How many people does your fridge need to feed?
Just me.
What do you usually eat for breakfast?
I like to have oatmeal with grapefruit, peanut butter, yogurt, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon. All mixed together. I’ve made it for my boyfriend and he thinks it’s totally weird. I think it’s a byproduct of living alone: you just eat exactly what you want to eat and nobody’s there to tell you that it’s weird.
Is there anything you eat every day?
Nuts, usually almonds or cashews. And I probably drink beer and tea every day.
Every week?
I have lots of arugula throughout the week and I usually make a salad nicoise at least once a week because it’s kind of fancy but really easy. And I probably have fish once a week. My staple dinner is quinoa and vegetables.
What item are you forbidden from purchasing right now?
I don’t eat red meat, chicken, or turkey; I guess I’m a pescatarian. But that’s stuff I don’t even want, so it’s not really forbidden. I don’t buy cheese to bring into my house because I’ll just eat it until it’s gone. I save it for eating out. And I don’t get ice cream anymore for the same reason: I’ll just eat a whole pint and feel really disgusting.
What’s the most delicious thing in here?
These tamari almonds. You roast them for a little bit, soak them in tamari, and then roast them for another 15 minutes. I really like to pair them with grapes: you just get one almond and stuff it in the grape! It’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet. I was abstaining from almonds for a while because they’re so expensive but I decided to splurge for the summer.
The most disgusting?
The black plastic bag full of food waste. My garbage can is really big so it takes me a long time to fill it up, and if I throw my food waste away in it it starts to smell. In my old apartment we had a problem with cockroaches so I got into the habit of keeping all the food waste in the refrigerator until I was ready to throw it out. It would probably be better to get a smaller wastebasket and just throw my garbage out more frequently because liquids will collect in the bottom of the bag and drip everywhere when I pull it out to throw it away.
The oldest?
I only moved in six months ago so everything is relatively new, but probably those maraschino cherries or the jar of jalapeños. The cherries were for cupcakes for someone’s birthday, and someone made 7-layer dip here and then left the peppers here. They’re not things I’m going to incorporate into my everyday eating.
The plate is where I collect my half-eaten things. The other night I was going to make a grapefruit salad with arugula and avocado, and I cut this avocado open and it was totally not ripe. So I went to the Haas avocado website and they said that if you sprinkle lime juice on both sides of the avocado, close it up, and wrap it in plastic, it will continue to ripen. But that was like a week ago and it still doesn’t feel ripe.
Anything you regret buying?
There are so few things to pick from! I try to run a tight little ship here because I hate to throw things away. I plan ahead. What’s in here isn’t a lot but it could feed me for three days if it had to. But as for regrets, maybe this pie crust. I made somebody a pie four months ago and I put the leftover crust in the freezer, and then a couple weeks ago I planned to make a grapefruit custard pie so I got it out to thaw, and then the weekend passed without me making it, and I don’t know how long it’s been in there now. It’s the pie that wasn’t meant to be.
What's your guilty pleasure?
I eat salted in-the-shell peanuts like crazy if I can get my hands on them. Somebody recently gave me a 5-pound bag as a joke and I ate it in two weeks.
Where do you do most of your food shopping?
The Park Slope Food Co-op. It’s like a ten-minute walk from work so I go on my lunch break.
How much do you spend on groceries each week?
About $40 bucks.
How often do you go grocery shopping?
I go to the co-op once a week for staples, and then there are a lot of food stands on Nostrand Avenue and I’ll go to them once or twice a week for things like vegetables.
What percentage of your meals do you prepare at home?
Two-thirds, maybe.
Is there anything in here that we would have found in your childhood fridge?
The Pepto-Bismal. I don’t know if that’s a thing people normally keep in the refrigerator, but when I was a kid, we did. I remember my dad coming in from the barn and taking a swig of Pepto. He said it was because he liked the flavor—it was refreshing. Now I’m like: did he really say that? Was he just messing with me?
What do you wish you had in here?
More grapefruit because I’m almost out. And more arugula. Some half-and-half would be nice. I guess I just wish I went grocery shopping today.
Ivy, 32, is the manager of special collections for the Brooklyn Public Library. She lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and is holding a swaddled avocado and a beer.