re: #130 Decatur Deb

MIL grew up on a Tennessee cotton farm during the Depression. In the 90s she was still showing the classic food hoarding trait—the floor of her laundry room covered with groceries still in their paper bags.

my ex-MIL (with whom I am still on good terms) grew up in Age-of-Austerity postwar England and will not throw away anything that is in the least way useable or (edible)

Except for our chunk of fresh, organic Sicilian parmesan cheese, which she took for an old dried-up rind (she only knew the pre-grated stuff that came in a cardboard can)