Julia Montoro, winner of the 19th edition of the Literary Excellence program, delights us with this text on the background of people related to a simple package of pasta.

A few weeks ago I found in my pantry a package of macaroni about to expire. Yes... about to expire! I never thought that products like pasta would expire. How long had it been there to be in such a state? Who's package of macaroni must have expired? 

I'll start at the beginning: I opened the pantry to tidy it up and a package whose contents and brand I did not recognize caught my eye. Had it not been for the fact that I had moved the products stored in the cupboard, I would not have noticed the macaroni. Curious, I picked up the package and examined it cautiously. The packaging has changed. I mean the brand now markets its pasta with a new image. So, faced with this finding, I wondered what the recommended consumption date would be, since the pasta seemed to be in perfect condition. Well, perhaps they didn't look the most appetizing, as the color had turned a bit whitish and the stripes on the bag had lost their color intensity and the sides were a bit cracked.

Mi sorpresa fue supina: los macarrones habían caducado en 2011. ¡Hace once años! ¿Cómo es posible que hubieran quedado allí olvidados más de una década? Probablemente mi madre los almacenó en la despensa <<por si acaso>>, <<porque nunca se sabe lo que puede pasar>>. Y, probablemente, se había olvidado de la existencia de aquel paquete, de modo que cada vez que se acababa la pasta en casa, compraba uno nuevo. 

Pasta seems like a simple staple to us. While we wouldn't entertain our guests with a plate of macaroni and tomato (or would we), we agree with agreement that there is no meal that is tastier, simpler and more economical. Plus, we take it for granted that there's always a bag of macaroni to get us out of a jam on days when everything seems to be working backwards and we don't have time to bring out the "Master Chef" in us. 

But what if we suddenly can't find it and its space in the pantry is empty? The children will start bawling because they are hungry and there will be nothing quick to prepare for them, the dog will bark because of the commotion formed by the little ones and we will try to keep calm while cursing our inability to foresee.

We all enjoy certain people who support our existence from the rear. They are the ones who never let us miss a packet of macaroni. But many times we underestimate their work, until we run out of money and we realize how much they do for us, how they always remain in the shadows to lend us an invisible hand.

The next time I go to the pantry, I'll take a look to make sure I have macarons. I know I'll find them, and I'm determined not to let them expire.

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