Expiration Dates on Food, Another Internet Experiment, and Blue Shirts
I’ve done a lot of things in my life, and this update is one of them. Just thought you’d want to know.
This morning I was getting some shirts ready for shipment, and decided to do an inventory. A few weeks ago someone ordered one, and I had to refund their money because I was out of their size. So, I’ve been meaning to get a handle on it…
And here’s what I have:
Retro
XL (2), 2X (2)
Miscommunication
L (4), XL (5), 2X (11)
Evil Twin blue/gray
lots of every size except 3X (0)
So, there you go. I still have quite a few shirts, and will be dragging the “distribution center” to the basement again on Saturday, because Toney’s cousin will be staying with us on Monday night.
I believe the Evil Twin design is the best one we’ve done, and the others are pretty cool as well. And isn’t it high time for some fresh shirt-action for spring? I believe it is. Here’s your link.
I can’t guarantee you’ll look as cute as Melissa (our unofficial model) while wearing one, but anything’s possible. Within reason… So, order away, peeps! Lessen my weekend load, won’t you?
And I hesitate to talk about this too early in the process, but I’m proud of it and don’t want to wait until it’s “perfect.” The site is still very much a work in process (WIP), but you’ll get the general idea. I’m going to feature all our Further Evidence links there, along with other foolishness I find on the internet.
The little descriptions will hopefully add to the experience, and we’ll see how it goes. The reason I’m proud of it is because I solved a coding problem today, with no outside help. I was smiling like a retard at a taffy pull.
Another cool thing? I just came up with the idea a couple days ago, and it’s on the internet today. I’m looking at it as an outgrowth of the Surf Report, if you know what I mean, and will attempt to maintain it myself. But nothing’s cast in stone…
I’m running a freaking shuttle bus today, and need to pick up the older Secret (again) in about thirty minutes. I can’t focus…
To follow-up on yesterday’s discussion about public service announcements, do any of my fellow West Virginians remember TV commercials warning kids not to pick up blasting caps? The things are used in mining, and were apparently littered across the landscape during the 1970s (who the hell knows?). And from what I understand, they can flat-out ruin your week.
Was that just a WV thing? Or were blasting caps a problem everywhere in those days?
I’m going to leave you now with a Question. I’d like to know your attitude toward expiration dates on food. Are you a slave to the date, and believe that the moment the clocks strikes twelve the food goes bad? I know a couple of people like that…
Me? I don’t even pay attention to the date, unless something tastes a little off. Then I check. And I figure they’ve built a little wiggle-room into it, and don’t take the date literally.
What about you? What’s your stance on expiration dates? Tell us about it in the comments.
Also, if you have any stories to tell about spoiled food, we’d like to hear (read) those as well. Chunky milk stories, etc. are usually a rich vein of comedy. So, let’s hear it. Use the comments link below.
And I’ll see you guys next time.
Have a great day!
Filed under: Daily
My grandfather lost an eye to a blasting cap – back in the late 1920s.
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A second shout-out on thewvsr?! Holy crap I’m wishing I hadn’t been so hungover and sportin’ the smeared Halloween makeup from the night before in that pic. Plus I woulda, you know, smiled, but my mother found it amusing that I wouldn’t shut up about a t-shirt so she took a picture for posterity reasons. Now that picture has made me quasi-famous here!
I have never heard of Blasting Caps so perhaps it was a WV thing? I grew up in CA where we had bubblegum cigarettes to look cool with.
Now Playing on iPhone: ‘Joleen’ by The White Stripes
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My stance on expiration dates is to see if there is mold covering things mold covers. Like sour cream, or cheese. I don’t drink/use milk, so that is not a problem for me. I barely eat bread and we refrigerate that once it enters the kitchen, so we hardly ever have a problem with that stuff.
My mother always tells me that back in the day growin’ up in the backwoods of Missouri her grandmother used to cut visible hairy mold off of cheese blocks and continue to use the rest of the cheese as if nothing had been wrong with it. She used to tell the 6 kids that the mold was penicillin & would’t hurt them anyways. I chuck the entire thing if there is one small circle of green visible. Ick!
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Five! Wooooot!
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We had the blasting cap PSAs in Wisconsin in the 60s/70s. I guess they were littering construction sites like confetti?
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I usually don’t go by the date unless it’s meat or dairy…I had a bad experience once when I was a house party… I was really hungover from the night before, we’d been drinking all night again, and I was dying for something other than Bud Light. So I went into the fridge and saw a gallon of milk…yes! So I went to chug, straight out of the jug I might add, because I was drunk and I didn’t care, and I kid you not, the milk was chunky. Not just sour, but CHUNKY. I ran to the sink, threw up, then dumped the milk out, and continued to drink the rest of the night.
A few weeks ago, I was feeling a little queasy for a few days. I couldn’t figure out why…then I was having a bowl of cereal before bed, and I suddenly realized that I’d been drinking slightly spoiled milk for the past two days.
In my time, I’ve also eaten moldy bread, experience sour yogurt, and eaten a moth. All on accident of course.
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I view expiration dates as more of a guideline than a rule, with the exception of seafood. When seafood’s done, it’s done, brother.
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Oh, incase anyone was wondering why someone would keep chunky milk in their fridge for that long…someone was house sitting for some rich dude, and apparently the rich dude had houses all over the country and was never there. Either that or the guy house sitting was actually lying and broke in, I dunno. It was weird.
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Top 5??
No blasting caps in my area (VA as a kid, NJ now)
I am one of those slaves to the expiration date. So much so that my husband makes fun of me, and constantly emails me links to articles telling me that the dates themselves are pretty much useless.
Even so, I still clear out fridge and pantry on a pretty regular basis. Haven’t found much in the way of spoiled food lately.
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Well, I was in the top 5 when I started. You guys are quick!
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Expiration dates are puely a guide, I’m like you if the milk doesn’t smell OK or goes lumpy in my coffee then it’s fine.
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There were 0 comments when I got here…and I’m number 6, don’t feel bad.
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I believe that entertainment of all sorts should also include an expiration date that must be carefully adhered to. For example, all of your Hall and Oates music (CDs, albums, cassettes, 8-tracks, etc) should probably be tossed out. They are probably past their expiration dates at this time. Similarly, toss out all of the Shields and Yarnell materials you find lying around the house (at this time).
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Late 70′s. Really hot afternoon. Nothing better than a really cold beer for the drive home after work. Stop at the package store(I lived in Maryland then) and returned to the road. Open beer and and take a long swig without looking to see that the cap was loose and the thing was full of chunks of mold, etc.
I don’t know how I didn’t drive into a tree.
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What about expiration dates on medicine?
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Top ten?
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not even close.
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Ah, expiration dates on medications only enhance the experience.
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Jeff-
When I was working for a certain Texas-based computer company (rhymes with HELL), I bought a chocolate milk from the cafeteria, took the top off and knocked back a good chug. Only when it was halfway down did I realize that it was really off. Nothing like a mouthful of sour chocolate milk to get the day started right!!
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Expiration dates don’t faze me. Its a conspiracy anyway to try and sell you more stuff quicker. =-)
Now, you gotta wonder.. If there where so many blasting caps littering the country side, just how drunk/stoned/careless where these blaster folks that they couldn’t keep track of their blasting caps?
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The fashions in this blasting cap video bring me right back to 1972:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqP0V9OfCIY
If any sociologists want to know what pre-teen kids looked like back then, this is an excellent artifact. The ’65 Beatles hairdo had become mainstream by ’72 (actual Beatles had hair down to their asses by then). The untucked dress shirts. The Puma or Adidas sneakers with black socks (it wouldn’t be long before only nerds and geeks would wear black socks with sneakers, but for the moment it was acceptable). The ugly T-shirt with primitive silk-screen on the front. Either jeans or more “dressy” “slacks.” The casual short-sleeve shirts with open collars. Man, takes me straight back to sixth grade. (We never did have blasting-cap movies or PSAs where I lived, though.)
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I check expiration dates of stuff in the pantry monthly and toss anything that is past it’s date. Try to check the fridge at least weekly. I always get rid of meds past their date.
I have the Evil Twin t-shirt but the decal is too big and stiff (that’s what she said). Would love to have a version where it is just pocket sized.
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I think there’s a tiny bit of wiggle room on exp dates, except fish. I’ve had a gal of milk smell wonky before the exp date. It probably was left unrefrigerated at the store or in the delievery truck or sumpin and they sold it anyway.
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I consider expiration dates advisory and will use a post-expiration date item if it still looks/smells OK. I’ll also eat leftovers that have been in the fridge two weeks or more, again if the item looks and smells right. I haven’t had food poisoning yet that I know of.
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Expiration dates are flexible. If it passes a visual inspection, the sniff test, the slime residue test, and/or the coagulation test, it’s probably OK. Cheese mold is simply lopped off.
What does not kill me will only make me stronger.
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I remember those commercials.
I think there was one with Casey Stengel or Yogi Berra. Although I don’t know WTF they had to do with blasting.
I just remember this:
If you see a blasting cap,
DON’T TOUCH IT!!!!!
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Ooh, I just remembered a lesson my unfortunate and obnoxious friend received at my mom’s house years ago. This friend had a habit of opening the fridge whenever she felt like it and grazing on the goodies. One day, she found a can of whipped cream, tilted her head back and sprayed it directly in her mouth. To our amusement and her horror, she got a mouth full of chunky, sour, moldy goodness. Retching and hilarity ensued. Lesson learned: always check the dates at Mom’s house ‘cuz some items predate modern refrigeration.
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Not sure about food but I worked in a pharmacy at one time and can tell you that you have at least 3 months (usually longer) after the expiration date on meds.
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I agree – expiration dates are suggestions.
Melissa, my grandmother (from Italy) used to do the same thing with the cheese/penicillin.
That woman had shit in her pantry that had been there since the Truman Administration. I swear, that is the reason I have never gotten food poisoning to this day. When we cleaned out her house after she died, I kept some of the stuff to put with my antiques. My mother is WELL on her way following in her footsteps, too.
I will admit that I had some jello boxes that expired in 1999 in my pantry, but that was an anomaly (yeah, right!)
Happy Thursday, Surfers!
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I buy imported cheeses from a deli in Columbus, OH. The have a 15 foot long dairy case with about 100 different cheeses in it. They were very up front telling me that every few days, they do something called “mold patrol”. They pull anything that has mold on it, and simply cut the mold off, and back in the case it goes. Since cheese is “alive” it’s constantly changing and evolving, and requires some maintanence. They have no problem with mold on cheese.
I’m very picky about the date on a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I’ve opened a few which were out of date. First, they stink, and they’re slimey. Don’t even think about using them if they’re out of date. I’m pretty loose with the rest of the stuff, though.
In 2000, my cousin got married in NYC, the day before New Year’s Eve. We drove to Pittsburgh and took the train to the city. One night, we ate out, and my cousin took his leftover pork chop back to the hotel. We left the next day. I decided to bring the pork chop home. It sat on the floor of the train in front of the heater vent for about 8 hours. I still took it home. Don’t know why. I put it the fridge, and a few months later, it was host to the most beautiful and interesting mold colonies you’ve ever seen. As the months went by, the molds would live, die, and change colors. I took pictures of all of them. That was almost 10 years ago, and yes, I still have the pork chop. It’s older than my cousin’s children.
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Jeff,
Thanks for not relaying the fact that I am a fat ass and needed a 3X to accomodate this frame!
By the way I spent the paypal refund at a website that sells olive juice….Hello Dirty Martini !! ahhhhh
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I’m not sure about an expiration date, but I think I might be getting close to my “Use By” date.
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Dates are there for a reason people!! I just had my semi annual festival of food at the “Farm” with the family…and of course I spent Monday and a good chunk of tuesday puking. Evidently these people have stomachs of steal, but I am weak. I need to eat food that hasn’t been sitting out all day.
Example: We eat at noon and 5. The food set out at noon(and who knows how long it has been out before that) and Stays Out till dinner. Gag and gag. I try to eat stuff I know is ok. but, Easter did me in.
It stays out you know, because it is easier. WTF!!!!! Milk gets a sniff test, but other stuff goes by a date. lunchmeat only graces my presence for 7 DA YS ,then it is out. I was sick once from that crap!! oh…don’t buy Chicken from Sams Club…my hubby did once ona huge package of meat…later I am seperating it and it is that thick nasty slimy shit…all in the garbage. sshhhh.. I never told him that…
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Stomachs of Steel!! man oh man…leave me alone I was sick this week!!
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Old meds are like fine wine, they get better with age, and pick up flavor nuances…
food on the other hand – I am totally a slave to the expiration date…. matter of fact, I usually will throw something out the DAY BEFORE just to make sure I dont accidentally have it….
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Good Evening Surf Reporters…….
I’m of the expiration dates are a guideline school. If it passes the preliminary sniff test and visual inspection, it’s usually going down my gullet.
And the similarities to the others’ milk stories are down right eerie, especially Brittney’s. I was home from college for a weekend. Had been out partying pretty hard with the gang. Stumbled on home and crashed into bed. About 3 hours later woke up and my mouth & tongue felt drier than a popcorn fart.
Made my way out to the kitchen, grabbed the gallon milk jug and took 3 or 4 huge gulps before the brain registered it was rancid. Immediately turned and puked for a good 5 minutes in the kitchen sink. I believe sour milk is the worst thing anyone can possibly taste.
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We had those PSA’s in Greensboro, NC during the early 70′s too. I seem to recall the kids in the commercial finding them in what appeared to be parks. Strange. I haven’t thought about those in decades.
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Expiration date usually says best before doesn’t it? That sounds like a guideline…
I think sometimes they use Best Before date for production lot control.
Bottled water has an expiry date because NJ has a law that all consumed items have to have an expiry or BBdate. It was easier for all manufacturers to just do it for all the country at that point.
Um….you don’t want to see aged cheese before they trim off the fuzzy stuff. Enjoy y’all.
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I had a girlfriend that trimmed off the fuzzy stuff too…she didn’t smell or taste like aged cheese though…
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Casey J, my mom does that at family reunions. Mmm, macaroni salad or coldcuts, sitting out all afternoon in July/August. This in a house with no air conditioning.
I generally consider expiration dates as a guideline too. More important are the visual and sniff tests. Also I’ve seen non-perishable items like bottled water, with sell-by dates on them. TF?
I don’t even know what a blasting cap looks like, but I’m not real big on picking up random objects found on the street. Never seen that particular PSA.
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I remember those blasting cap PSAs during at least up to 1967 or so here in Texas. I never saw one by cracky but I knew to look out for them. Thankfully I never encuntered one so I still have both of my hands…
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When I was 3, we went to St. Louis to visit my moms great aunt… This lady wasn’t quite all with it, but when I started crying about the milk not tasting right, my mother promptly told me to shut up and eat my cereal. Dad took a bite of his and promptly threw up, prompting a wave of profanity from him and a lifetime aversion to milk from me. To my credit, I didn’t throw up from eating an entire bowl of rancid milk, but it’s still tough to get me to drink milk.
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My fiancee will only use milk if he’s just bought it and he’s the one to open it. After it’s been opened and stuck back in the refrigerator, even for 10 minutes, it’s “bad”. ROFL
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I go through milk like a fat kid on cake. Usually about a gallon every 3-4 days my self. So milk has no chance of going the way of chunks in this house. Otherwise its the ol sniff test. Except seafood…ugh… We recently bought crab legs at a local grocery store. I steamed them….my boyfriend takes one bite and about gags up a lung. They were rancid. Tasted and smelled like amonia. They seemed fine before cooking them. Scary shit I tell ya.
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Yep, I remember the blasting cap PSA’s. Yes, I know what one looks like.
Anyway.
Bikerchick: If you live more than 100 miles from the coast, guess what: your fish ain’t fresh. If it smells like fish instead of the ocean, it ain’t fresh. (Yeah, I know.)
I fret about sour cream – what’s it gonna do, go sour? And what’s up with yogurt? Do the bugs die? How do you know?
When I was single, I completely ignored pull dates. I figured as long as it wasn’t glowing in the dark, it was OK.
Today’s quote: “Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” Mark Twain
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Blasting caps ! Just lying around all willy nilly!
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If you grew up near a farm or anywhere they were clearing land then you know what blasting caps are . They are used to set off dynamite. They would blow up the stumps in the fields. I can still remember having to stay in the house while they were blowing them up and the dirt would rain down in the yard.
I will usually go by the exp. date on most things. I agree on milk, they only way it’s good is if it’s just brought from the store and opened, otherwise it smells bad to me.
Red meat will naturally turn brown with age. They will dye hamburger red so it looks like it is fresh when you buy it. As long as it doesn’t smell rancid it’s ok as long as it’s thoroughly cooked.
Growing up in Indiana I could never understand why anyone would eat seafood. When I moved to the OBX and tasted fresh seafood it was great! I still can’t get the sushi thing though, everyone I know that eats it has gotten sick from it. I want my fish cooked!
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I don’t drink milk, so I don’t have to mess with that. I am very touchy about the dates on things.
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In re: your leet coding skillz, keep at it.
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My husband of exactly two years is one of those not especially concerned with expiration dates. That is until he fed his wife (me) some bad fish and had her barfing all over him the rest of the night. And yes I made sure he was awake every time I had to head to the loo…;)
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Similarly, toss out all of the Shields and Yarnell materials you find lying around the house (at this time).
Shields and Yarnell!!! Holy shit, I thought I dreamt that shit. Someone else actually remembers Shields and Yarnell. Amazing.
As far as expiry dates go, I definitely use the date as a guideline when it comes to pantry items. Refrigerated items, not so much. Once they are out of date, they go. Medicines, I will use loooong after the date, especially if it’s some of the more amusing drugs I don’t want to give up, like Valium or Codeine.
Here is a great website for info about expiration dates, shelf life, etc. http://www.stilltasty.com/
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Greg – why do you have a 10 year old pork chop?
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N.D. It has become a science experiment at this point. It’s already as dessicated as it’s going to get, so there’s no more moisture in it to dry out. It’s not bothering anything else in the fridge, and it’s fun to watch! Other than that, I have no idea. I guess maybe because I can. Thanks for reminding me! I just checked it out. Today’s special is pennicillin.
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I was raised in regular Virginia and I saw the blasting caps PSA when I was old enough to want some. We blew stuff up pretty regularly, but had to settle for black powder.
I am also flexible when it comes to expiration dates, but the amount of flexibility depends on the product and the length of time it has been expired. Milk? Day or two, mebbe a week, after a good sniff. Some canned thing that should have been out during the Clinton administration isn’t even going to get a chance.
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Greg- Does it smell, or is it waaay past that phase? You should call Guinness Book and ask them if they have record of anyone having a 10 year old porkchop, cos you’re probably the first, and I’m pretty sure that’s a record.
JCill-Even after all my sour milk and sour dairy experiences (I forgot to mention I’ve accidently eaten moldy cheese also), I still have a dairy tooth and would drink milk over water any day (if I could).
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Brittney If it ever smelled, it stopped smelling years ago, in fact, I don’t think it ever smelled. It’s on the bottom shelf (the coldest), way in the back, on the right. It’s in one of those see-thru plastic clamshells, so I can take a peak every once in a while. And if you’ve ever eaten bleu cheese, you’ve eaten mold. That’s what the “veins” are made of. The mold is intentionally added to ferment or cure the cheese, and give it the strong flavor. Bleu doesn’t keep too long, because it’s constantly changing. If you want to do a real quick science experiment, get some bleu and keep it around a while. Good times!
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Greg – you are one special dude.
I want to see pictures of your pork…chop.
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ND, all the good, colorful shots are on film, so I’ll have to digitize them. When I find them and get that done, I’ll post them on facebook or the Kodak site, and let you know.
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Greg – you have got to be the only person around to have a portfolio of petrified pork. Can’t wait to see it, but I’m sick like that.
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fryguy, on April 9th, 2010 at 8:19 am Said:
“If you grew up near a farm or anywhere they were clearing land then you know what blasting caps are.”
I read recently that there was still a working dairy farm in Brooklyn NY up until the mid-1960s, so I guess I technically grew up near a farm. I don’t think there has been any land cleared in my old neighborhood for at least a hundred years, probably more.
The childhood holy grail was anything along the lines of M-80s, ashcans or cherry bombs.
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Inside my refrigerator I have a container of blasting caps! I haven’t checked the experation date on them lately. Should I toss them out?
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My brother still has a jug of milk in his fridge, from last Thanksgiving. My younger sister is PARANOID about those expire dates! Even bringing refridgerated stuff home from the store causes her to panick that it might have gone bad in that short time. Myself, I look at dates but go by smell & taste to judge if the food is still going in my mouth.
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Remember everyone, the MAIN message of this post is: ORDER MORE SHIRTS FROM JEFF !
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I commit typos all the time, and I know that sometimes my syntax is, just to shade things on the bright side, convoluted. And I, for one, am happy that Brittney has joined us crooked vultures for some repartee now and again. So I’m only asking for clarification — I make no charges nor seek none. Did you really mean…
“I had a bad experience once when I was a house party”
I once knew a young lady who was a house party, but she didn’t necessarily consider it a bad experience. I’m just sayin’…
jtb
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There is one thing I know of that never expires, but keeps on growing over time, and the proceeds can certainly be used to buy food. Strictly speaking, US Bonds expire when the United States can no longer afford to redeem them. Unlikely in the short term, barring several more land wars in Asia and a few additional Big Bank scams. Bye bye, buy bonds.
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Well now, there’s a new dance
That’s known as the twist
It’s really not new
It’s something you’ve missed
But there’s a new dance
That’s known as the twist
It’s really not new
It’s something you’ve missed
Dear lady
(Get up from your chair)
Dear, dear lady
(Get up from your chair)
Well, now, doctors agree
So I’ve been told
Do the twist and
You’ll never grow old
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addendum…
Hot sax background and hotter sax solo by Gene Barge, AKA Daddy G, long before anybody in Massive Attack was born. Mr. Barge also played sax on “Quarter to Three”, “School Is Out”, “School Is In”, and “Twist, Twist, Señora”.
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When I was in kindergarten, we had to bring in “milk money” every monday to pay for that weeks milk. One Monday my mother forgot it so the teacher as usual put all the kids that forgot their money at one table and we were given milk only if there was any left over before the paying kids – fair enough. What the teacher didn’t realize is that after they distributed the milk that was paid for that morning, the remaining little cartons had been from Friday and left in the classsroom all weekend unrefrigerated and they were practically solid, I opened mine and being the savvy 5 year old I was, knew it was bad and started waving the teacher over. The rest of the not as intellient 5 year olds at my table all drank it and proceeded to puke all over the table. As I have always been terrified of puke I NEVER drink/eat anything dairy after that day when it is even the day before the expiration date
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Thought you guys would enjoy this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1258913/Happy-1st-birthday-Mother-keeps-McDonalds-Happy-Meal-year–gone-off.html
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I am apparently the…wienie of the group. I have a pretty strict limit of 3-5 days with refrigerated foods, with the exception of eggs and cheese. Expiration dates are adhered to pretty strictly.
I have had food poisoning far too many times to chance anything.
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#renn, on April 11th, 2010 at 8:11 am Said:
I have had food poisoning far too many times to chance anything.
I have never had food poisoning (knock on wood). Perhaps this is analogous to the old saying that “there are two kinds of computer users – those who do backups, and those who have never had a catastrophic data loss.”
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Greg-I have eaten bleu cheese, but unwillingly, in an FFA class that I was forced to do in highschool. I rrreeeaaaallly hate bleu cheese! I’ve eaten the green mold off a moldy block of authentic Wisconsin Cheddar. It was dark in the kitchen, and I didn’t realize it…ick.
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Brittney ~ Sorry about the forced torture in FFA. Maybe you could sue somebody, or something. And always snack with the lights on. LOL !! The good thing is that it’s very unlikely that a cheese mold will make you sick. They just taste (and look) really nasty.
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Nah Jeff – they ran those blasting cap ads in Cincinnati too. Funny thing is I found one once while walking through a railroad yard. I kept in my pocket for about 3 hours, then hid it in a signal box near the RR tracks. As far as I know it never blew up but the little podunk town of Reading, Ohio didn’t have it’s own ‘coconut telegraph’ to have heard about it if it had.
My soon-to-be wife (who intro’d me to the Surf Report, btw) obsesses over expiration dates, especially salad dressing. When I was growing up, bottles of dressing got thrown out when they were empty and that’s it. They just want you to buy more and that’s pretty much all there is to it. In my book, however, as long as it passes the “sniff test”, it’s good to go.
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well i’m a little late to the game on this one, but i know first hand a few “Freegans” and it’s downright disgusting…
If you’ve never heard the term, basically they’re people (young educated and white in my experience) that only use things that are free cause it’s “hip”. So for food they go dumpster diving behind grocery stores and such, collecting their outdated food.
5 trash bags full of stale bagels?…sure
boxes and boxes of rotting vegetables?.. yep
weeks old yogurt?… no problem
old meat and cheese from a trader joes dumpster?…yes
as far as I know none of them have died(yet), but nothing creates a kitchen full of orgying fruit flies faster than a few 10lb boxes of half rotten lemons. YUuuuuuk
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With some foods I’m picky about expiration dates, but only some. I check dates regularly, but I also check how it smells and looks.
A lot of food is a “sell by” date, so there definitely is wiggle room, which is why I check the smell and look.
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I believe that an expiration date is there for a purpose, so when buying dairy and meat products I always check the date. I once saw someone at work buy a small milk from the vending machine, open it and take a big drink…..which he proceeded to spit right out….turns out that the milk was at least a week old and was spoiled. Glad it wasn’t me.
My husband and I have been married over 25 years and if I’ve heard “It’s still good, it hasn’t been opened’, once I’ve heard it a thousand times…..Guess where he heard that line from?!!
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