Notes from the fridge top
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
As we all know, the centre of most East Coast homes is the kitchen. People gather around the table for meals, afternoon tea, a game of cards or just to chat.
And the centre of the kitchen is the fridge. Inside, some delectable delights, some necessities and lots of beverages and condiments and maybe a few outdated items. The fridge door usually sports photos, invitations and magnets of various sorts, showing signs of family life. But the top of the fridge is another story.
Some people keep their cereal boxes on the fridge, so at a glance you can see what their breakfast choices are. In small apartments, the top of the fridge is a great place to store cookbooks or pots, alcohol or other things you don't want children to reach. It's all very interesting.
When I was a young girl growing up in Newfoundland, my mother made her own yogurt. She used a culture from her mother-in-law, which had been passed from relative to relative in the Lebanese tradition.
Since yogurt takes several hours to cure, Mom used to put the milk in a pea-green bowl and place it on top of the fridge for the time it took to firm up. It was warm there, which encouraged growth of bacteria. Back then, we didn't know about good bacteria; we just knew we liked the tart taste of the yogurt.
Years later, when I started making bread for my family, I let it rise on top of the fridge. It worked quite well. When my children would see a covered bowl on top of our fridge, they knew it was either yogurt or bread.
Some fridge tops are just plain messy — a place to throw things that have no place. If you looked at my fridge most days, there would be the requisite box of tissues, oven mitts, a vase, a microwave cover and, most likely, a lot of dust. Since I'm short, I just don't notice it most of the time.
We frequently play games with friends around the kitchen table. I usually sit in the chair facing the window, but one of my guests, a very neat person, sits facing the fridge. One day, when the sun was a little too bright at suppertime, I changed chairs and sat facing the fridge. What a shock I had when I realized what my neat friend saw every time she came to our house.
There on the fridge were things I hadn't noticed before — and it was disorderly looking. Then, I sat on the chair facing the armoire and noticed another cesspool. All the dishes and bowls that didn't fit in the cupboard were just sitting there looking messy and cluttered. It was like a second fridge. On that day, I think I embarrassed myself. I decided to do something about it.
First, I put away the things that could fit in cupboards. I stored things that we only use once or twice a year and then I vigorously cleaned the top of my fridge. Now I had a clean slate.
Perusing Pinterest, I got some good ideas for what could be pleasing to the eye on top of the fridge. I think the one I liked best was a framed photo and a small vase of flowers. I might just do that, but for now it sits naked, waiting.
A native of Newfoundland, Christine Faour lives in Coldbrook, N.S., with Dave and their cat, Bashu. After a lifetime spent teaching and raising a family, she has retired. She has a book, Eat Where You Are: A Memoir in Recipes, and a blog at www.anourishedlife.ca.