Thursday, September 19, 2024

Are We Fridgescaping?

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DEBORAH CROMBIE: Lately I've been seeing fluff pieces in the major news outlets on fridgescaping, so of course I had to have a look. My first thought was, oh my gosh, what is wrong with these people? This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!! Vases of flowers! Picture frames! Fairy lights! Where is their actual food, or do they just eat all their meals out??

Unfortunately, I can't post pictures of some of the most out there examples because of copyright restrictions, but here is one on Instagram--look at the little cat statue! I have to tell you, I would break that in a heartbeat...

And this one! Are they actually going to eat the fennel and the pineapple, I wonder? Here's one from Pinterest. These people must shop twice a day. I approve of the jam, though!

And here's my favorite, with the wallpaper in the back of the fridge!

So, because who are we here at JRW if not trendy, we are going to bare the insides of our fridges!

Here's mine. I promise I only straightened a little!! And I remembered that I had a vase of just-picked flowers on the living room table, so I made room for it. It did make me smile, but the flowers went back where they belonged after the photo.





It was lucky for me that I'd made colorful soup last night!

My daughter Kayti volunteered hers. She gets extra points for the pumpkins!




Here's Lucy's condiments. She said she cleaned a lot out this summer after a comment from a relative:)


Lucy, people are always making fun of how much stuff I have in my fridge. I say it's because I cook! (But I'm still not showing my doors.)

Here's Hank's. She said she'd never shown anyone the inside of her fridge before, so she's a very good sport.



And Hallie's, who said, "Not much to write home about."


Oh, she showed us the freezer, too! Brave woman. There's no way you're seeing my freezer, which has a deep drawer that has to be rearranged like a jigsaw puzzle a couple of times a day.

Here's Jenn's fridge. She says her husband has a serious condiment problem!


I love this! Now I'm trying to figure out what all those interesting bottles are.

Julia would only show us her door--but we give her a big pass, post knee surgery.



Rhys says her fridge is empty. Her life has been too chaotic for shopping, so we give her a big pass, too!

I am not tempted by picture frames and fairy lights, or Bridgerton-themed arrangements--seriously! That is a thing on Tiktok! (These influencers are making big money doing this. They probably have second refrigerators for what they actually eat.)

But I did soften just a bit towards the whole idea. After all, I've put asparagus and soft herbs in glass jars before. I could put my yogurt in one of my pretty round glass containers instead of in the plastic tub. And aren't those ceramic egg holders prettier than a cardboard carton... 

Does that way lie madness, I wonder?

Readers, did you know that decorating the inside of your fridge was a thing? Would you ever be tempted?



79 comments:

  1. I did not know that decorating the inside of my fridge was a thing and, no, I would never be tempted . . . .

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  2. I didn't know it was a thing. But since my fridge has some space in it (single and I don't cook much), maybe I should look into it a bit more.

    Oh, who am I kidding. I never really even decorated the rest of my condo. Why would I start there?

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  3. Decorate the inside of my fridge? Ha! No! Never! I’ve been postponing cleaning it out for the last couple of weeks. I’m not going to ever find time to decorate it!

    DebRo

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    1. Maybe we've inspired you to clean it, at least, Deb!

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  4. Are you kidding me?? I'd seen the term, but thought it referred to decorating the outside of a fridge. My fridge has the odd assortment of condiments doors, the 'what the heck is that in the veg. drawer,' the 'how old is this cheese' drawer, etc . Anyone decorating the inside of their fridge?? Nuts!! :-) flora

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    1. The proponents say it helps prevent food waste, Flora. I suspect they buy things for the photos, then throw it away.

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  5. I did not know of such a thing and I would not decorate the inside of my fridge.

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  6. Ugh. Someone would have to scrub the glass shelves first. Even thinking about making the fridge look pretty makes me shudder, because it would be ONE MORE THING TO DO. I'm a solid no on fridgescaping.

    Also, where are the beer and white wine bottles in those photos?

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    1. haha Edith, that's why I took a photo of my condiments:)

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    2. I didn't show you the left hand door, Edith. And we have a separate drinks fridge!

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    3. And there’s one more reason I love you ladies! — Pat S

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  7. Yes, I have heard of fridgescaping but that's not for me.
    My tiny fridge in a galley kitchen is jam packed with food.

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    1. You didn't get to see mine the day I do the grocery shopping. I'm lucky if things don't fall out and smash my toes.

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  8. Fridgescaping? Never heard of it. but I'm tempted. I may arrange the many body parts in my fridge into an aesthetically pleasing diorama. A photo may go a long way for my insanity defense if they ever catch me.

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    1. I love it! And...a short story just started brewing in my insane writer's mind...

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    2. Ha, Jerry! Remind me not to come over for dinner!

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  9. No, definitely no fridgescaping in this house, though I do like a well organized fridge so that the milk is always where it should be (the door) and thawed blueberries in a jar for the morning's oatmeal where it is easily reached (second shelf, left), etc.

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    1. Mine is very organized too, Amanda. I can always tell Rick where to find things:-)

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  10. I can’t stop laughing! Who has room in their fridge or the time to do this? Martha Stewart, maybe.

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    1. It's a cross between Marie Kondo and Martha, don't you think?

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  11. I've never heard of fridgescaping. Thank goodness because that sounds like yet another stupid idea designed to give people with far too much free time on their hands something to do and for other people to market themselves as "experts" and leech money away from people.

    Would I be tempted?

    No. I do a lot of dumb things but nothing approaching this level of goofiness.

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    1. That's what I said, Jay. Then my friend (who is a fabulous cook) said, "Oh of course! I have everything on turntables and I use all my pretty bowls and dishes." I don't think she goes as far as flowers and wallpaper, though.

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  12. Here's the short summary: the Jungle Red Crowd would rather read!

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  13. Every spring, just before Passover, I completely empty the fridge, remove the shelves, scrub it out, then put the shelves back. I do the door, too. That's all, folks.
    Fridgescaping sounds looney.

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    1. That's a great annual practice, Passover or not!

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    2. I do take things out and scrub the shelves, but I'm too lazy to actually take the shelves out. Good for you, Judy!

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  14. Totally resistable temptation!

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  15. Like Lucy said, the Jungle Red Crowd would rather read!

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  16. I heard a story on NPR about fridgescaping. I think Jay hit the nail on the head.

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  17. Just keeping mine clean and organized is enough for me!! We do have way too many jars of condiments: 4 mustards, 5 jams, 5 pickles, 7 salsas, etc, etc!! My ideal is being able to find whatever I'm looking for at that particular moment. There's not enough room for fridgescaping!!!

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    1. Okay, now I have to count our condiments! But I think you definitely win on this one--but maybe not against Jenn's hubby!

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  18. Deborah, as Lucy can tell you, I have this thing about not opening someone else’s refrigerator, even if invited. So, I’m wondering—who would actually see these decorations unless the fridge has glass doors?

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    1. Ang, that was the rule for us growing up, too. Never open anyone else's purse or refrigerator or closet, unless invited or asked to do so. It infuriates me if someone outside the family just opens my fridge without being asked, unless they're helping with cooking or something.

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    2. Karen, glad I'm not alone on this. I wouldn't even think of going into my wife's purse and we've been married 51 years.

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  19. Ah Oh! Ang, don't give any refrigerator companies any ideas!! Yikes.

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    1. Oh, yes, I think they are making fridges with glass doors. And we have a drinks fridge with glass doors. It would look nice if I wasn't always sticking things in it that won't quite fit in the big fridge...

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  20. I would never do this! Never, never, never! I do see that it could be pretty, and making things prettier is always better, if it makes you happy.
    Can I ask you something? Does your refrigerator door close if you don’t close it. I mean – – let’s say you open your refrigerator door, and take something out and turn away. Do you have to physically close the door?

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    1. Hank, I just had to replace my refrigerator because the door hinge died and it wouldn’t close with just a gentle push.

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    2. My refrig door doesn't close automatically but it does have an annoying beep, beep, beep until I get up and close it.

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    3. Ours is so bad about not closing that Rick installed a cheap extra alarm (the fridge already beeps but it's very soft) but the darned thing was so loud it was going to give me a nervous breakdown AND it scared the dog. I made Rick take it off.

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    4. I have to make sure it closes. Many times I've come back to see the fridge door open.

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    5. Ours closes, most of the time. Sometimes it just doesn't. My brother's house has almost the same fridge, and my mom, who lives with him, half the time does not fully close it, and we have all learned to listen for the telltale beep!

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    6. Oh Deborah, that's too funny! And yes, scaring the dog is a step too far! Flora

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  21. I have green things in the fridge! I must be on trend – for once! (green and pink on the cheese counts doesn’t it?)

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  22. This is hilarious! I'll just have to enjoy pretty pictures of other people's fridges because I can barely keep everything outside of my fridge in order. I'm actually proud of myself if I manage to clean it out once a week.

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    1. I do usually give mine a toss-and-wipe-out when I do the weekly big shopping. Otherwise it gets icky pretty quickly.

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  23. I think the fridgescapers must have too much time on their hands.
    With 4 days until we leave this house our fridge is empty. We just gave a bunch of stuff out of it to our son yesterday. I won’t be decorating the one at the new house.

    Jenn, I think that condiment shelf might actually be bowing from the weight!

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    1. Brenda, The Hubby said, "Too much time on their hands and too much stuff."

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    2. I think Jenn's husband takes his cooking seriously! What fun!

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  24. So this reminds me of how for awhile back people were arranging their books by COLOR. IMHOP that's for people with too much time on their hands and too few books for it to matter.

    Or the library at Trinity College in Dublin where the books are shelved by height... tallest ones nearer to the floor. Which at least makes sense if you're consider the effort it takes to take down a tall book from a floor level shelf versus several stories up.

    I find my freezer gets much more of a workout these days because I haven't yet figured out how to COOK FOR ONE. What I think will be one (or two) meal turns out (often) to be 3 or 4, and then by reheat 3 I'm not interested in looking at the stuff so (if there's room), into the freezer go the leftover-leftovers which look increasingly unappealing as weeks go by.

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    1. Your freezer looks very organized compared to mine, Hallie. I wasn't kidding about the jigsaw puzzle. No matter how carefully I organize it, the first time I have to pull something from the bottom of the drawer, the whole thing goes to you-know-where.

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  25. I did not know fridgscaping was a thing. Nope, not me. I'm glad if I can find what I need and the shelves are clean.

    And here The Hubby and I were joking the other day about buying the "pretty" jam jars instead of plain ones!

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    1. Those pretty jam jars are only the beginning, lol.

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  26. Debs, I have never heard of this, and I am gobsmacked (as Duncan or Gemma might say.) The day I start worrying about how pretty the inside of my fridge looks is the day I start seeing a therapist, and the day I put photos of its contents on Instagram is the day they'll come for me with a straightjacket. Imagine the READING TIME being lost by such pursuits! Not to mention the many, many genuinely useful tasks I could be doing instead--like finally defrosting my freezer! (Whoops, just realized I echoed Lucy. But it's worth saying twice!)

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    1. You made me snort, Kim! Uh, people actually defrost their freezers?? Who knew...

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  27. No way, but it is making me want to do a deep clean on my fridge.

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  28. Would I be tempted? I can't believe I was even tempted to click the links to find out what fresh influencer-driven, portmanteau-word-defined, time-wasting fluff this was about.

    Nothing to see here, folks. Just go read a good book or watch a good video.

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  29. They definitely have another fridge for the real food or they get Grubhub delivered daily and no leftovers. If people have that much time and creative energy they should use it to making the world a better place! Rhys in grumpy mood

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    1. I don't think we're going to have careers as Instagram or Tiktok users, Rhys!

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  30. No, not going to happen, just not. Maybe the AC blew and these people needed an excuse to stand in front of the open fridge doors for an extended period of time.

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    1. Too funny! Ithought about how much cold air was escaping when I was taking photos yesterday!

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  31. I had seen a reference to this phenomenon, and at first I thought it was a parody. My gast was flabbered (or was my flabber gasted? I can't remember) to find that it was real. I wonder how often these people dust their decorations. Do they have neighborhood groups and stage viewings of one another's fridges? Maybe some will have blue ribbons added to the decor.
    Where do they put their food? Our fridge is full with just the two of us, especially in the fresh fruit and veggie seasons.

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  32. So if you were writing about a fridgescaper, you could have someone get lead poisoning from storing food in a vintage dish...

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  33. I'm sorry, say what? If I spent that much time on my refrigerator aesthetic, my refrigerator would have to be clean and that just does not happen.

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  34. It’s official, folks: some people have too much time on their hands. Thanks to the Reds for sharing photos of their own fridges, though; it’s kinda fun to see how other people keep their important stuff!

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  35. As if we didn't already have too much judgement on our actions going on! Just no. I have many better things to do. It's fairly clean, and the only fancy thing we have is a stacking egg container. The local eggs we get come in a charming, but round crate, and they just don't fit.

    This time of year I cannot keep my refrigerator tidy, nor my kitchen counter, because it is loaded with fast-coming garden produce, waiting to be processed. Add to the chaos my husband's insistence on having watermelon around as long as it's available, and we're lucky we can cram the door closed, let alone fridgescape the thing. Our youngest just went back to Greece after a fun two-week visit, and her many chilled preferred beverages are now fully consumed. I could almost hear the fridge sighing with relief.

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  36. We just got a brand new fridge with the double doors on top for the fridge, a middle pull-out door in the middle (that can be set for refrigerator or freezer temps to give you a little extra space in whichever area you need) and a bottom freezer. I thought it would be so great and spacious! Took one trip to the store and it’s full to overflowing. And yes, it beeps if not fully closed. It’s bad enough I hear my mother’s voice in my head telling me to “shut the refrigerator door. You’re letting out all of the cold air!” I don’t need my fridge chastising me!! (Obviously I agree with all of you above that these influencers need to find something more productive to do!) — Pat S

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  37. My husband, now retired, has way too much time on his hands. Perhaps I could convince him that he has a new outlet in fridgescaping? This spring he redid our vegetable garden in a circus theme, with objets trouves from the flea market, pinwheels, and a new bright blue cucumber ladder. He needs a winter project . . .

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  38. My objective for my fridge is just clean and organized where like items are grouped together. Wallpaper inside my fridge would just confuse anyone actually trying to find something as it is hard enough for my husband as it is! I actually keep a list of all of the fruits and veggies on the outside door of the fridge so that maybe my husband will look to see that we already do have something that he needs to find whether he can find it or not!

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  39. What?! How do people have room to put other things in their fridge? We may have a day or two once in awhile where we've finished off all leftovers so there's some space, but not enough that I'm going to decorate the inside (and then have to move it out to make room for actual food). This time of year there's still garden produce in there too. Then holidays will come. I can't imagine being able to do that stuff. You're right, they must eat out a lot or be close enough to a store to do their shopping one day at a time.

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  40. No. Hell no. And, why? Is someone going to organize fridge home tours?

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