Job Discussion Forums

corporatehuman · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Mexico City

Has anyone done this?? Lots of people here in Chiapas live without a refrigerator, and soon I'm going to be joining them. I'm living with two Mexican friends, and we don't have a refrigerator. Any random suggestions what to buy, eat? Maybe some -living without a refrigerator- recipes, or some tips to keep that ham lasting a few days out in the heat??

I'm already set on the fruits, that won't be a problem. But will I really have to live without cheese?

I thought about coolers and ice, not sure how well that works.

This is the first time in my life I've lived without a refrigerator, so part of me is very worried. Like what do I do with the salchichas? Eat the entire pack in a day? When I make rice and beans, and I have left overs, will they manage a day?

Who knows. I look forward to all of us, together, compiling a living-without-refrigerator cookbook. Making the perishable permanent. Please help.

Chris

cangringo · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 327 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Why do you have to live without one?? If you don't mind my asking??

We had no fridge for our first two or three weeks here and I can tell you that coolers and ice are not a great substitute. You don't need to eat all the salchichas in a day if you have a cooler (although I find the Mexican ones disgusting anyway) - they should be ok for two or three but I would wrap them well. Your cheese will also survive for a few days in a cooler. Beans go bad very fast so be careful with them. The problem of course with a cooler and ice is the ice is very expensive...

What kind of stores do you have and what can you get...i.e. do you get canned chilorio/pibil or some other kind? I don't know anything about Chiapas so I don't know what the grocery stores are like?

MamaOaxaca · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 201 Location: Mixteca, Oaxaca

My mother-in-law has only had a refridgerator for about 5 years, but she still hasn't gotten the hang of using it. Cool

Most people without fridges do a buy as you go thing, especial on meat and cheese. You could just take the oportunity to become vegan! Razz

Or at the very least, do the healthy thing and make meat and dairy garnishes rather than the bulk of your meals.
But really, you can buy amazingly small quantities of things. Like ham, you can buy as little as 1/8 a kilo (people in my town call that a "media cuarto"--Cute!) you can also get fairly small amounts of cheese and cream. The best thing, since you will have two roommates is eat together and prepare enough for the three of you at each meal. You can leave things like beans or stews on the stove over night (with a lid on it) and bring it to a boil again in the morning to eat as your breakfast. It is important that it boil for several minutes.
Another option is to hook up with a neighbor that keeps chickens, trade your left overs (aka chicken feed) for eggs. Or become an avid composter.

For vegetables as well as fruits, you might want to get one of those multiterred basket thingys that allows air to circulate all around them.

Are you still in Tapacula? it gets pretty hot there, doesn't it? You can always get a small refridgerator, you can buy refrubished ones from the repair shops. I've seen my in-laws keep beans and stews for 3 meals, but we are not in a particularly hot area.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

and the beer? the BEER?

I lived several months without a fridge...it wouldn't fit in the tent and would've clashed with the forest decor I had arranged. Ok, ok, so I was roughing it. I used the Bow River and Lake Okanagan to keep the beers cold and everything else was tinned, bought fresh, or picked from the trees outside.

You can buy a small fridge for cheap, or like Mama says, buy as you go in small quantities.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

I can't wait to hear how this turns out. Please keep us posted.

MamaOaxaca · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 201 Location: Mixteca, Oaxaca

Guy, LS, that's why there is a shop on every corner. You buy the beers immediately before drinking them. And once your kids are 4 or 5 you send THEM back to the store for a refill.

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

The corner beer stores here in hot-landia are happy to load our coolers with ice (or a plastic bag if no cooler) to keep the beer cold at no extra charge. Huge chunks off an ice brick lasts awhile so you can put your meats and cheeses in with the beer and no worries! A picnic in the making or a substitute fridge.

My mother-in-law received a new fridge on the CFE trade-in program. Small payments are added to her regular electricity bill and she is now energy efficient (well the fridge is anyway).

cangringo · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 327 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Ya I have to admit we buy the beers as we drink because the store keeps them colder than our fridge. We have an old fridge - you know the kind you have to defrost but we got it cheap and we couldn't handle the not living with a fridge here. Funny how the Canadians jumped on that one. Laughing

I would try the casa de empeno's or fridge repair places for one though. Or you can check the classifieds - that's how we got ours.

corporatehuman · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Mexico City

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Are you working? Sorry to pry, but is the lack of funds work related? We could turn this into a thread on cost of living with the fridge as the main theme.

Aabra · Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 64

No refrigerator for the beer? No problem!

I went to a boarding school for a couple years back when I was in high school. To hide the beer AND keep it cool, we used to take the lids off of the toilets and hide the beer in the (more or less clean) water. Very Happy

I'm not sure I'd recommend using this method for anything that isn't 110% sealed however if you're desperate - it does work well!

As for your primary source of food... nothing is cheaper or better than this:

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Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

I asked my dad about this one. He spent part of his childhood in a prairie home with no electricity or fridge. They had a small underground room for the milk, cream, etc, or they also used the stream running by the front door. All meat was preserved so it didn't need to be refrigerated and the eggs were fresh each day from the chickens.

Of course, you'd have to change your diet a fair amount to make this work, and your lifestyle too! Razz

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

With the rice and beans... just don't mix them, keep the beans covered, the onion, the chile, and the salt should help to keep them preserved and keep them lasting a few extra days.

The rice shouldn't be a real problem unless you're in a place where mold is prevalent.

Meat should be bought only for when it will be used.

Funny sidenote: I looked up dispensa and despensa... couldn't remember which was the pantry... and under dispensa I found: