maybe it scans RFID tags or something. I’m picturing a screen on the door that displays the contents I have to eat this week, with their expiration dates. Or bright spotlights inside the fridge that highlight the food I should eat. The spotlight could slowly change from orange to red, as the date approaches.

But maybe I’m thinking too complicated. Of course I wouldn’t need such fancy technology if I would simply check all the products’ dates every day and adapt what I’m going to eat to that reality.

But that requires discipline.