I thought readers might enjoy a photograph of my refrigerator. You’ll notice it looks more like the one you had in college (except with more vegetables), than the “American-style” refrigerator you have now (that’s how they are known in Europe – my half height fridge is more common in Europe). You’ll also notice that I have no freezer.

Newly renovated urban kitchen, 2009. My fridge is opposite the cupboard next to the stove.

When I moved out of my parents’ house, I cooked as if I was feeding a family of four with chest freezer in the garage. I now cook like a city person: shop every day on the way home from work. I pay more for smaller portions. I get bent out of shape when Agata & Valentina resizes their vinegar bottles so they have a larger footprint and take up more room in the cupboard.

The result is that I eat fresher and lighter. I probably cook a bit more. But the extra counter space in my 24 sq. foot kitchen is worth my small fridge.

A city fridge.  Small bottles and fridge dishes count. That’s a homemade pizza hiding under the foil, causing fridge max-out. RL Fifield 2012.