How many people does your fridge need to feed? Sonia: Two. With a liberal guest policy.
What do you usually eat for breakfast? Sonia:We each have two and a half cups of coffee. Gwynn generally has peanut butter toast. I’ll usually have peanut butter toast and some yogurt. Gwynn: Usually she makes yogurt with pomegranate seeds. Sonia: Gwynn says that pomegranate seeds look like little teeth. Gwynn: No, they have that texture. As someone who has had some fillings and teeth break, I’ve had a couple moments of horror eating them. Sonia: Weekend breakfast is very important. Gwynn: Usually I make eggs and bacon and toast. Sometimes cinnamon toast for her.
Is there anything you eat every day? Sonia: We go in repetitive eating periods. Gwynn: We do, but we cycle things in and out. Last week we ate chili everyday. Sometimes we eat the same thing for lunch and dinner. It’s lucky that we’re both repetitive eaters.
Every week? Gwynn: Eggs and bacon. Sonia: Recently, fried tofu. Some sort of leafy green stir fry. Gwynn: We usually have a Chinese meal every week. And that’s when I do elaborate things that Sonia can’t and she does staple things that are always great.
What item are you forbidden from purchasing right now? Sonia: I don’t think we have any forbiddens. Gwynn: There are so many things that you don’t let me buy! Sonia: Like what? Gwynn: I don’t know, I’ve been beaten into submission so I can’t remember anymore. Sonia: This is a very permissive regime! Gwynn: I prevent myself from buying those Boca chicken patty things. I will eat those every day. I will eat them multiple times a day. I don’t know why, I just love them. Maybe it’s because they’re a mayonnaise delivery vehicle. Sonia: Gwynn doesn’t let me buy organic beans because she thinks they’re a waste of money.Gwynn: It's true. I'm sorry.
What’s the most delicious thing in here? Gwynn: That hot sauce is really good. Her friend Ben made it for her birthday. It’s quite vinegary. We had to let it sit for two days with a paper towel on top and then skim off some of the excess vinegar. It’s really hard to wait two days. Sonia: It’s hot but not too hot.
The most disgusting? Gwynn: The forest of jars. We don’t know what’s in them. We end up keeping a lot of oil from cooking things; I think we’re both we deeply uncomfortable with disposing of oil. Sonia: I don’t know if you noticed the crystal bowl full of cheese.... Gwynn: It’s like sedimentary rock. We just keep piling new things on top. There’s not a lot of cleaning up the old cheese.
The oldest? Sonia: A bottle of fish sauce that’s three or four years old. I used it once and I’ve never used it again.
Anything you regret buying? Sonia:The fish sauce.
Where do you do most of your food shopping? Sonia: At the local Met Foods. Gwynn: And the farmer’s market on weekends.
How much do you spend on groceries each week? Sonia: On average, 60 dollars. Maybe a little more.
Is there anything in here that we would have found in your childhood fridge? Sonia: A lot of my condiments come from my mom. She gave me that packet of little dried fish. A lot of hot sauces. Gwynn: Her mom’s pretty awesome about stocking us with stuff. Sonia:She is overwhelmed by worry that I’m not eating properly and then she gives me things from the pantry.
What do you wish you had in here? Sonia: I wish we had cleanliness and order. Gwynn: I’m pretty happy with our fridge.
Gwynn is a journalist and Sonia is a lawyer. They live in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Gwynn is holding a jar of homemade hot sauce made for Sonia’s birthday by her friend Ben and Sonia is holding a jar of pomegranate seeds.