What's the Big Deal?

Adult children can be very insensitive, that’s all I have to say. You won’t believe this, but the son of my close friend posted on Face Book a picture of all the bottles of cocktail sauce he found in my friend’s refrigerator. Yes, there were a few bottles, but probably not more than ten. And some of them were past their supposed “expiration dates,” but, come on, it’s Cocktail Sauce! You know how acidic tomatoes are.

I suppose this may have struck a nerve with me, since my own daughter, a lovely woman in her 30’s, has been on my case about expiration dates on products in my kitchen. Let’s face it, we single women of a certain age just don’t go through items as quickly as we did when we were feeding our families.

Now-a-days, it seems the Food and Drug Administration is demanding expiration dates on everything….not just dairy products and meat, but things like envelopes of taco seasoning and bottles of vinegar, for Pete’s sake. We all know those things last forever.

I contend the “sell by” date does not mean “use by.” But my daughter, also known as the “kitchen police,” makes judgments about my functioning level based on these dates, so I am trying to be more vigilant.

That’s why there was no can of tomato soup in my kitchen when I needed it for a recipe….I have been so careful to purge my cupboards of outdated items. Luckily, my next door neighbor had a can and was happy to lend it to me. It was even reduced sodium, which I prefer. Too bad I didn’t look at the expiration date until after I had eaten my dinner: It said August 2, 2009. Oh, well, I’m still alive.