Woman holding produce ()
When we arrived in Germany, we were brand-spanking-new newlyweds, ready to live the European lifestyle. So, when we were offered an American-sized fridge in our off-base house, we thought “there are only two of us, we can definitely get by, let’s live like the Europeans!” and we decided to stick with the fridge that was in the house. While we can definitely get by, my 21 by 36-inch fridge has changed the way I grocery shop, meal plan and keep my kitchen clean.
We expected a lot of differences in lifestyle from living in the States and we assumed that the biggest one would be the language. But what quickly became my biggest adjustment? The kitchen—with its limited counter space, a one-basin sink, an oven that does not fit my cookie pan, no pantry to speak of and, of course, my tiny fridge.
When I head to the grocery store, it’s easier for me to pass by items I’m interested in because I know I won’t be able to physically fit everything in the fridge without the fear that something will come tumbling out every time I open it. Similarly, with the freezer, unless I toss out a few things, I can’t buy anything bigger than a pint of ice cream because it just won’t fit, no matter how much I shove.
I find myself making more frequent trips to the store, but only buying what I need. Rather than buying the three-pack of sweet peppers, I only buy the one I need in a recipe. Same with the specialty condiment one recipe calls for—is the price worth it for one recipe? Not only that, but is it worth the space it is taking up space in my fridge?
With limited space and a desire not to waste food, I’ve also learned how to be more strategic about meal planning. This means using recipes that have similar ingredients. For example, if I’m going to buy a head of purple cabbage and I don’t use the whole thing on one recipe, I want to find another recipe later in the week that uses it.
Of course, I can’t always make this perfect alignment happen. I try my best and if the produce doesn’t last, it hits the compost bin.
One downside is that I can’t freeze meals for the week, or even fill the fridge with too many containers of leftovers. If I don’t think we’ll finish a meal in a dinner and one or two lunches, I’ll often cut the recipe in half to avoid throwing food away.
Speaking of throwing food away, do you remember a time when you reached into the back of your fridge and found a container of hummus that you don’t remember eating or buying? I sure do. When I grocery shop now, I come home and play a game of Tetris with the fridge, removing items that don’t have to be cold for a few hours until I can free up more space.
With all this moving and manipulating, I find myself cleaning out my fridge on a more regular basis, throwing out old jams or cheeses that we didn’t like and probably won’t eat (or buy) again.
I have noticed that in general, food seems to go bad more quickly here—no doubt due to the Europeans’ aversion to preservatives that are more present in American products.
One memory that comes to mind was when I visited a mustard factory in France, and another woman on my tour made a joke, in French, about how this mustard is meant to be eaten and not sit untouched for months, like American mustard. I respected the little dig because isn’t that often the case? The fridge can often become its own pantry because food can sit untouched for so long.
Now, I realize that not everyone can make a smaller fridge work, but I do encourage you to think about living like a European in your kitchen and using your fridge as a way to manage what you’re buying, cooking and saving.
While I chuckle to myself about our naivete in turning down a larger fridge (we can only chill beers two at a time and managing groceries during quarantine was more than a challenge), I’m also grateful we did because it has made us less wasteful, more creative with our meals, and everything we buy at the store has a specific purpose. Whenever we do return to the States, I hope I can keep up a similar mindset of using the fridge to help limit our purchases and waste, not enable it.
