You Are What You Eat

Yesterday, a friend had shared the link for You Are What You Eat on his Facebook wall.  Because this friend generally shares insightful links I clicked.  I was quite surprised, and happily so, with the content.  As a diet and health conscious person, I find nutrition stuff pretty interesting.  You Are What You Eat wasn't just a wordy article though, it was a photo essay.  (Yay, pictures!!!)

Mark Menjivar's documents the refrigerator contents from 34 households.  All kinds of people, all kinds of food! Menjivar explains, "These are portraits of the rich and the poor.  Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more.  We never know the full story of one’s life."

If you can bear a little light reading, check out his introduction.  He addresses some aspects of the project that you might otherwise take for granted, "An intense curiosity and questions about stewardship led me to begin to make these unconventional portraits. A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space.  One person likened the question, “May I photograph the interior of your fridge?” to asking someone to pose nude for the camera."

They are in fact a very personal type of portrait.  It's pretty cool.  Would you let someone photograph you 'fridge as it sits right now?  I'm not so sure I would...

Photos from the Kitchenist