"Oh, I think we already have some turmeric", said my wife, eagerly seeking out her spice rack. She was right, too, we did indeed already have some turmeric:
In case you can't spot it, here's a close-up of the expiry date:
So basically, it died 14 years ago. My wife tried to make a case that, its being a spice, it was still probably edible; besides, she wasn't going to eat my daughter's seafood paella any more than I was. However, after discovering that the turmeric was as hard as cement, she relented and told me to buy a new jar.
Then, she decided to check out the rest of her spices. Get ready for this...
It's a jar of parsley. Take a close look at the expiry date:
That's right, it expired in May, 1971. My wife was only 9 years old herself in May, 1971. Gawd knows where she got it. Surely there must be some mistake? I didn't think they had expiry dates back then, and the jar has a barcode on it, too, which seems anachronistic. It does look very old, though, with a label and a plastic lid that are much more faded than that on the turmeric. The parsley inside looks like wheat husks found in some ancient Egyptian tomb, with only the faintest of occasional hints that it may once have been green.
I decided not to buy a replacement jar. After all, it's not as if we use it much...