We all remember being told not to waste food because there are hungry children in (insert third-world country here).  My childhood was no different, and to this day, I never throw away perfectly good food. But it’s more than that. I can’t through away good food.  It has to be saved for later.

So begins the lefover life cycle.

While I can eat leftovers for subsequent meals, and sub-subsequent meals ad nauseum, other members of my household (who shall remain nameless to preserve world peace) are not quite so tolerant.

As a result, many, if not most, leftovers do not get eaten right away. They tend to sit in the refrigerator machine until they are no longer fit for human consumption. So, after giving them an extra day or two to ensure their foulness, I throw them away.

The funny thing here is that most of the time, when I first put the food into the refrigerator machine, I know it will never be eaten. But the food must go through its life cycle, and expire in its dark, chilled world next to other not-so-lucky remnants of meals past.  Only after the resemblance to its original form is a vague recollection at best am I able to give the food its proper burial in the circular cemetary. (Or, if it’s lucky, a burial at sea after a ride in the twister.)

Call me OCD if you will, but I am not alone.

What’s in your refrigerator?