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The phrase "cooking like there's no tomorrow" is taking on a new meaning in this household.
If all goes well, in exactly three weeks, Gwen and I will be on a boat to England. (We will, however, have left Germany three days previously). A consequence of this is that we're trying to use up food -- food in the freezer, food in the fridge, food in the cupboards, because it's easier that way than trying to move it. (We've already had a "help the Uckelpeople drink through their liquor cabinet" night a few weeks ago.) I already mentioned to Joel this morning that I wonder how long we will be in England before we have used up (a) all the food products we bought in Germany and (b) all the food products we bought in the Netherlands.
This afternoon sitting at the park I decided I wanted to make brownies; however, it being a Sunday I had to bake with what I have at home, none of the grocery stores are open. I knew I had a couple of left-over chocolate bars at home, which could be used in lieu of baker's chocolate, which along with whatever cocoa powder we still have would work just fine. While digging through the cupboard to find said cocoa (turns out since moving here we managed to use up one box of Dutch cocoa, but the other one is still 2/3 full), I also found about half a box of De Ruijter chocolate shavings, which I'd bought years ago in a fit of wanting chocolate chip cookies but being unable to find chocolate chips. They're now...7 years old? Alas, that's rather too far beyond their 'best by' date and they taste a bit curdled. Guess they won't be going in to the brownies, but rather the trash.
Still, one less thing to move.
--
Joel used up the last cinnamon stick in what we're making for supper. He put "cinnamon sticks" on the grocery list.
The following exchange then occurred:
Me: "I don't think we should buy any more cinnamon sticks before we move."
Him: "Is this because you don't think we go through them fast enough, or because you don't think we should move them?"
"Because I don't think we should buy things that we're not going use before we move and then have to move them."
"I don't really think it matters. The amount of mental effort it would take to try to use up groceries before we move just so that we don't have to move them is not worth the amount of space it would make, probably less than a box."
"But it bothers me, and it takes up a lot of my mental effort being bothered by this and the desire to get rid of as much stuff as we can before we go."
"I don't really believe that."
"That's because it's my mental distress, not yours."
"It won't cost me any extra effort to pick them up, and you probably wouldn't even notice."
"But I would. And then I'd think, 'Why did Joel buy cinnamon sticks? We're not going to use them before we move! That's just one more thing to move!' Or actually, what I'd think, given that we're having this conversation, is "Why did Joel buy cinnamon sticks? We talked about the mental anguish it would cause me! And he went and bought them any way!"
"Fine. I'll find a recipe that requires a cinnamon stick to make before we move."
Ah, people, that's love right there, that is.
[Nearly 20 minutes later, while I am typing this up, out of the blue Joel says, "You know, not buying cinnamon sticks now will mean that the next time we want them, we won't have them. I guarantee it."]
If all goes well, in exactly three weeks, Gwen and I will be on a boat to England. (We will, however, have left Germany three days previously). A consequence of this is that we're trying to use up food -- food in the freezer, food in the fridge, food in the cupboards, because it's easier that way than trying to move it. (We've already had a "help the Uckelpeople drink through their liquor cabinet" night a few weeks ago.) I already mentioned to Joel this morning that I wonder how long we will be in England before we have used up (a) all the food products we bought in Germany and (b) all the food products we bought in the Netherlands.
This afternoon sitting at the park I decided I wanted to make brownies; however, it being a Sunday I had to bake with what I have at home, none of the grocery stores are open. I knew I had a couple of left-over chocolate bars at home, which could be used in lieu of baker's chocolate, which along with whatever cocoa powder we still have would work just fine. While digging through the cupboard to find said cocoa (turns out since moving here we managed to use up one box of Dutch cocoa, but the other one is still 2/3 full), I also found about half a box of De Ruijter chocolate shavings, which I'd bought years ago in a fit of wanting chocolate chip cookies but being unable to find chocolate chips. They're now...7 years old? Alas, that's rather too far beyond their 'best by' date and they taste a bit curdled. Guess they won't be going in to the brownies, but rather the trash.
Still, one less thing to move.
--
Joel used up the last cinnamon stick in what we're making for supper. He put "cinnamon sticks" on the grocery list.
The following exchange then occurred:
Me: "I don't think we should buy any more cinnamon sticks before we move."
Him: "Is this because you don't think we go through them fast enough, or because you don't think we should move them?"
"Because I don't think we should buy things that we're not going use before we move and then have to move them."
"I don't really think it matters. The amount of mental effort it would take to try to use up groceries before we move just so that we don't have to move them is not worth the amount of space it would make, probably less than a box."
"But it bothers me, and it takes up a lot of my mental effort being bothered by this and the desire to get rid of as much stuff as we can before we go."
"I don't really believe that."
"That's because it's my mental distress, not yours."
"It won't cost me any extra effort to pick them up, and you probably wouldn't even notice."
"But I would. And then I'd think, 'Why did Joel buy cinnamon sticks? We're not going to use them before we move! That's just one more thing to move!' Or actually, what I'd think, given that we're having this conversation, is "Why did Joel buy cinnamon sticks? We talked about the mental anguish it would cause me! And he went and bought them any way!"
"Fine. I'll find a recipe that requires a cinnamon stick to make before we move."
Ah, people, that's love right there, that is.
[Nearly 20 minutes later, while I am typing this up, out of the blue Joel says, "You know, not buying cinnamon sticks now will mean that the next time we want them, we won't have them. I guarantee it."]