When You Work for the Church

If you’re looking for a fun, easy, no-equipment-necessary cooperative game to play, you might want to try “What’s in Your Fridge?”

I dreamed this up last Friday when I was making lunch (inspired by the contents of my fridge!), shared the idea with a friend that afternoon, then tried it with a group the following night.

When I first suggested trying a game, there were a few good-natured groans. One even joked that we’d better keep the conversation going, so we wouldn’t have to play a game. But after just one round—which was all I thought we’d try—someone else said, “That went so fast, let’s go around again.”

With some groups, the conversation flows so easily that playing a game might seem like an interruption. But a cooperative game can be a helpful ice breaker for people who don’t already know each other, can create space in a group for those who are quieter, and be a fun way to learn something new and build relationships.

Here’s the game along with some variations, and if you try it with a group, I’d love to know how it goes, so please leave a comment at the end of this post.

What’s in Your Fridge?

The Players: Because I had a mix of singles and couples around my dining room table, we played this in households—so a single was one household, a couple was one household, and we had a total of six households. The game would work well with a few more players or a few less, and if you have a large group with people already seated at round tables, each table group could play the game.

The Ultra-Simple Instructions: Ask everyone to think about what’s in their fridge, and choose something they think that no one else would have. When it’s their turn, they say their item and give some background: how do they use it? what do they like about it? did they grow up with it, or is it something new to them? They choose the item, and what they’d like to say about it. Go around the table at least once with each taking a turn. Play as many rounds as you would like.

I loved the variety of our answers last Saturday evening: coconut aminos (a soy sauce substitute), Ribena (a concentrated blackcurrant beverage), Korean bean paste (doenjang for making soup or stew), real maple syrup from Ontario (others had real maple syrup in their fridge too, but labelled as “Product of Canada,” which one foodie said likely included maple syrup from both Ontario and Quebec), Brazilian cheese puffs (pão de queijo), chili crisp oil (oil infused with chili peppers and other seasonings that can be used like any other hot sauce), and more!

Scoring: If no one else has that item in their fridge, the player gets 3 points. If someone else has it, each player gets 2 points. If a third player has it, then each gets 1 point. And if more than 3 players have it, everyone gets 0. Since I didn’t want this to be a paper-and-pencil game, each player keeps their own score.

Who Wins: We all do! If a round ends and all the players have just 3 points, congratulate yourselves on your diversity and your expanding awareness of different foods. If all the players have 0 points, congratulate yourselves on having more in common than you might have thought! If your point scores are more mixed, congratulate yourselves on trying a new game, learning about some new foods, and having some fun together.

Variations:
1. Does what’s in your freezer count? I’d say yes, if your freezer is part of your fridge. That seems to be the simplest way to play the game. But you could play fridge-only if you prefer, or expand the game to include the deep freeze or the second fridge in the garage. In a cooperative game, you can feel free to make up your own rules as long as all agree and the rules are the same for everyone.

2. Can you play the game with just two people? Why not? When I told a friend about my new game as we were chatting on the phone, she immediately said, “Well, do you have home-made chipotle mayo in your fridge?” No, I didn’t. Score 3 points for her! And if I had home-made chipotle mayo in my fridge too, we’d both score 2 points. I wouldn’t bother adjusting the scoring for two players, since the principle remains the same: the higher the score for each player, the more different foods; the lower the individual score, the more in common. But if you’d like to highlight the contrast for two players, score just one point if the other player does not have the same food, 0 if you both have it. Play as many rounds as you like, or declare the game over once you keep zeroing out.

3. One caution: “What’s in Your Fridge?” works especially well with people who enjoy cooking, with foodies, and among people with different cultural backgrounds . But not everyone has a fridge stocked with food or other items. Please be aware of who’s in your group, then choose whether or not this game is appropriate.

If you try “What’s in Your Fridge?” please leave a comment below about your group, and how the game went for you. If you’d like to see more cooperative games for groups, or have a resource to share, please also leave a comment, since I’d love to know about that too.