Mark Menjivar traveled the US for three years taking photographs of the insides of people’s refrigerators. This refrigerator study is a fascinating glimpse into the American diet.
“You Are What You Eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the United States.
For three years I traveled around the country exploring food issues. The more time I spent speaking and listening to individual stories, the more I began to think about the foods we consume and the effects they have on us as individuals and communities. An intense curiosity and questions about stewardship led me to begin to make these unconventional portraits.
A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space. One person likened the question, “May I photograph the interior of your fridge?” to asking someone to pose nude for the camera. Each fridge is photographed “as is.” Nothing added, nothing taken away.
These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more. We never know the full story of one’s life.
My hope is that we will think deeply about how we care. How we care for our bodies. How we care for others. And how we care for the land.”
Here’s Good Magazine’s article about Menjivar from last year.
Bar Tender | San Antonio, TX | 1-Person Household | Goes to sleep at 8AM and wakes up at 4PM daily. | 2008
All of this prompted me to wonder – What would life be like without a refrigerator? I should write a book, My Year Without a Fridge. Of course, that would mean living without a fridge, which I’m not inclined to do. I started to take a picture of the inside of my refrigerator for this post, but it seemed to be an oddly intimate and revealing image. I’ll just say that it’s mostly bare, and I currently have neither takeout boxes nor US flags in my refrigerator.
All this fridge talk reminded me of a somewhat intriguing study a comedian did in Ireland chronicled in a book called Round Ireland with a Fridge. It’s pretty funny, but also insightful as he attempted to see if people would give him a ride even if he was rolling a small “minibar” sized fridge as his companion. It was a testament to the curiosity and kindness of the Irish people but also pretty hilarious. Anyway, thanks for the story and getting me thinking about what’s in my fridge – no flags, but lots of white wine I can’t seem to toss from guests that don’t know we don’t drink white wine…
Thanks Charles, I’ll check that out. Have you seen this video about getting strangers to carry this fellow across NYC?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi4ClspNrNs
“Comedian Mark Malkoff sets out to disprove the myth that New York is unfriendly by attempting to transport himself from the southern most end of Manhattan as far north possible only by having people on the street physically carry him along the way.”
Thanks Dave, I enjoyed that! I’ve always found New Yorkers to be surprisingly helpful.