I was just sitting here at my desk thinking I could use a snack. I had a fairly light lunch and was going to need something to sustain me if I planned to go shopping with my friend after work. So, I reached into my handy food drawer to see what might sound good. Soup? Had that for lunch. Almonds? Not in the mood to chew that much. Oatmeal? Nah. Maybe another day. Easy Mac? Sure! I mean when doesn’t mac and cheese sound good?

So I grabbed a bowl, added water and tossed it into the microwave. A few minutes later I grabbed my noodles and stirred in the cheesy goodness. Then I took a bite. At first, things were pretty normal. But a couple bites in I started to notice the consistency was a little….off. Thinking I must have over (or under) microwaved it, I continued eating. Pasta can be a fickle friend, right? Then as I scooped up the last bite, a thought occurred to me: When was the last time I actually bought Easy Mac? So I grabbed another packed out of the drawer to search for the expiration date. Scanning the packaging I suddenly came across the date….

November 19, 2004

November 19th, TWO THOUSAND AND FOUR!!! This thing I just barely finished picking out of my molars was over 15 months PAST its expiration date! Ewwww.

So now I am left sitting here pondering two things: 1) What happens when you eat something that far beyond its expiration date? and 2) when was the last time I cleaned out my desk food drawer?