"In 1913, the first electric refrigerators for home and domestic use were invented and produced" (Wikipedia).
The big old fridge in my apartment stopped working last week.
It have been here for at least 11 years, since before I moved in. Death by old age, I guess. As it is a really old model, it will just be replaced.
Consequences of fridge breakdown came fast.
All frozen food thawed in 1.5 days.
Milk get curded (spoiled) in non-refrigerated condition. (2.5 days).
Not wanting to take chances, I trashed cod, shrimp, squid, salmon and tilapia. They were smelling funky. (2.5 days)
Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir and Kimuchi were hard to judge. As cold front is passing by and outside is quite cold (26-45F), they are in a box on outside porch with some vegetables. I'll see them later. (day 5 today)
Of course I talked with landlord. She responded quick, and new one should be delivered and installed tomorrow morning, one week after breakdown.
A few new things I learned.
Cereals can be eaten with water. 7% of US people eat it with water, not milk.
Tomato-based pasta sauce can be good up to 5 days in room temperature, due to low pH (acidic).
USDA says eggs should be refrigerated all times, because US eggs are washed at production sites by law and lost protective cuticles. The treatment makes washed eggs vulnerable to Salmonella invasion when taken outside of fridge and "sweating" in room temperature. USDA also says eggs can stay outside of fridge up to 2 hours.
Freezer-refrigerator alternative is use of freshly cooked dried food (pasta, rice), fruits (apple, banana, etc), and canned foods. Much like out for camping.
Most condiments are okay in room temperature at least for a week, although encouraged to be refrigerated after opening.
As we cannot store cooked food for long in room temperature, each cooking portion should be small and prepared freshly, every time.
It has been mild nuisance, but not a big deal. Not even remotely close to a disaster situation like in the Gaza strip unfolding in this month. Peaceful life here. Better be happy about it.
After new one comes, I am going to restock frozen foods and stock up some canned foods, too.
PS
I needed to repair my car this month, and it was not cheap. Breakdown of somewhat big items back to back. Maybe I should be mindful. According to my life lessons from Mahjong games in my student days, I may be in a rough/choppy water phase now. Although chances for big gain may be there as well, I got to be careful and trust my intuition in such a time.
