267 - what's inside π§π¦
another fridge post, another exploration of li'l old me
Hey there, !
Still here? Excellent. Reeled 'em in with the zodiac, kept 'em with robovacs - we keep it potentially interesting.
Over the break I spent a lot of time relaxing and cooking and hosting and thinking of fun things to write about (lol) so this is an outcome of some of that.
Also, I know that it's yet ANOTHER fridge-related post within like...2 months or so, but I guess I'm in my fridge-era?
Here's a picture of my fridge, yet again:
Okay, I realise that it might not come out right on your email client or phone or wherever you're reading this from, but hopefully you can see...some of it?
I should probably start with the fact that it's a french door fridge, and it's one that my grandma bought a looong time ago. I don't know if energy efficiency-wise it's still the best, but it's the one that she had for years, and I just kept it around because why not? She made pretty good decisions in her life so I trust that her fridge choice was a good one too.
There's a lot here that is just for me - i.e. the vegies, the eggs, the kimchi, the cold brew tea; the 'always-on' purchases that are pretty much there all the time. They're maintenance groceries that let me do whatever I need with them, and help me improvise things if required. Perfect.
Going a little deeper though, those 'always-on' purchases are a product of all the learning I had from my parents, and I've in some ways copied what is in their fridge into my own, because it's just...what you learn, I guess? Kinda like the default values that are instilled and imprinted on you by your parents while they raised you turn into default choices for your life.
Oh shit. Here come life metaphors.
Then, there are the Coke Zero's and Shochu's and beers in the fridge, which I have stocked because one of the groups I more frequently host like to drink, so I make sure they're there. Though then, more recently, I started stocking normal Coke (and Vanilla Coke as well!) because another set of friends who I host prefer that over Coke Zero.
Because...I like to have friends?
Wait, the metaphors are falling apart a bit. Ok...time to get back on track
Anyway, maybe there are other things my fridge tells you about me too?:
Squirrelling away food - My freezer is stocked with chicken parts (the top left of my freezer and the bottom compartment is all chicken) that come from me breaking down chickens every week for about 4 months(?) - I have breasts and thighs and drumsticks and wings in different freezer bags all ready to be defrosted and used when required. I think the stockpiling helps me feel more secure, though I very rarely pull it out from the freezer (since I like fresh food). It's just nice to know that even if I get lazy I'll have something to fall back on.
- This extends to other things in my life - I like having things stored away before I use the next thing; I don't like running out of supplies, I don't like feeling like I'm on the edge, and I don't like using stuff unless I know I have backups of it to refill if required. I'm the kinda guy to buy replacement air filters for my air filter before my air filter arrives - y'know?
- It's a habit I was probably raised with, rather than something I have logically reflected on, so while I rationally know that I probably don't need the level of supplies that I have (especially in a convenience society where I order from Amazon Prime every other day), it still makes me feel better :D
The traditional Chinese boy - I have a whole cheese and meats drawer that I barely touch because they're more for Italian recipes which I don't always get around to - I'm very Chinese-pilled so wok-ready things are much more interesting to me. I love improvising chinese-style dishes with all the maintenance groceries I have (as well as all the right sauces!), because it comes more easily to me after a long day. As long as you've got some spring onions and soy sauce you can pretty much flavour anything you want :D
- Especially as I've grown older, I observe myself (but also other friends of mine) wanting to continue engaging with my roots (cultural, not hair). I never particularly hated it, but I did feel it made me more 'othered', especially in predominantly white schools for most of my life.
- Luckily, I never really felt like I had been 'forced' to go to Chinese school, and it's a humble-brag yearly reflection that being signed up for it meant I could read / translate like...90% of a fully Chinese written text like the Zodiac. I guess it's just nice to be able to have that connection more strongly, even though I know I'll always be a third culture kid.
Nostalgic hoarder - And then the are lots of 'I used it once' or 'someone gave it to me years ago' stuff - like sauces, or pickles, or specialty fermented tofu that I used when I was studying how to make char siu but I don't really have a use for anymore because it's not really used in anything else. But a lot of them I keep around because, well, I can (they might not go off for a while, for example), and sometimes there's nostalgia attached to them too!
- Okay, the bow is getting drawn longer to relate to my life; I got a lot of junk at home I should probably just get rid of but I like keeping things because they hold memories of other times. See the weird calligraphic name poster that I got drawn for me in Guilin when I was like...10 that I have absolutely no need for now but I keep it because memories. Look at this cool little graphic tee that I got when I was first buying my own clothese that I never wear but I feel like I should keep around for loyalty purposes!
- I feel like they help me export memories to objects rather than have to keep it all stocked up in my head...maybe something to unpack at another time.
Needs to eat more fruit - because my fruit drawer is stocked, but I always buy too much! I munch through one of two of whatever I've got and then forget about them for a week or so...the single tax is real :( though this one is more easily rectified than others...
- Uh...I...need to do more things that are healthy for me? Yeah sure, that works.
KFC leftovers slap - it's finger lickin' good (not sponsored) (unfortunately).
- I'm lazy sometimes?
Ah well, as most of these posts do, we peter out at the end. I feel like I should have tried to build up an MBTI or personality-type quiz based on fridges with this post, but unfrotunately I missed the Buzzfeed quiz era of my life.
Chat soon :)
Let me know if you have any feedback for the newsletter!
βοΈReal Life Recommendations
-
Yayoi Kusama - it's good, perhaps not great? The best stuff you see there is already plastered on Instagram and Facebook; it's not much different in person and though it looks TeamLabs adjacent, you only really get 30 seconds or so in each of those fun rooms. Oh yes, there are lines if you go a bit too late so factor that into your plans. The thing I did like more (and wished there was more of) was learning about Yayoi's life and how it changed over time, and a more in-depth explanation about why she got obsessed with self-obliteration which became represented as colorful polka dots.
-
Kakilang - new specialty char kway teow place just dropped in the city - apparently it's a sister version of Lulu's char kway teow, but better? I tried it, and to be honest it seems pretty much the same, but perhaps a little smokier with more wok hei. It's a bit more centrally located so I probably will go here when I need my fix. Recommended!
π Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
-
Better air quality is the easiest way not to die - GUYS REMEMBER WHEN I BOUGHT AN AIR QUALITY MONITOR AND YOU ALL LAUGHED AT ME well guess who's found an article proving himself right and is now sharing it with y'all. Look at all this RESEARCH ON AIR QUALITY and how it directly relates to your health and longevity!!
-
I want my AI to get mad - I love this take because it's a signal that giving AI emotions (whether real or imagined) is a need that we all seek from human relationships. AI's shouldn't just be things that appeal to all our needs and wants without challenge; the whole point of having another 'companion' of sorts is sometimes to get that tough love, or a different perspective on life that we hadn't thought about. That's why you're reading this, right?
-
If You Ever See This Speed Sign, You're Probably Going To Die - yes, it's a clickbait headline. Yes, it's about radiation. No, we never needed to use them. It's just an interesting quirk of history that these ever needed to be thought of!