History Main / EmptyFridgeEmptyLife

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheMaxx https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ccedafa3f6a2bc922b45d728ba87591e.png]]]]

If the characters are at all "Outsiders," be they members of a subculture (like stoners, [[TheSlacker slackers]], hipsters, or rock musicians), [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible modern artists]], lonely single men (or sometimes women), or {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s, and their refrigerator is shown, it will be entirely or nearly empty, possibly save for a mysterious, unidentifiable stain, or a carton of long-expired milk. Any thing that could be, or could have been a meal would be something like an ancient, inedible sandwich, or leftover take-out ranging from the previous night to [[{{Squick}} the previous year]]. The empty refrigerator is usually shorthand for alienation from society due either to a counterculture lifestyle, depression, poverty, and often a mixture of these causes.

* ''Film/TheFlash''. While getting a beer for Iris West, Barry Allen opens his apartment fridge and sees a handful of disgusting, expired food items and no beer. His solution is to covertly [[MundaneUtility phase through the wall]] and steal beer from his neighbor. Only when he opens the beer [[SodaCanShakeup squirts all over him]], as doing this trick requires him to super-vibrate to a molecular level. Through Fridge Logic would ask why Barry wouldn't have a fully stocked fridge given his need to eat constantly to fuel his superpowers.

%%* In ''Film/TronLegacy'', Sam had a couple of cans of beer and not much else in his refrigerator.

* ''Film/TheFlash''. While getting a beer for Iris West, Barry Allen opens his apartment fridge and sees a handful of disgusting, expired food items and no beer. His solution is to covertly [[MundaneUtility phase through the wall]] and steal beer from his neighbor. Only when he opens the beer [[SodaCanShakeup squirts all over him]], as doing this trick requires him to super-vibrate to a molecular level.

'''Yulia''': You don't have guests often, do you?\\

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1431450581020651300
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

* In ''Manga/HoneyAndClover'' (which is by the same author as ''March Comes in Like a Lion''), protagonist Takemoto looks in his fridge after experiencing yet another disastrous event in his life. He realizes the buzzing noise he hears from the fridge is the same noise that's been filling his head since childhood: the sound of emptiness. It triggers one of the major events of the plot and gives him a lot of CharacterDevelopment, so the next time he looks in his fridge and it's empty, it doesn't bother him anymore.
%%* Ryougi Shiki in ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' has a fridge that has bottled water in it. And that's pretty much it. Though she does occasionally have some [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Strawberry Häagen-Dazs]] courtesy of Mikiya.

* Divorcee Ray Ferrier's fridge is usually bare in ''Film/WarOfTheWorlds2005''. His daughter Rachel takes note of it.
* In ''Film/TheWatcher'', sad washed-up FBI agent Joel has nothing in his fridge except for an orange that looks like a lemon, and a couple of condiments. He also has no job and no life.
* In ''Film/TimeChasers'', bachelor inventor Nick Miller's fridge is empty except for a head of lettuce (of indeterminate age). When ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' featured this movie, they quipped "Loser status: confirmed," upon seeing this scene.
%%* In ''Film/TronLegacy'', Sam had a couple of cans of beer and not much else in his refrigerator.
* In ''Film/FightClub'', the narrator comes home to find his apartment has exploded due to a stove accident. He sees his fridge empty of everything except condiments (see page quote) as representative of how empty and pathetic his life. This causes him to reach out to Tyler Durden.

* In ''Film/TheSquidAndTheWhale'', Lili comments on how empty Bernard's fridge is, which highlights how Bernard's angst about his divorce is keeping him from paying attention to his kids, as well as his struggles keeping house without his wife.
* ''Film/Desperados2020'': PlayedWith. When Wesley opens her fridge, we see she has some food in it, but at the same time, a recorded message reveals that the food was actually stolen from a child she babysits.
* ''Film/NobodySleepsInTheWoodsTonightII'': After waking up from his DreamSequence at the start of the movie, Adas grabs milk out of a fridge with a single sausage and little else in it, and then proceeds to eat cereal alone in his kitchen.

-->'''Yulia''': You don't have guests often, do you?
-->'''Grom''': Why?
-->'''Yulia''': Your bathroom doesn't have a door.
-->'''Grom''': ''(glances over, as if noticing for the first time)'' Oh. Right.
* ''Film/ChipNDaleRescueRangers2022'': Chip, who lives a workaday life with his (regular-sized) dog after retiring from acting, takes out a frozen veggie dinner from [[Franchise/TheIncredibles Frozone Food]]. The freezer also contains ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' frozen chicken and ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' ice cream.

%%* ''Literature/FightClub'': "Yeah, I know, I know, a house full of condiments and no real food."
* In ''Literature/YoungWizards'' book 7, the empty refrigerator is used to show a newly single father who is still trying to get used to [[spoiler: his wife's death.]]
* ''Literature/SmallerAndSmallerCircles'': [[spoiler: Alex Carlos]] is a quiet loner, and [[spoiler:his]] fridge contains nothing but an old salad, a peanut butter jar, and a few beers. [[spoiler:The freezer, though, is a [[CreepySouvenir whole]] [[CannibalLarder other]] [[SerialKiller story]].]]

* ''Literature/TheCrossesBoysCounselor:'' The general blandness of Dover's life gets lampshaded by his sister Carolyn when she looks in his fridge during one visit early in the story. The fridge contains nothing but a bottle of water, a bottle of soda, two packs of salt-fish, a jar of peanut butter, and something else that she's "not even sure was made in this century."

%%* Lister's fridge in ''Series/RedDwarf'' contains lager and, for some reason, a pair of trainers (sneakers).
%%* In an episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Joey opens the fridge and says "We have... ice."

* Both implied and averted in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Kramer comes to Jerry's apartment to eat, presumably because his own refrigerator is bare. In contrast, Jerry's refrigerator is usually quite full much like his apartment, a favorite hangout spot for his friends.

* In ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Chinga", Agent Mulder's fridge contains nothing but a huge jug of orange juice. He takes a swig straight from the bottle, makes a face at the taste, checks the date (which is at least 4 months expired), and spits the juice back into the bottle. He then puts the bottle back in the fridge. He manages to do this whole routine while he's on the phone with Agent Scully who took a weekend off and whom he misses dearly.
* When John has Sarah round in ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', Mrs Hudson has to save him from 221B's empty fridge, which appears to contain one can of beer and a couple of empty bottles. We know that Sherlock going food shopping would be [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness out of character]] on a worrying level, and John had a row with a chip and PIN machine.
* Barney's fridge in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. His whole apartment is designed to keep women from feeling at home, and all he's got for food seems to be Gatorade.

* Variation on ''Series/CrashLandingOnYou''. Se-ri is TheBeautifulElite, but her fridge and pantry contain only bottled water, as despite all her wealth she's lonely and only eats out. Jeong-hyuk stocks it with food before leaving for a potentially deadly shootout.
* ''Series/TheBoys2019''. "The Female of the Species" opens with Billy Butcher dreaming of happier times with his wife Becca in a fully-furnished apartment. He wakes up in a sparsely furnished safehouse with only a packet of hot pockets in the fridge, showing how his vendetta against the Supes has taken over his life. As he eats the hot pockets for breakfast, he watches CCTV footage of Becca taken just before she vanished.

* Subverted in the Russian series ''Hope''. In the first episode, the eponymous ProfessionalKiller lives in a derelict apartment with a fridge that only has a few sweet potatoes. However, Hope later returns to her real apartment in Moscow where her husband and daughter live, dressed as a stewardess and bringing the sweet potatoes to make it look like she's returned from overseas.
* ''Series/ForeverKnight''. Nick Knight's fridge only contains half a dozen [[IDoNotDrinkWine bottles of blood in wine bottles]], and a small piece of red meat as he has trouble eating solid food. His partner Don Schanke complains about the lack of food, but he just assumes that Nick has a drinking problem and informs him that you're not supposed to store wine in the fridge.
* Dan Lewis from ''Series/DoctorWho'' is introduced as a soup kitchen helper and fake tour guide with no food in his fridge.

* ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'': After being stuck in his apartment for a mere 5 days, all Henry Townsend has in his fridge is a carton of chocolate milk and a bottle of wine. He ends up drinking neither.
* ''VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs'': All that Bigby's got in his fridge are some drinks, a few cigarettes, and an empty ice tray. Keeping food in stock is not a priority since he never invites anyone over. When checking it in the first episode, he wonders aloud why he doesn't have a smaller one.

-->''[Trent wanders into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator door)''\\
'''Trent:''' Nothing. ''[peers into the freezer]'' What's that red stuff?\\
''[Jane comes up beside him and also looks into the refrigerator)''\\
'''Jane:''' Hmm. Nothing. ''[looks at the red stain]'' What do you think that is?\\

''[Amanda suddenly appears between them]''\\

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* One of the cartoons that Warner Brothers produced was all about fairy tales and, when they did "Old Mother Hubbard," she opened one side of her cupboard, showing empty shelves. Her dog opens the other side and finds it stuffed with items, and promptly yells, "Food Hoarder!!" (Remember, this was produced during WWII).
* While he isn't poor, Quagmire from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' once remarked that it was hard work to make sure his "single guy fridge was sufficiently depressing". The fridge in question contains items such as his ex-girlfriend's yoghurt, root beer from two Julys ago, and expired milk.
** Also used with Lois' parents Carter and Barbara, and their "old people fridge", which contains nothing but ear drops and camera film.
** The same joke was used for a gag about "single guy apartments", though instead of focusing on the fridge, it had features such as a fake stove just for decoration, and "a cabinet to store your single plate".
* Happens in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian''.
-->'''The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy:''' Ugh... why do I keep looking in the fridge when I already know there's nothing there?? Oh man, I am so lame! Lame-y, lame-y lame!
* A variation in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''. Plankton, who is currently feeling empty in life, comes home for dinner and is served holographic meatloaf for dinner by Karen. Though the GeniusBonus of this is that real-life plankton use photosynthesis to generate food, but [[FridgeBrilliance a way of further seeing it]] as this trope is that Plankton wants to experience luxuries he doesn't have (like real non-photosynthesized food) and can only afford boring necessities.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', Kris's dad Asgore tries to put on [[StepfordSmiler a cheerful front]], but it's obvious his life isn't going so well. His "bedroom" is just a bare mattress in the back room of his flower shop, you find a letter from his landlord complaining about him owing rent, and if you check the fridge you only find a jar with a single pickle in it.

%%* Ryougi Shiki in ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' has a fridge that has bottled water in it. And that's pretty much it. Though she does occasionally have some [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Strawberry Häagen-Dazs]] courtesy of Mikiya.

* Divorcee Ray Ferrier's fridge is usually bare in the 2005 version of ''Film/WarOfTheWorlds''. His daughter Rachel takes note of it.

* ''Film/ChipNDaleRescueRangers2022'': Chip, who lives a workaday life with his (regular-sized) dog after retiring from acting, takes out a frozen veggie dinner from [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Frozone Food]]. The freezer also contains ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' frozen chicken and ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' ice cream.

%%* If you check Asgore's old rusty fridge in ''VideoGame/{{deltarune}}'', you only find a jar with a single pickle in it.

If the characters are at all "Outsiders," be they members of a subculture (like stoners, [[TheSlacker slackers]], hipsters, or rock musicians), [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible modern artists]], lonely single men (or sometimes women), or {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s, and their refrigerator is shown, it will be entirely or nearly empty, possibly save for a mysterious, unidentifiable stain, or a carton of long-expired milk. Any thing that could be, or could have been a meal would be something like an ancient, inedible sandwich, or leftover take-out ranging from the previous night to [[{{Squick}} the previous year]]. The empty refrigerator is usually shorthand for alienation from society due either to a counterculture lifestyle, depression or poverty, and often a mixture of these causes.

* TroubledButCute Rei Kiriyama from ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'' is shown to have a nearly empty fridge in the beginning of one chapter to emphasize his near-isolation socially. This analogy also extends toward his near-empty house.

* In ''Film/TheSquidAndTheWhale'', Lili comments how empty Bernard's fridge is, which highlights how Bernard's angst about his divorce is keeping him from paying attention to his kids, as well as his struggles keeping house without his wife.

* Sara Sidle on ''Series/{{CSI}}'' reveals that she only had some take out cartons in hers during the search of a victim's house whose refrigerator was in a similar state. She throws them all out after considering Grissom's urging her to get a life and get out more, symbolizing her wanting to take his advice.

* On ''Series/TheLastTenPoundsBootCamp'', a reality show wherein the hosts help the weekly guest to lose [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a few pounds]], the nutritionist goes through the guest's fridge and get rid of the bad food. On one episode the guest only had empty takeout containers and the host commented she was "taking out the garbage" rather than looking at the guest's eating habits.

* ''Series/SixFeetUnder'': In one episode, a woman without any loved ones chokes on her microwave meal and is only found a week later. The Fisher's can't understand how someone could be so satisfied without anyone in their life. They visit the house to pick out clothing and see the fridge is practically empty. Over the episode, they all begin to empathise with the deceased woman and understand her lifestyle.
* In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode "[[Recap/StargateSG1S4E15ChainReaction Chain Reaction]]", Harry Maybourne's fridge contains nothing but beer and a single bottle of mustard. Justified, as he doesn't actually live there and it's implied that it's just one of several of secret safehouses that he owns.
* Subverted in the Russian series ''Hope''. In the first episode, the eponymous ProfessionalKiller lives in a derelict apartment with a fridge that only has a few sweet potatoes. However Hope later returns to her real apartment in Moscow where her husband and daughter live, dressed as a stewardess and bringing the sweet potatoes to make it look like she's returned from overseas.

* Music/DavidBowie claims that in 1976, during the era of his "Thin White Duke" Persona, he lived on "red peppers, cocaine and milk."

* ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'': After being stuck in his apartment a mere 5 days, all Henry Townsend has in his fridge is a carton of chocolate milk and a bottle of wine. He ends up drinking neither.

* While he isn't poor, Quagmire from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' once remarked that it was hard work to make sure his "single guy fridge was sufficiently depressing". The fridge in question contains items such as his ex-girlfriends yoghurt, root beer from two Julys ago, and expired milk.
** Also used with Lois parents Carter and Barbara, and their "old people fridge", which contains nothing but ear drops and camera film.

If the characters are at all "Outsiders," be they members of a subculture (like stoners, [[TheSlacker slackers]], hipsters, or rock musicians), [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible modern artists]], lonely single men (or sometimes women), or {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s, and their refrigerator is shown, it will be entirely or nearly empty, possibly save for a mysterious, unidentifiable stain, or a carton of long-expired milk. Any thing that could be, or could have been a meal would be something like an ancient, inedible sandwich, or leftover take-out ranging from the previous night to [[{{Squick}} the previous year]]. The empty refrigerator is usually shorthand for alienation from society due either to lifestyle or poverty, and often both.

Additionally, the shortage of edible food also tends to exclude such people from being viable hosts thus making the characters appear more alienated, which feeds this trope. Generally, the more socially alienated a character is, the higher the probability that their refrigerator resembles this trope. Other variants of this include [[TheAlcoholic a refrigerator full of alcoholic beverages and little else]], or a refrigerator [[ItCameFromTheFridge stocked entirely with expired food]]. In very, ''very'' extreme situations, the refrigerator may contain a dead (non-food) animal such as a rat or pigeon, or some other random object not usually stored in a refrigerator, like old sneakers or underwear.

If the characters are at all "Outsiders," be they members of a subculture (like stoners, slackers, hipsters, or rock musicians), [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible modern artists]], lonely single men (or sometimes women), or {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s, and their refrigerator is shown, it will be entirely or nearly empty, possibly save for a mysterious, unidentifiable stain, or a carton of long-expired milk. Any thing that could be, or could have been a meal would be something like an ancient, inedible sandwich, or leftover take-out ranging from the previous night to [[{{Squick}} the previous year]]. The empty refrigerator is usually shorthand for alienation from society due either to lifestyle or poverty, and often both. Additionally, the shortage of edible food also tends to exclude such people from being viable hosts thus making the characters appear more alienated, which feeds this trope. Generally, the more socially alienated a character is, the higher the probability that their refrigerator resembles this trope. Other variants of this include [[TheAlcoholic a refrigerator full of alcoholic beverages and little else]], or a refrigerator [[ItCameFromTheFridge stocked entirely with expired food]]. In very, ''very'' extreme situations, the refrigerator may contain a dead (non-food) animal such as a rat or pigeon, or some other random object not usually stored in a refrigerator, like old sneakers or underwear.