The other weekend I tackled sorting our pantry,
No biggie, I know.
Not expecting kudos and congratulations.
The pantry isn't my favourite place, but I decided it needed sorting.
I didn't go so far as alphabetising the shelves... Yet.
As I rearranged the various coffees and spices, I got to thinkiing how the pantry has changed and been a reflection of our lives.
When we were young hip and wonderful.. We were, just stay with me here, the pantry had a different look.
We lived on mainly 1980s staples for meals; so not a lot of multiculture or trends. The ingredients for heavy sauces and stodgy casseroles rocked the shelves.
As one then another (then another and another) child joined the family, the pantry continually took on a life of its own. Through about 6 house moves, the contents of the pantry remained a source of frustration and sustenance.
Over time, the small room took on its own life.
Shelves of basic foodstuffs gave way to childhood favourites including home made biscuits and cakes (back when I was 'a good mum')
Boxes of breakfast cereal sat on the bottom shelf where the kids could self serve their weekend breakfast. (Anything for an extra half hour lie in)
As the kids got more independent, tins of baby food were replaced by tins of baked beans, we could have had a factory for three minute noodles, and the makings of fairy bread slowly gave way to more mature tastes.
Meal sized tins of tuna, muesli bars, packets of biscuits and cup a soups dominated during the high school years, giving way to meal in a can or packet options for after school snacks.(tacos, etc)
The bread shelf has been in different positions but always always full. Sometimes of homemade bread, sometimes fancy store bought bread, (you know, stuff with 'bits' in it..) plain store bought bread and other yeasty delights. The bread maker given to us one Christmas was a Godsend. We went through so much bread it was crazy, after we got thread maker we went through even more bread because.. Smells and soft dough.
As the children grew and moved on, the arrangement and contents changed, reflecting their and our lives. Only one adult child remains at home; snack foods still exist, but not so many.
Today the shelves have a cornucopia of sauces, sticks and spices. Mostly Asian based, but such a variety...
Rice is bought almost by the bushel, and coffee by the wagon load..
The memory of chubby fists reaching to help gather ingredients for tea giving way to competent self caterering hands...
The giggle of children playing hide and seek in the confines of this small room giving way to people calling out that we're out of chcolate topping again...
The breakfast cereal going from weetbix to rice bubbles to nutri grain to porridge to weetbix ....
Through the changes and shifts, a few things remain the same. Besides the kids knowing they can invade the area at any time, that is...
The impossible pile of mismatched Tupperware ...
and the fact that we are ever so blessed to have always had enough food to stock a pantry.
