There are all sorts of half-forgotten odds and ends in the pantry and the fridge. Ingredients needed for a single recipe, two-thirds of the package left over afterwards. Things that sounded interesting and were tried once and turned out to be so-so but not bad enough to be thrown out. Stuff that Eric liked more than I did so they’re never my first pick.

I prefer not to throw out food that there’s nothing wrong with. I’d rather find some use for it, if I can. Sneak it into a meal together with something else, a little bit at a time.

It might be a hopeless project – it’ll take me forever. Every other week there’s just me here, and I just don’t need an awful lot of food, and I’m also not spending all my time eating the forgotten stuff. Most of the time I’d rather eat something I really want to eat. But occasionally I remind myself to look at the odds and ends and pick something and do something with it.

It’s taken me until now to finish this cereal that’s been lying around since Eric left the house. It’s the most boring cereal I’ve encountered. Doesn’t taste bad, just… really boring. But with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of nice granola over it, it’s OK.

Is it silly to not have thrown it out? Probably. I chose to eat it anyway.