Your Giant American Refrigerator Is Making You Fat And Poor

[irishbride2]

All I know if my fridge was tiny. I hated it because there are occasions you want more room, lol if you are hosing a party.

[katfco]

I know our fridge in China was significantly smaller than most American fridges. I did find that food was rarely wasted, whereas here, we're forever finding leftovers or unused produce that needs to be tossed because it got shoved to the back.

[pixy0stix]

All I know is that we need a new fridge. I dread replacing it because DH is going to want to run a water line to it. All our projects end up with some sort of catastrophe.

[meshaliuknits]

Jul 29, 2014 10:08:09 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

All I know is that we need a new fridge. I dread replacing it because DH is going to want to run a water line to it. All our projects end up with some sort of catastrophe.

Can you just appear with one at the house magically while he's working or something?

[StrawberryBlondie]

My fridge in London was slightly larger than my college fridge. It would've been fine if it was just me but I lived with 5 other women.

[pixy0stix]

Jul 29, 2014 10:08:44 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Jul 29, 2014 10:08:09 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

All I know is that we need a new fridge. I dread replacing it because DH is going to want to run a water line to it. All our projects end up with some sort of catastrophe.

Can you just appear with one at the house magically while he's working or something?

I wish.

I might go buy one that doesn't have any of the water features and go, "Ooops! Sorry honey, I didn't realize it." ::twirls hair::

[cattledogkisses]

The tiny apartment that we lived in when we were newlyweds only had a dorm-sized fridge in it, and it was a massive PITA. It could only hold a few days worth of food, so it meant I had to grocery shop 3 or 4 times a week. I much prefer my current system of shopping once a week for the entire week.

I'm going to hazard a guess that obesity has less to do with the size of your fridge, and more to do with the kind of food that you put inside it. Of course you're going to eat a bunch of unhealthy food if that's what you fill your fridge with.

[IIOY]

I have never seen a refrigerator in my European travels that was an large as an American refrigerator.  However, European cities are set up so that people can easily swing by a local store on their way home from work to pick up fresh food.

Also, I don't stock up on food simply because I can; I do it because (1) it saves money to buy in bulk; and (2) it cuts down on my energy costs to have a full fridge.  It isn't just about me being all bright-shiny-object about having so much space in the fridge.

All that said, I'm not opposed to smaller fridges.  Do what works for you and KOKO.

[Velar Fricative]

We currently have a small fridge and uneaten shit still gets lost in some fridge black hole. So no, small fridges are not making me less fat and more rich. This article is romanticizing an unrealistic life...as is par for the course for articles.

[Velar Fricative]

Jul 29, 2014 10:33:18 GMT -5 @majorwife said:

i love smeg fridges


but then i also want the door within the door, double drawer bottom freezer, french door fridge. lol

at least no one here will pull the asshole "well i dont even HAVE a fridge" move

That's the one I want for the new house. I WILL GET MY WAY ON THIS DAMMIT.

[decemberwedding07]

I am going to show this to DH to explain to him why I freak out whenever he leave the fridge door open. It drives me insane! You opened the fridge to get out the mayo and mustard to make yourself a little sauce for your fish? Great! You don't need to leave the door open while you stir it up!

[aurora]

We had a tiny fridge in Denmark, but of course we were renting a pretty small apartment downtown so we couldn't have fit an American-sized fridge.

It wasn't that big a deal because the grocery store was about a 5-min walk and we didn't know anyone there so we weren't hosting any parties. It would be more inconvenient here.

[polarbearfans]

I love that fridge!!! It is so cute. My husband said no

He might just come home to it. So retro. Fits how I want to remodel the kitchen perfectly!

eta: we usually hit the grocery store daily, and could survive with a smaller fridge. It's a habit we got into when we lived next to a grocery store. I also am really weird about food being fresh, and like my meat bought daily or no more than day before

[statlerwaldorf]

Jul 29, 2014 10:08:09 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

All I know is that we need a new fridge. I dread replacing it because DH is going to want to run a water line to it. All our projects end up with some sort of catastrophe.

Dh is not handy at all, but he was able to install the water line without screwing it up.

[msmerymac]

I can't wait to get a counter-depth fridge, which will be smaller than the current one. But I've never had anything other than the standard, white, freezer-on-top fridge, so I'm not used to a giant side-by-side, and being vegetarian, I'm never housing a whole turkey or huge bone-in ham in the fridge, anyway. I could use more produce drawers, though. Oh, and a better place to put all the beer. Maybe when we move to the counter-depth fridge we'll get a small dorm fridge specifically for beer.

ETA: I also really want a Smeg, or one of the retro Elmira ones. 

[josieposy]

My new fridge may be huge but it's a heck of a lot more energy efficient.

Sorry not sorry.

[ttt]

When I lived in Paris, I could pick up fresh food every day or every other day on my way home. I didn't need a huge fridge. I also only bought what I could carry.

It's just a very different lifestyle. Having a smaller fridge without any of the other changes isn't going to do anything to change your health.

[pinkdutchtulips]

I can believe it but in Europe they work shorter hours and have access to way more farmers markets than we do ! they have the time to stop en route home to check out the produce and decide what to make for dinner bc they're not at the office until 6-7-8p.

also apts and homes are smaller in Europe than here in the States .. that might account for the tiny fridges too !

[ttt]

Also the food that is making me fat isn't in my fridge. If I only ate what was in the fridge, I'd probably lose a lot of weight, honestly.

[craftyone]

Hate to break it to this person, according to WHO, Europeans are fat too even with smaller refrigerators.

www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/noncommunicable-diseases/obesity/data-and-statistics

[lishie]

DH's sister lives in Italy and his cousin lived in Norway. They both have American roots, but I've spent a lot of time in their homes, as well as the homes of their friends, and they all had fairly US sized fridges, a little smaller, but not a big difference.

I was amazed the first time I visited SIL 15 years ago, and she didn't have a dryer though. She hand washed things, and the clothes hung all over the house during the witner and on a line outside in the summer. She since has gotten a combined washer/dryer in her home. The hanging of laundry during the winter became too much once she had 3 kids.

[meshaliuknits]

Jul 29, 2014 11:38:14 GMT -5 lishie said:

DH's sister lives in Italy and his cousin lived in Norway. They both have American roots, but I've spent a lot of time in their homes, as well as the homes of their friends, and they all had fairly US sized fridges, a little smaller, but not a big difference.

I was amazed the first time I visited SIL 15 years ago, and she didn't have a dryer though. She hand washed things, and the clothes hung all over the house during the witner and on a line outside in the summer. She since has gotten a combined washer/dryer in her home. The hanging of laundry during the winter became too much once she had 3 kids.

Wait, like the same appliance washes AND dries clothes? I don't have to move them? I need one of those!

[lishie]

Jul 29, 2014 11:44:56 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Jul 29, 2014 11:38:14 GMT -5 lishie said:

DH's sister lives in Italy and his cousin lived in Norway. They both have American roots, but I've spent a lot of time in their homes, as well as the homes of their friends, and they all had fairly US sized fridges, a little smaller, but not a big difference.

I was amazed the first time I visited SIL 15 years ago, and she didn't have a dryer though. She hand washed things, and the clothes hung all over the house during the witner and on a line outside in the summer. She since has gotten a combined washer/dryer in her home. The hanging of laundry during the winter became too much once she had 3 kids.

Wait, like the same appliance washes AND dries clothes? I don't have to move them? I need one of those!

Yes, the same thing washes and dries the clothes. One of my friends up the street from me lives in a small carriage house, with limited space, and has one in their bathroom. She loves it.

[lishie]

Jul 29, 2014 11:41:00 GMT -5 @majorwife said:

Jul 29, 2014 11:38:14 GMT -5 lishie said:

DH's sister lives in Italy and his cousin lived in Norway. They both have American roots, but I've spent a lot of time in their homes, as well as the homes of their friends, and they all had fairly US sized fridges, a little smaller, but not a big difference.

I was amazed the first time I visited SIL 15 years ago, and she didn't have a dryer though. She hand washed things, and the clothes hung all over the house during the witner and on a line outside in the summer. She since has gotten a combined washer/dryer in her home. The hanging of laundry during the winter became too much once she had 3 kids.

i always love when some big american couple, usually from TX, goes on House Hunters International and complains that everything is smaller and there is no dishwasher or dryer.

In my defense, I was 20 at the time. It was my first trip overseas

[ringstrue]

I wish ours was the 50/50 freezer/fridge type. We can't really make anything to freeze cuz its full with our routine stuff.

[wanderlustfoodie]

Sub-20 cubic feet for the win! We just bought a German brand fridge (this one, specifically: www.liebherr.us/HGH/en-GB/products_us-hg.wfw/id-1589455-0_25496-0) exactly because we did not want it taking up a large footprint in our kitchen, and this was the only freestanding, true-counter-depth model we found. We've only had it for about a month but so far I'm in love. It is so sleek.

This line from that Gawker article is totally bogus, however: "A new top of the line, typically jumbo fridge will cost you a couple thousand dollars, while a smaller fridge, even a super fancy one, is unlikely to break the $1,500 mark."  The Liebherrs are not cheap.

Moreover, food stored in refrigerators is by definition perishable, which isn't what I think about when I think of unhealthy food that is perpetuating to the obesity epidemic. So pretty much the entire premise of that article seems eye-roll-worthy.

[eddy]

Jul 29, 2014 11:56:05 GMT -5 incogneato said:

Pshhht. My fridge is where I keep all my healthy food- chicken, fruits, veggies, eggs, dairy. Smaller fridge= less fresh produce in my house. I am not dragging two toddlers to the grocery store more often than I already am in order to have a smaller fridge. If I could walk to one, sure, but as is, no.

Now, a smaller pantry isn't such a bad idea a I don't need more space to store crackers, cookies, bread, etc.

I was thinking the same thing. The fridge is where the healthy stuff is at. Well except the beer of course.

[msmerymac]

Jul 29, 2014 11:41:00 GMT -5 @majorwife said:

Jul 29, 2014 11:38:14 GMT -5 lishie said:

DH's sister lives in Italy and his cousin lived in Norway. They both have American roots, but I've spent a lot of time in their homes, as well as the homes of their friends, and they all had fairly US sized fridges, a little smaller, but not a big difference.

I was amazed the first time I visited SIL 15 years ago, and she didn't have a dryer though. She hand washed things, and the clothes hung all over the house during the witner and on a line outside in the summer. She since has gotten a combined washer/dryer in her home. The hanging of laundry during the winter became too much once she had 3 kids.

i always love when some big american couple, usually from TX, goes on House Hunters International and complains that everything is smaller and there is no dishwasher or dryer.

Or the woman who was moving from the midwest to Sweden and couldn't believe they couldn't find a house with central AC. In the end, she built her own house, which looked exactly like the mid-aughts cookie cutter house they had left in KC. American-sized fridge and all. 

[andrealynn]

I have a big ass fridge. I love it so much. I don't care if it makes me fat and/or poor. I will still love it.

[msmerymac]

Jul 29, 2014 11:44:56 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

Jul 29, 2014 11:38:14 GMT -5 lishie said:

DH's sister lives in Italy and his cousin lived in Norway. They both have American roots, but I've spent a lot of time in their homes, as well as the homes of their friends, and they all had fairly US sized fridges, a little smaller, but not a big difference.

I was amazed the first time I visited SIL 15 years ago, and she didn't have a dryer though. She hand washed things, and the clothes hung all over the house during the witner and on a line outside in the summer. She since has gotten a combined washer/dryer in her home. The hanging of laundry during the winter became too much once she had 3 kids.

Wait, like the same appliance washes AND dries clothes? I don't have to move them? I need one of those!

Eh, it's something that's not really good at either thing. It takes like 2 hours to dry a pair of jeans and a few socks. But they are popular in Europe because they save space - they are usually in the kitchen or bathroom.