Toronto Fridge Files: Three Guys and a Gal on Wellington

I am always interested in what food can tell me about a person. In "The Fridge Files" I will be giving a candid snapshot into random and willing Toronotonians' lives by categorically breaking down the heart (or maybe more appropriately the belly) of their kitchens, the fridge.

Torontonians: Paul (age 27), Greg (age 27), Claudio (age 27), Lori (age 27)

Neighbourhood: King West

Fridge: Frigidaire

Practice Safe Seasoning, Use a Condiment
The usual run of the mill stuff: bottled salad dressings, ketchup, maple syrup, mayo etc. What stands out to me is four bottles of stuffed olives, four bottles of salsa (varying brands and heat intensities), and three different sizes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce - these guys must get up to some pretty crazy Saturday nights. I learn Greg's after dinner drink is a dirty martini. Claudio just loves salsa. And the Lea & Perrins is a result of Paul's occasional desire to make Caesars - he doesn't remember what's already in the fridge because he never goes in there.

Junk in the Trunk
Surprisingly not much junk food to be found in this single-male dominated dwelling. In the freezer there are stacks of hash browns. Something tells me Costco. Then I see some frozen "special" homemade brownies. What go together better than special homemade brownies and hash browns? Special homemade brownies, hash browns, and assorted freezies.

Home Cooked Loving
There are a whole whack of leftovers including a Sicilian salad (green olives, oranges, red onion, capers and olive oil), Chimichurri seitan skewers (recipe from the Candle Café in NYC), a mushroom based Thai soup, the Scottish staple Mince and Tatties, fusilli with tomato sauce, and a mushroom wild rice pilaf.

Greg is the cook and food lover in the house.

You Don't Win Friends With Salad
I see a pretty healthy selection of fresh vegetables and other ingredients, no fruit to be found. There is a good selection of fake meat products too: tofu, soy based "ground beef" and "chicken" breasts. Greg, the cooking food lover, is a cooking food-loving vegetarian. No people, this is not an oxymoron.

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
But not here. Aside from Greg's known dirty martini addiction all I can see in here is a couple of bottles of Amsterdam Natural Blonde and a bottle of Real Brew Ginger Ale. Maybe the last vestiges of some other cocktails: an almost empty bottle of club soda and some cranberry juice, and that's it.\

The Corner Store
Their hood is an inhospitable land for grocery shopping. So they all venture out to Kensington Market to shop for food. In desperate situations there is a Busy Bee Convenience at the corner and a Kitchen Table down the street.

Interested in having your fridge profiled? E-mail lauren[[at]]blogto[[dot]]com. Photos by Lauren Wilson.