Alcohol. We’re all teetotalers and other than a bottle of Grand Marnier that I picked up for the cranberry sauce I made at Thanksgiving and Christmas, we simply don’t have alcohol in the house. Having said that when we remodel the kitchen I want to have both a built-in wine rack and wine fridge installed, because I’m bougie like that (we actually do enjoy a lot of sparkling cider and juice, which would be what the wine fridge would be for).
Soda. My kids will pick up the occasional single bottle for themselves but neither my wife or I drink it so we usually have some Perrier or LaCroix in the fridge instead.
Bread. We go through a lot of cheese but none of us are big bread eaters so it’s rare to have a loaf just sitting in the cupboard. I think I have some hot dog buns in the freezer. That’s it.
Potatoes. Again, none of us are big potato eaters so we dont keep them on hand.
Pasta. Same as above. We usually keep fettuccine and spaghetti noodles on hand but that’s it. I might have some cavatappi I picked up for some homemade mac & cheese that I was going to make but didn’t. If so that would be a one-off.
Perhaps not quite what the OP meant but, TV. None of us are big TV watchers and other than Stranger Things and Wednesday I don’t think I’ve seen a scripted television show broadcast in the last decade. For some reason we have seen 3 movies in the theater in past 6 months but that was the first time we’ve gone to the cinema since 2019 and I have no plans to return any time soon. We just don’t consume television much (for my wife, YouTube is her TV and for me, books are more entertaining than television). We have a TV in the living room but I can’t remember the last time it was turned on. It’s been several months, I’m sure.
Pretty much everything in a conventional supermarket. We buy local and organic or hopefully both, by and large, or grow our own. Try buying a loaf of organic whole wheat bread in a supermarket, for example. I just don’t like commercial or ‘normal’ American food, and really, I never have. Of course, it’s an unhealthy, climate-destroying diet, but the truth is, I just don’t like the taste or texture, and recently, I find it indigestible as well.
We don’t use much in the way of fossil fuel to heat the house in winter as we have a woodlot and heat almost entirely with our own wood.
I though of another one. Fast food. I don’t remember the last time we went to a fast food place, and the last takeout we got was a chicken pot pie at KFC, which hardly counts. That was probably six months ago.
I think we go to regular restaurants less also. Almost never for dinner, since we have meals planned, and only sometimes for lunch, since have leftovers to use up.
Also cars. We buy cars no more than once a decade, and probably less now since I’m retired. My last car was bought just before Covid, and it has less than 10K miles in over 4 years. The car people slobber over it whenever I bring it in.
I cannot remember the last time I ate any fast food at all, if you don’t count the McDonald’s green salads I used to get twenty years ago when I was driving through the Central Valley weekly.
I also haven’t had a television since I left home at fifteen, although that doesn’t mean I don’t stream films and series on my laptop.
As I have said upthread, milk, but I really love handmaking bread of many types so I do not often buy bread.
I have not mastered the soft long dog roll, which is my childerns favourite (along with cheese and a frankfurter) - they always turn out a little too crusty
Probably milk and cream. I don’t think there’s been any milk in this house in the 10+ years I’ve lived here, and the only purpose for cream is for coffee and mashed potatoes, and lately I haven’t made much of either.
But the dairy industry need not despair. I always buy lots of cheese!
Sugar - I have a bag somewhere but haven’t used it for literally years.
Usual alcoholic beverages - I have a bottle of dry sherry for cooking and a bottle of angostura bitters for drinks.
Soda - never have any, however I drink a 0% alcohol beer now and then and usually have a few in the fridge.
Going to the movies. Haven’t gone since being diagnosed.
Shoes. I have 3 pairs: slippers, sandals and my work New Balances. And I only have the slippers because I thought they would be toasty when recovering from my surgery.
No coffee.
No milk - wife doesn’t like it, and apparently it makes me snore (although I’ve never heard it).
Red meat - a bit of lamb, a bit of pork, no beef.
No chicken.
No spirits. Wine is our alcohol of choice. (No beer unless son is visiting).
No ‘dessert’ items - ice cream, cream, ‘fruit-flavoured’ concoctions etc.
No soft drink or fruit juice.
Booze. I have a liquor cabinet, and buy a bottle of whiskey every 3 or 4 years. And i have a collection of stuff from elder relatives. I have a wine rack in the basement, but we drink a bottle for Passover, and that’s about it. I do buy the little “single serving” boxes of wine for cooking, but didn’t use those all that often, either. There’s beer in the house when someone else brings it over.
Soda. I used to keep soda for guests. We still have the stuff i bought before the pandemic. I should empty the cans and get rid of them.
I like to drink tap water. And a cup of coffee or tea at breakfast. And maybe a hot cocoa. (I mentioned milk in the other thread. Love milk.)
This thread actually seems more effective than its opposite counterpart at highlighting our differences! No value judgment intended – it’s all about being different. My list would be almost the opposite, to wit:
alcohol – sometimes I think I single-handedly support the vodka and wine industries!
coffee – always have it on hand but don’t drink it regularly any more
bacon – always have it on hand because what’s breakfast without bacon, eggs, toast, and a slice of tomato?
breakfast sausages – not just great for breakfast instead of bacon, but also great with beans and fries
ground hamburger – don’t buy that any more except in the form of freshly pressed patties that I put on the grill for homemade burgers
pizzas – I almost single-handedly support the President’s Choice wood-fired frozen pizza industry!
soda – I consume diet Coke in the smaller bottles that come in 8-packs. This is often essential for hydration due to excessive consumption of the item that heads this list!
seafood – kinda, but I always have beer-battered haddock on hand for fish & chips, and also giant shrimp for shrimp cocktails
fast food – depends how you define it. McDonald’s is practically off my menu entirely, but I make the occasional trek to Burger King. But if by “fast food” you include the wonderful subs and chicken sandwiches made by my local deli, well, we’re opposites on that one, too!
I did notice when living in The Big City that many denizens of Walmart did indeed smell. Now that I’m in the distant suburbs that seems less of a problem. Far be it from me to discourage you from your entertainment, but a shower once in a while might make the experience more pleasant for your fellow shoppers!
“Smell” is one of those interesting verbs, isn’t it?
I understand that you have to avoid sweets for medical reasons, but we’re actually on the same page here – I just avoid them because I don’t like 'em. Except for Lindt Lindor chocolate truffles, but I only have them when engorging on rum!*
* Despite my claim to being a major supporter of the vodka and Caesar mix industry, not to mention the wine industry, I also support the rum industry. I’m actually quite an all-around philanthropist for the alcohol industry!
