TV show knows what's in your fridge is food for thought

If, as the age-old adage says, "we are what we eat", then the fridge is a reflection of our personality.

What can we deduce, say, from a fridge packed with eggs, chicken breasts and protein bars? It is more than likely that the person who puts those items in the fridge is a fitness fanatic or at least wants to be fitter. Shelves lined by toners, moisturizing masks, eye creams and jade rollers, on the other hand, reflect the owner's preoccupation with skin care and an obsessive pursuit of beauty. A nearly empty fridge might indicate that the owner has been on a long trip and has not yet had time to replenish their food stockpile.

It was really only a matter of time before a TV show would use the appliance to get into the mind and character of a celebrity.

Go! Fridge uses the refrigerator as a good conversation starter to open heart-to-heart talks with celebrity guests, meanwhile probing into the diversity of young people's lifestyles and their attitudes toward life.

The show, hosted by renowned anchorman He Jiong and Hong Kong pop idol Jackson Wang, combines elements of both a talk show and gourmet program. While examining what's inside the fridge, the hosts ask the guests about their eating habits, cooking styles and useful tips to improve quality of life, alongside other topics unveiling how, when out of the spotlight, they live their day-to-day life.

Chefs are also invited to create recipes and cook 15-minute meals, using only ingredients from the guests' fridges.

Six seasons of the show have been broadcast since its initiation in 2015 and the latest season has notched up more than 500 million views on Tencent's video platform. A large section of the show's loyal audience are those aged between 18 and 24, according to Qiu Yue, the show's supervisor.

"Most of the audience are college students and fresh graduates who have left their parents to live an independent life. We hope they enjoy the show and can relate to the various lifestyles and attitudes shared by our guests," Qiu says.

Celebrities, such as actors Zhang Ruoyun, Jing Boran, writer Guo Jingming and Taiwan actress Joe Chen, have been invited to appear on the show, sharing their personal thoughts about eating, cooking and other aspects of their daily lives.

Wang Xinxuan, the show's producer, points out that they just want to present the guests' lifestyles as realistically as possible without judging any of them. For instance, crosstalk performer Guo Qilin, 24, who lives alone in a rented apartment, seldom buys ingredients for his fridge, as he pretty much relies on food delivery services. Thus, a large number of young people who lead a solitary life would feel connected with Guo, says Wang.

Another fridge, belonging to Taiwan cellist and actress Ouyang Nana, 20, is filled with fresh vegetables, eggs and other nutritious, low-fat food. Her determination to keep fit has encouraged many contemporaries to be self-disciplined dieters, too.

The show also examines the idea that cooking is a way to express our love for life.

Wang says that in such a fast-paced society, people like her get few opportunities to cook a hearty meal.

However, during the period when people were confined indoors to curb the spread of COVID-19, many had enough time to improve their cooking skills and were willing to share what they had concocted on social media platforms.

"We hope the show will also encourage young people to embrace the pleasure of life that can be found in cooking a meal for themselves or their families," she adds.