Is turned bad?

[Griff]

Old people eating old food, fuzzy food, turned food... why?

[Aliantha]

What?

[Griff]

Pete's Mom and step-Dad are relentless consumers of expired food. No money problems... wtf?

[Aliantha]

Oh right.

We eat stuff past the due date often enough around here. Even dairy, but that's mainly because I keep our fridge at 2 degrees celcius in order to extend the dates.

The things I don't eat after the due date are canned foods. I worry that the metal in the can might have started to break down on the inside and could cause illness.

Dazza loves shopping in the 'bargain bin' when he gets to come to the grocery store. often that stuff is past or almost past the date.

[Clodfobble]

The excuse used to be that they "grew up during the depression." But for the most part that isn't true anymore. I honestly think that clinical hoarding behavior is just one of the many neuroses that can creep in with old age.

I imagine the shrink's way of unraveling it would be that you don't want to waste the time (things) you have left, and even more metaphorically, you don't want to be thrown out yourself just because you're old.

[monster]

We eat loads of "expired" stuff. It gets tossed if it looks bad, smells bad, or tastes bad. Expiry dates are generally an artificial device, originally introduced to help educate the public about food poisoning, but let's think about who really benefits from short "sell-by" and "consume-by" dates, and then consider corporate entities wondering how to make the most out of this "infringement on their rights"........ toasters used to last 20 years. Now they last 13 months. Who do/could "use by" dates benefit the most?

[monster]

oh and it seems to be an American Consumer thing too.

[monster]

(I did just toss out a couple of yoghurts I found at the back of the fridge with Oct 10 dates, though....)

[Griff]

With these two it isn't the package date that is concerning its the molds. The most recent was an open package of prepared cranberries that were frozen at Christmas thawed and grew a lovely blue oyster of mold. We ignore package dates here preferring use of nose and eyes. Clod is prolly on to something there...

[infinite monkey]

I can't make myself drink milk that is ON the expiration date. It's fine, the milk. I just can't get past the neon blinking expiration date to drink it.

But yeah, back in teh day they'd leave a slab of meat on the table and eat off it for a couple days. Their constitutions were used to it. I don't even know if it's a depression thing as much as there wasn't all the food police intervention, and no one thought much about it, refrigeration not being taken for granted either.

[glatt]

Maybe this belongs in the Dweller secrets thread, but I am now officially one of those people who will eat food out of the garbage.

Our neighbors behind us ended up moving suddenly. They sold their house and planned to rent it back, but found themselves being kicked out. So they emptied their pantry into a box and put it at the curb along with a mountain of other trash. I picked up 8 lawn chairs, and also this huge box of food. Brought the box back to our kitchen and went through all the items. Anything open (except the jug of maple syrup, which I boiled) went into our trash. Then I got rid of all the weird crap, like funfetti cake mix, and cans of frosting. We ended up with several jars of spaghetti sauce, a few boxes of pasta, a bunch of varieties of tea, that maple syrup I boiled and poured back into its washed jug, some rice, and similar stuff.

We've had a few meals this week that came from the trash.

[infinite monkey]

When the apocalypse comes, I want you on my team!

[Spexxvet]

I heard an interview with a guy who eats for like a whole month on $20, or something. He shops at "food outlets" where they sell food past its "expiration" date. He said that there really weren't expiration dates on anything but milk, eggs, and meat until less than 20 years ago.

from webmd
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/gu...n-dates-matter

Milk. Usually fine until a week after the "Sell By" date.

Eggs. OK for 3-5 weeks after you bring them home (assuming you bought them before the "sell by" date). VanLandingham says double-grade As will go down a grade in a week but still be perfectly edible.

Poultry and seafood. Cook or freeze this within a day or two.

Beef and pork. Cook or freeze within three to five days.

Canned goods. Highly acidic foods like tomato sauce can keep 18 months or more. Low-acid foods like canned green beans are probably risk-free for up to five years. "You do not want to put cans in a hot place like a crawl space or garage," Peggy VanLaanen, EdD, RD, a professor of food and nutrition at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, tells WebMD. She suggests keeping canned and dry food at 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in a dry, dark place. Humidity can be a factor in speeded-up deterioration. The FDA notes that taste, aroma, and appearance of food can change rapidly if the air conditioning fails in a home or warehouse. Obviously, cans bulging with bacteria growth should be discarded, no matter what the expiration date

[infinite monkey]

Milk. Usually fine until a week after the "Sell By" date.

USUALLY fine. I don't like those odds. yeah, I know it smells funny, but I don't want to smell it to check it. And people who take a big swig of something without knowing? They SHOULD barf from being careless.

And who doesn't check a cup before they fill it? I know a guy who drank a wasp that way. You know who you are.

I'm a freak, but I will never accidentally drink bad milk.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

USUALLY fine. I don't like those odds. yeah, I know it smells funny, but I don't want to smell it to check it. And people who take a big swig of something without knowing? They SHOULD barf from being careless.

And who doesn't check a cup before they fill it? I know a guy who drank a wasp that way. You know who you are.

I'm a freak, but I will never accidentally drink bad milk.

It's not bad milk, it's cottage cheese!