Basic Trope: An impoverished or socially-inept character has little food in their fridge or pantry.
- Straight:
- Bob's fridge contains a carton of expired milk and a container of baking soda.
- Bob's fridge contains beer, beer, and more beer.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob's refrigerator contains Goofy Print Underwear.
- Bob doesn't even have one morsel of food in the fridge, unless baking soda counts.
- Downplayed: Bob's fridge mostly contains "Lonely Guy" single-serving TV-dinners. High in calories, but rather low in nourishment.
- Justified:
- Bob is part of a certain subculture, and he doesn't exactly have his priorities in order.
- Bob is poor (and possibly unemployed or underemployed); many times it's a choice between paying the rent and utilities and buying groceries.
- Bob was never taught how to manage things like buying groceries; that was always the responsibility of his mother (or possibly his ex-wife or ex-girlfriend).
- Bob tends to eat elsewhere besides his home, so his fridge rarely holds food.
- Bob mostly buys non-perishable foods, and keeps them in the pantry.
- After being transformed into a vampire Bob can't consume normal food. Anything left over are mere remnants.
- The fridge is being cleared of ice-buildup, so there shouldn't be any food in it in the mean time.
- Inverted: Bob's refrigerator is well-stocked with nutritious food.
- Subverted:
- Bob does have a decent amount of food in the fridge
- Although Bob's fridge is lacking somewhat, there's plenty of food to be had in the freezer and/or pantry.
- Bob's fridge is nearly empty, but tomorrow is Grocery Day, he'll do fine.
- Double Subverted:
- ...but most of it is spoiled.
- Because he doesn't have much money.
- Parodied:
- Bob doesn't even have a refrigerator (in a time or place where having at least one is the norm.)
- Bob shrugs and eats the baking soda for dinner (in front of the TV, of course.)
- Bob's refrigerator contains an Unrealistic Black Hole.
- Zig Zagged: Sometimes Bob has enough food, sometimes he doesn't.
- Averted: Bob has plenty of nutritious food in his fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Enforced:
- "We need to show what a Straw Loser Bob is."
- "We need to show that Bob is poor."
- Subculture of the Week
- Men Can't Keep House
- Lampshaded: "Huh... Nothing to eat except baking soda."
- Invoked: All in one day, Bob loses his job and his wife Alice leaves him for his best friend Charles.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Bob manages his funds and clips coupons so he'll be able to buy groceries. He also tends to do things like buy in bulk, rely on nonperishable foods (canned vegetables, pasta, dried legumes), and grow his own fruits and vegetables. He knows the importance of having adequate food in the house.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed: The consequences of the bad diet are brought to the fore as Bob ends up hospitalized due to food poisoning or malnutrition. Which he really can't afford.
- Played For Laughs: Bob keeps nothing food related in his fridge and only silly objects.
Isn't there *anything* to eat besides baking soda?!
