We are three months in our new French life adventure, and the last month has felt like running on rolling logs. We have found a cute little house, bought it, and just moved in. All of this during a drought – the fourth brutal heat wave of the season -, the core August holiday season during which most stores are closed, and even without a fridge or freezer. The delivery was cancelled without notice, and even with an immediate refund, that transformed our move into a test of endurance of five days.
If we look at the bright side, a new fridge and freezer will be delivered tomorrow. Besides, when everything else lets you down, you can always rely on pasta. Italians are hard-cored when it comes to cooking with scarce ingredients: no sauce? No problem. As long as you have a drop of olive oil and chili pepper, you can still cook a delicious pasta dish.
The hardest part has been doing a lot of work without fresh water. When outside the thermometer hits 34-36 Celsius, store-bought refrigerated bottles have a short life-span and ice-cube buckets are useless. So here’s a few tricks that can help in desperate situations.
How to manage water storage without a fridge
To keep drinking water at a manageable temperature, insulated flasks and coolers are a godsend. These keep the water cool for longer without the need of a fridge. Of course, we are keeping water bottles out of the sun, in the coolest parts of the house. Eventually we have embraced drinking room temperature water, which is actually absorbed faster by the body.
The importance of electrolytes
When temperatures reach the mid-30s and you are doing the physical labor of moving, you sweat out vital salts and minerals (like sodium and potassium) faster than normal. Drinking only plain water when heavily sweating can lead to an imbalance. Powdered electrolytes packets are a great help, especially if you suffer from low blood pressure during the heat. You mix them in your water, and they’ll help you sustain you. Coconut water is also a good alternative for restoring lost salts.
Eat your hydration
Without a fridge to store leftovers or perishable groceries, you can rely on fresh, high-water-content produce that doesn’t spoil instantly at room temperature if eaten fresh: watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, and grapes are your best friends. They provide a major hydration boost along with natural energy and vitamins.
Smart habits for moving day
The first rule is to pace yourself. Heavy lifting and heavy duty cleaning in 35°C heat causes rapid fluid loss. We took frequent breaks in the shade or the coolest breeze we could find. And we kept sipping water throughout the day, before even feeling parched. That alone will save you fainting or hammering headaches in the evening. And finally, clothing has a great part in keeping you cool and fresh. Loose-fitting clothes and linen help your sweat evaporate efficiently, which keeps your core temperature lower and reduces fluid loss.
Managing meals day-by-day
Managing meals has been maybe the hardest part of it all. So far, we have relied on items that don’t require refrigeration: canned vegetables, peanut butter, toasts, crackers, and pasta. We had to buy only what we planned to eat for each meal, like fresh bakery items and individual fruit servings. We still had a lot of spoiled food and drinks (especially juice and oat milk). Granola bars are my emergency snack for when I feel my blood sugar drop.
Looking forward to the finish line
Tomorrow cannot come soon enough for the fridge delivery. We are really looking forward to that shopping trip to re-buy all of our perishables and organize our new fridge with our favorite ingredients. But most of all, in our new home we are looking forward to those little pleasures that we haven’t had for a long time while moving from country to country: pots with fresh herbs (basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, and sage), planters with our favorite vegetables (cucumbers, Bell peppers, tomatoes… and maybe baby potatoes), and even a ginger plant that grew out of a forgotten ginger root chunk.
And that hammock under the trees in a breezy corner of the yard…
