Health 101

Much like seatbelts, refrigerators seem to be optional. I noticed this first with dairy products such as milk and cream, but then it dawned on me I was simply observing small data points in a much larger trend.

This should have been a warning.

Just before break, we had a "Russian lunch" where the staff here cooked traditional Russian foods. The next day, I went rummaging in the fridge for leftovers (a favorite money saving trick in any part of the world. Plus, hey, then I wouldn't have to cook).

"Nicole, the salyanka (a certain soup) is in the garage fridge."

(inner voice: wow, I didn't know we had a fridge in the garage. In fact I've never really even been in the garage.)

So, I stepped out into the garage where I learned that "fridge" meant the soup was sitting in a big pot, balancing precariously on the edge of a box. I experienced this inner struggle between my American half, which said 'this is a dumb idea', and my lazy half, which said 'all the Russian staff thinks this is normal and it hasn't killed them'.

Several hours later, I was sitting in a restaurant with my students to celebrate our end of semester party. A wave of nausea and a quick trip to the restroom convinced me to never, ever, ever "eat from the garage fridge" again.

Last winter was one for the books, with temperatures dipping to -40*C. I think usually, it's so cold for so long during the year that it's normal to leave things sitting out. This year posts record highs, with no significant snow sticking on the ground as we approach late January.