# Do you have a food or drink or condiment that you HAVE to have in your home at all times? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220 "2015-08-07T05:57:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/1 "2015-08-07T05:57:45Z")
For me it used to be coffee, but it wasn’t just the coffee itself, it was the coffee and the cream or creamer as well. Had to have both or I’d just be completely out of sorts. I weaned myself off coffee in the last year, though. I will have it occasionally but I know longer feel totally weird without the taste of coffee in my mouth first thing. Now my thing is citric acid; I prefer tart drinks no matter what the flavor (I even add lemon to Coke), and there is no drink I have ever come across which is sufficiently tart for me, especially if I’m drinking zero calorie. And a teaspoon of straight citric acid added to any fruit or lemon or squirt or whatever makes almost any stupid soda totally refreshing and delicious. And I like to have a libation almost constantly during summer. So when I run out of the stuff, I go a little nuts, particularly since it’s not easy to find locally and I generally have to order it online and wait for delivery. I also consider my pantry as good as empty if I’m out of butter, but that’s generally easier to deal with. And you? ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/2 "2015-08-07T06:26:08Z")
Cholula. ---
**Author:** ![r\_u\_serious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@r\_u\_serious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/r_u_serious)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/3 "2015-08-07T06:32:58Z")
Must. Have. Diet Pepsi. Crisis mode kicks in when there is just a six-pack left in the fridge. ������������������ ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/4 "2015-08-07T06:38:23Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/5 "2015-08-07T06:41:40Z")
Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Not for me but for my partner. In her opinion there is no savoury dish that cannot be improved by a squirt of the red stuff. If I’m being paranoid I might suspect that it’s an insult to my culinary skills (I do about 99% of the cooking in our household), but she insists it isn’t, so as long as she’s happy… For me it’s probably flat-leaf parsley. I like to put a little sprig on my plate or sprinkle a small handful over most dishes… looks festive! ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/6 "2015-08-07T07:17:54Z")
Not really. I always have plenty of food and drinks and condiments so if I don’t have something, I have something else. Probably the only thing that comes close is eggs. I don’t eat eggs very often, but I always want to have eggs. I throw away a lot of eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/7 "2015-08-07T08:55:28Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > but I always want to have eggs. I throw away a lot of eggs. :eek::eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/8 "2015-08-07T09:36:35Z")
Onions. To me, any savory dish is incomplete without at least a little onions . . . or a lot. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/9 "2015-08-07T10:52:17Z")
Coffee. Anything else I can do a workaround. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/10 "2015-08-07T10:54:17Z")
Daddies Brown Sauce - you can keep your tomato ketchup, but you’ll be prising Daddies out of my cold dead fingers. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/11 "2015-08-07T11:48:24Z")
Coke Zero. I’m totally addicted. I don’t like tea or coffee, so it’s my caffeine source. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/12 "2015-08-07T12:22:48Z")
Diet Coke Adam’s Extract [Lopez Family Rub](http://www.adamsextract.com/product.asp?ProductID=57746). Delicious on meat, veggies, salad. Always have 2 on hand. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/13 "2015-08-07T12:39:00Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > Coke Zero. I’m totally addicted. I don’t like tea or coffee, so it’s my caffeine source. Same, but for Diet Coke. I’m not an addict though, I can totally stop whenever I want. I just don’t want to stop _today_, repeatedly :p. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/14 "2015-08-07T12:52:36Z")
Coffee and water (yes, bottled). Everything else is negotiable. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/15 "2015-08-07T12:55:38Z")
Sriracha is pretty important. Onion powder goes in almost everything. I get nervous when the bacon’s running low. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/16 "2015-08-07T13:04:11Z")
Some kind of sliced meat I can stuff into a sandwich. I don’t really care exactly what sandwich meat is in the fridge and I do like to mix it up but there better be _something_ in there. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/17 "2015-08-07T13:50:32Z")
Hmm… food, drink OR condiment? We typically have to have onions and garlic on hand; it’s remarkably hard to find dishes that DON’T require one or both. And we’ve tried- MIL gets migraines from alliums, so we scour the internet and cookbooks for recipes not containing onions, garlic, shallots or leeks. It’s much more difficult than you might think. Beyond onions and garlic, I’d say we tend to keep the following generally on hand: [ul] [li]diet soda[/li][li]fish sauce[/li][li]fruit of some kind [/li][li]lemons and limes [/li][li]milk (for the boys)[/li][li]ketchup[/li][li]mustard[/li][li]jam of some kind[/li][li]beer and/or wine[/li][li]staple foods (butter, sugar, flour, rice, dried pasta, etc…)[/li][li]dried spices/herbs[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/18 "2015-08-07T14:24:00Z")
Horseradish sauce. I can make just about anything palatable by adding some horseradish sauce to it. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/19 "2015-08-07T15:03:21Z")
For me, nothing but the SO is another one of you Diet Coke addicts. Heaven help us if we run out. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220/20 "2015-08-07T15:42:51Z")
Food – some snack-sized bags of peanuts. There are times when I just have to have one. When I get down to a couple bags left I will go shopping NOW. Drink - unsweetened iced tea. I can’t remember the last time there wasn’t a jug in the fridge. Sun or fresh brewed when I can, powdered mixes when I can’t. Condiment - some sort of hot sauce. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-food-or-drink-or-condiment-that-you-have-to-have-in-your-home-at-all-times/727220.md?page=2)