Source: The leftovers in my refrigerator on January 28, 2012. I observed the leftovers in my refrigerator to show what kind of foods my family eats, the amount of food that is saved, and present, culturally, why it is saved.
Relation: In Cultural ANTHRO, Robbins includes a chart titled "Would You Eat?" and a list of foods that a culture would eat that you might not (pg. 6). This reminds me of my family because there are foods that we have in our fridge that some people might not even think about eating. I also thought about how the quantity of food would show the culture of my family.
Description: I opened my fridge and saw a jar of picked pigs feet, homemade pickled eggs, artichoke hearts, and leftover homemade enchiladas (made from random ingredients in the fridge). Usually we have every kind of salad dressing known to man kind, even if it is expired, but my sister felt it necessary to clean out the fridge. A lot of the items in the fridge are expired but my dad likes to use everything until it is finished. Expired items included mustard, ketchup, jelly, sodas, and horseradish. When my grandmother was alive, we would always have kale and linguica in the fridge and a loaf of Portuguese sweet bread on the table. At the moment, our freezer is stocked full with toaster waffles, leftover frozen lasagna, pita bread, a ton of chicken, and TV dinners. Our freezer is usually crammed so full with food that everything must be arranged carefully in order to close the door.
Analysis: One thing you should know about my family is that both sides were very poor. My father is from the Azores in Portugal and his family was very poor. They did not have a refrigerator so they stored their food in lard, which meant their food didn't last long. My mom's side of the family is from Humboldt County but they were also very poor. My mom said that she never had food in the fridge and that if they missed the call for dinner, they did not get dinner. I think that the reason we have so many leftovers in the fridge is because my parents are grateful that they can keep them. The enchiladas in the fridge are made from random ingredients that we had because they did not want to waste anything. Eating pig's feet is normal in my family and most of my friends are disgusted it because it is not a "normal" food to them. The linguica we had was from Portugal and was brought over by family and friends or ordered. Many of the foods we have take a long time to perish because we plan on keeping them there for a while. I do think that my parents overstock on food but I understand that it is only because they weren't able to save anything when they were younger. My mom's side of the family ate whatever they could find and my dad's side ate mainly things that they grew and preserved themselves. I believe that their two cultures combined to create the refrigerator that is in my kitchen. There are items that seem strange and items that are familiar to most and I am grateful to have a fridge that reflects the past of my parents.
