OPINION: Food for body and soul

I have always had a rocky personal relationship with my refrigerator.

I‘ve tried to break it off but the attraction is strong and I always go crawling back for more.

The fridge door beckons me and I seldom pass by without pulling it open for a look-see and maybe a little snack or something cold to drink.

Many Canadians feel the same way about their major appliances because that big metal box quietly humming in the kitchen has a magnetic personality.

I am always interested in the contents of my fridge but I am also becoming more aware of the warm, attractive exterior – especially the metal door.

Canadians love to communicate with their refrigerators and express their feelings with cute little stickies and fridge magnets on the front.
We all appreciate the goodies on the shelves that keep us fed and properly nourished.

But all the little doodads, pictures and magnets are food for the soul and nurture us in ways even cold cuts and pizza never could.
The lives of thousands of Canadians are encapsulated in the memorabilia they choose to attach to the most popular door in the house.

A quick glance will reveal notes, coupons, photos and other scraps of our daily lives that transform our boring metal doors into colorful, interactive pop culture.

Whenever I visit friends or family I look at the fridge door to see what they’ve been up to for the past few months or so.

This is especially useful for nosy people who will glance at your calendar and check your appointments while they peruse your souvenir magnets and mementos.

I don’t know who stuck the first knick-knack on their door but the earliest fridge magnet patent was filed in the early 1970s.

Since then, metal fridge doors around the world have become a blank canvas for artists, poets, and deep-thinkers to express their innermost thoughts magnetically.

They are also a convenient opportunity for wisecrackers, practical jokers and potty mouths who don’t hesitate to post the latest rude joke or shocking photo.

I appreciate all contributors and I have to admit I steal some of my best one-liners and snappy comebacks from unsuspecting fridge collections I come across.

Many families begin their kitchen billboards when their young pre-schooler brings home some macaroni art or a finger-painted masterpiece.

It gets magnetized to the door along with every art project that child ever produces from that point forward and you can’t ever stop or your child will be invalidated.

But regardless of whether you are leaving a note for your spouse or sticking up a favourite photo or comic strip, fridge art is a cultural tradition in kitchens everywhere.

The quantity and variety of fridge art is unlimited and there are many commercial products available to help you express yourself with flair and pizzazz.

You can purchase refrigerator poetry kits containing selected words on magnetic strips which you can arrange on your fridge door in clever, rude or thought-provoking messages.

Topping the best-seller list are the “Little Box of Smut” and the “Little Box of Obscenities” ­(tem­por­arily out of stock) followed by Happiness, Love and Fa La La.

Those with questionable tastes might prefer the “Little Box of Whoop Ass” or possibly “Sexual Innuendo.”

It’s all in good fun and in some cases the magnets on the fridge door are the glue that keeps a family happy and connected.

And the good news is, decorating your refrigerator with magnets and messages is calorie-free – unless you happen to pull the door open, that is.

That reveals a whole other world of possibilities.