Eat Drink Style Mark Menjivar - You Are What You Eat

It's amazing how you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their CD or DVD collection. Guys, if you're ever at a girl's place for the first time and she has movies like "The Notebook", "Titanic" or "A Walk to Remember", do yourself a favor and exit the building ASAP. You're in for an unscripted, real-life romcom. Yikes.

Or how about someone that has Celine Dion LIVE or Mandy Moore Unplugged on CD. Is it a coincidence that both Celine Dion and Mandy Moore are involved with shitty music and shitty movies.

And Texas-based photographer, Mark Menjivar, knows that you can tell a lot by what a person eats. I go through photographer portfolios frequently in advertising, and particularly look for interesting projects. Thought I might share this one.

"You Are What You Eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the Untied States.

For three years I traveled around the country exploring the issue of hunger. The more time I spent speaking and listening to individual stories, the more I began to think about the foods we consume and the effects they have on us as individuals and communities. 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. Each fridge is photographed "as is." Nothing added, nothing taken away.

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.

My hope is that we will think deeply about how we care. How we care for our bodies. How we care for others. And how we care for the land." - Mark Menjivar

Bartender's fridge. Goes to sleep at 8am and wakes up at 4pm daily. My good friend's lifestyle is exactly like this. He comes home in the morning, sleeps during the day and eats take-out. It's a Groundhog Day lifestyle. But you make the tips and you get the chicks. Works for him. BTW, why is there an American flag chilling inside there?

Street Advertiser that lives on $432 fixed monthly income. This is very sad. Even college kids utilize the space better with their cheap beer and midnight burritos.

Botanist from Indiana. Says that he likes plants more than people. I like how the Pepsi bottle was converted into a giant, cap-less water bottle. And that chili on the right doesn't look promising.

And this is probably the most interesting one. A werewolf that likes Jose Cuervo? I like the frozen lemon in there – his only source of vitamins.

What's in my fridge?
Jeni actually brought up a funny point. Before she met me, her fridge/freezer was full of snacky stuff like our favorite frozen pizza, Jeno's, chicken strips and take-out. Now her fridge is full of exotic Asian sauces, all types of ball-shaped processed meats that I love (fish, beef, pork, shrimp, mushroom), vegetables, egg noodles and ice.

What's in your fridge usually? Thanks for reading.