Cohousing-L Mailing List: How to Keep the Fridge Clean, and Empty

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Feb 22, 2009, at 9:34 AM, Eris Weaver wrote:

> > Sharon Villines wrote:
> > We also have a person who is much too diligent about cleaning the
> > refrigerator so there are never snacks around.
>
> Could you please send that person over here to FrogSong to clean OUR
> refrigerator? We are overwhelmed with old leftovers.

I know. We could have used her in my old office -- and those were  
professors.

Libia teaches nutrition and is a bug on food safety. The biggest shock  
was when full plates of appetizers and special dishes from a  
fundraiser by a group that had been guests in the CH on Saturday  
night, were thrown out in disgust early Sunday morning. They had been  
left as a special treat for our membership meeting that afternoon.  
Imagine our surprise when we went to the fridge to layout the feast.

She was unrepentant. In her heavy Colombian accent, despite being in  
this country for years and years, accompanied by the appropriate  
culturally specific gestures, "Hah, that stuff was disgusting. No one  
should eat things like that. From a buffet dinner? Sitting out on the  
counter for hours? With people breathing on it? No way. And they just  
left it for us to throw out! Do you think I like to get up to that on  
Sunday morning?"

Once you get the message that ANYTHING besides mustard, catsup, and  
unopened apple juice are going to be thrown out on an unpredictable  
schedule, like pre-dawn raids, you don't leave anything unless you put  
out an email AND leave a big sign on it. Or tell Libia directly. Even  
then, 2-3 days, it's gone.

You only need your special stuff thrown out once to get the message.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing,Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org