Toronto Fridge Files: Student Life in the Annex

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

After my first fridge profile went up last month, I was delighted to have some of the readership respond to my call for fridges and invite me into their homes. This month, I was able to experience the small thrill of digging around the kitchen of strangers...

Torontonians: Anna (age 22), Andrea (age 23), Dan (age 22)

Neighbourhood: The Annex

Fridges: Hotpoint (main), Sanyo (mini)

A Fridge for Pickles and Drinking
Aside from the full size Hotpoint, there is also a mini fridge that is used for pickles and drinking. When I visited there were only two varieties of pickles on offer - bread and butter and kosher dill. But there were a lot of mixers including tomato juice, Gatorade, Rockstar and Red Bull. And some applesauce thrown in for good measure. This is definitely the fridge of students.

And Then There Were Three
Anna is a three square meals kind of girl. Andrea is a snacker, she has been told she is always eating and spreads her food out throughout the course of the day. Dan - well Dan's diet consists of three things: unflavoured Quaker instant oatmeal (jazzed up with sugar and sometimes cinnamon), soup (the Progresso canned variety), and tuna (that he takes to school everyday for lunch).

No Love For the Decaf Drinkers
Andrea is a decaf drinker, and finds no love for her needs in and around the city. So at home and work (The City Grill in the Eaton Centre) she makes sure there is decaf brewed and ready to go. There was a fresh pot brewed when I visited, and being a decaf drinker I appreciated it.

Speaking My Language
Kawartha. Dairy. Ice. Cream. Any flavour, though I am partial to straight up vanilla. Cookies and Cream will certainly do.

Cottage Pie
While the trio admittedly does not do all that much cooking, Andrea's specialty is shepherd's pie. She lovingly includes ground beef, onion, garlic, creamed corn and frozen corn kernels, and mashed potato. Anna takes full advantage when it's around. If I can dork out for moment, "shepherd's pie" is actually more accurately "cottage pie". Shepherd's pie is generally the version made with lamb or mutton, while cottage pie is the version most of us are familiar with, made with beef. But both names are used interchangeably.

The Family of Pears
Anna is an OCAD student wrapping up her last year. And she loves painting pears (there were a few past due subjects in the fridge). There is one piece that the house has dubbed the "family portrait". Anna is the pear on the far left, Andrea is in the middle, and Dan is the one falling over on the right end.

Out & About
The trio doesn't do all that much grocery shopping, but when they do the hit the little mom & pop fruit stand at Manning and Bloor or the supermarket at Markham and Bloor. Andrea goes to George Brown and will sometimes hit up the St. Lawrence Market.

When eating out the girls like places like Insomnia, Clinton's Tavern and Grapefruit Moon.

On the Sushi on Bloor vs. New Gen debate, Sushi on Bloor won. Too bad it's not an option at the moment.

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