Purge : Processed Food :: Jettison : Baggage
(Remember analogies? Well, I've thrown a few in here this week to playfully and lovingly hammer my points home. Using the standard SAT format of ":" means "is to" and "::" means "as")*
What is a larder? It's another word for pantry -- a storage space where you keep non-perishable foodstuffs. You might call it your cupboards or a food closet depending on your space. Very important: having a well-stocked larder will enable you to create incredible meals on the fly, any time.
And seeing that it's spring, it's the perfect time to purge and prepare for new. So, go through your fridge, pantry and spice rack. Purge any foods, condiments, herbs and spices that you haven't used in six month's time. If you have products that contain labels with long lists of ingredients you can't discern or pronounce, I encourage you to be brave in your elimination; remember, you're making room for the real thing. A good idea is to donate any processed or canned goods to a food bank or homeless shelter. If you don't feel good about these foods, simply discard them and recycle as much of the packaging as you can.
Purge : Clutter :: Oust : Freeloaders
Clutter is an energy sucker. I don't enjoy opening my cupboards only to feel overwhelmed or unable to clearly see what I have. You and your food deserve a clean fridge and organized cupboards with beautiful canisters or containers that reflect your style. For me, it needs to be simple, functional and yes, also beautiful to the eye. Don't fool yourself into thinking that's not important. It is. Making your kitchen a place you want to be is half the battle. So take your food out of the half-open packaging, bulk bags and boxes and place as much of it as you can in containers. Organize them in a way that's visually pleasing and makes sense. Keep the items you use most front and center. I prefer glass to plastic; it's better for the environment and plastic starts to look crappy after it's been scratched. Invest in a set of Ball Jars or hit Ikea, Container Store, Cost Plus World Market, Crate & Barrel Outlet -- the possibilities are endless. Beautiful storage is cheap and plentiful.
Real Food : Processed Food :: Honor : Corruption
(A little heavy-handed maybe, but I like it.)
I find when my fridge and larder are well stocked with real foods that make me happy, it gives me a sense of comfort and ease, not to mention trust in my own self-care. If it looks too sparse on a regular basis, I become unsettled -- less grounded and I find myself hightailing it to the local taqueria in a pinch or to the store to buy some quick fix impulse purchase I'll inevitably regret. Not that dining at the local taqueria isn't great on occasion -- it is -- but I'd prefer not to make a habit of it.
Let's not forget that satisfaction is your new benchmark and mediocrity is no longer acceptable. Keep only beautiful food in the house -- whatever that means to you as long as it's real. The food you buy should inspire, excite and energize you, not bore, repel or deplete you. If you have to question the integrity of anything you're bringing home or its effects on your well-being, then perhaps that's something to think about and change.
The staples I keep in my fridge and larder change seasonally as I desire different things in different seasons. But right now, for example, I keep pasta, olives, and always some kind of salty, crunchy, snacky number. My current favorites are these roasted, salted fava beans I buy at the Middle East Bakery in Andersonville. I have a few beautiful cheeses in the house, crackers, capers, real butter, farm fresh eggs and bacon from the farmer's market, garlic, Brown Basmati and Arborio rice, white wine, nuts and pickled vegetables. Olive oil goes without saying and I always have lemons in the house to brighten up everything from my drinking water to soups, salads and roast chicken.
If you have some of these basics in your larder, then at the very least you know you can have a good nosh or throw together a quick meal; you know your satisfaction's guaranteed.
I leave you with my final and favorite analogy:
Real Food : Processed Food :: Stevie Wonder : Someone much less good than Stevie Wonder
*I want to thank my good friend and former SAT analogy writer David Stuart in Adelaide, Australia for his quick help and brilliant work in writing these. Love you, David!
Upcoming Columns: Where To Find The Best Tasting Food on Earth, The Kitchen -- A Blank Canvas For Your Perfect Form of Self-Expression