health
Pantries can be time machines. An expired tin of lychees moved house with us
As a child, I didn’t understand the ancient food decaying in my grandmother’s cupboard. Now I’m beginning to
TL;DR
- The author recalls a childhood holiday in 1991 Hervey Bay where expired food, like oregano and salad dressing, was found in her grandmother's pantry.
- She contrasts this with her own experience of finding a tin of lychees with a 'best before' date of January 2020, which had moved with her family through multiple homes.
- The author contemplates how getting older changes one's perception of time, noting how it can compress and expand, and how events can resonate across decades.
- A recent visit to her parents' apartment involves a brief thought about expired salad dressing, echoing the earlier pantry discoveries.
- She concludes that understanding the passage of time and its effects is a personal journey without shortcuts.