"Is this old?"

I incessantly check the expiration dates of everything that I  consume. It is not uncommon for me to ask, "is this old?" or "is this expired?". I get the most *sighs* out of Matt and my mother. Even if they say it is fine, I do not really believe them. I have a 24 hour rule on most items. My dad likes to say things like, "that has been there for DAYS!", which is typically followed by my mom saying firmly, "JOHN! Why would you say that? You KNOW how your daughter is! Now she won't eat it!". Even if I AM brave enough to consume the product I will ask a minimum of 3 times, "are you sure this isn't old?". This is followed by rolling eyes and exhausted looks on people's faces as they ONCE AGAIN say, "it is FINE!".

There is a reason behind this madness.  A reason that adds to my obsessive compulsive tendencies. I can't remember how old I was, but I know it was Thanksgiving.  It is not uncommon for me to feel "starved" after a day of holiday food because there is SO much grazing going on! I never feel completely full! Anyway, my dad is the same way.  We got home and both complained of feeling hungry and immediately went to the refrigerator to take a peek.  Apparently we both thought it would be an EXCELLENT idea to choose the CAN of swanson chicken broth shoved WAY back in the fridge covered with a small piece of tin foil.  What a great idea to boil some pasta in that and have some soup before bed! Me being a child, I only wanted the noodles.  Dad being the dad, gladly took MY broth and slurped it down.  A few hours later I awoke sweating SO badly and MAN did my stomach hurt! I trudged over to mom and dad's room and poked at mom. She woke up and asked what was wrong and I mumbled, "I don't feel very good" and BLAH...no need for details.  Dad then sits up and says, "I don't feel good either" and off he ran downstairs.  I am pretty certain the house was shaking from his violent sickness. My body had mended within 12 hours. Dad's did not. I am not sure if he EVER left that bathroom during the next 24 hours. He REALLY should not have slurped down so much broth!  To this day, both of us cringe and gag a little bit when we see this label:

As a matter of fact whenever I eat any sort of chicken broth I envision the following:

And question, "is this old?"

Btw, you CAN tell when pop is expired. I have had other witnesses...you know who you are.