Pantries can be time machines. An expired tin of lychees moved house with us The author reflects on her childhood memory of finding expired food in her grandmother’s pantry in 1991 Hervey Bay, contrasting it with her own recent discovery of out-of-date lychees. This experience highlights her evolving understanding of time and aging, as she relates it to her grandmother’s solitary life and her own current phase of life.

• The author recalls a childhood holiday in 1991 Hervey Bay where expired food, like oregano and salad dressing, was found in her grandmother’s pantry.
• She contrasts this with her own experience of finding a tin of lychees with a ‘best before’ date of January 2020, which had moved with her family through multiple homes.
• The author contemplates how getting older changes one’s perception of time, noting how it can compress and expand, and how events can resonate across decades.
• A recent visit to her parents’ apartment involves a brief thought about expired salad dressing, echoing the earlier pantry discoveries.
• She concludes that understanding the passage of time and its effects is a personal journey without shortcuts.