Tuesday, February 19, 2008

O Pioneers!


Our microwave broke on Friday. It won't heat anything at all. It does still spin the turntable around and light up, but that's only entertaining up to a point, really. I had to heat water in a pan, on the stove, to prepare my non-fortifying, caffein-less hot chocolate (no chocolate added).
It got me to thinking about the early pioneers and how they coped with no modern conveniences.

I remember we were the first family I know to buy a microwave oven. It sat on the counter huge and hulking and intimidating every soul around it. My mother was afraid we'd get radiation poisoning and grow new ears while glowing a faint greenish color. We kids just wanted to see the thing work, who cared what it actually did, just turn it on. The first thing to go in was a simple mug of water. After much noise but not much time out came a piping hot mug of hot water? Well there was no instant hot chocolate powder way back then so we just stared silently at this new world of faster heat. My mom the first to speak, "Ed, we have a perfectly good kettle to heat our water with, we certainly don't need that thing! Get back, children."

We didn't use it much the first year. Soon after, other people began to buy microwaves and use them for re-heating and water boiling. Then came the discovery of microwave cooking; by Jove you can cook in that thing , it's fast and you don't have to worry about it blowing up like the pressure cooker, painting the walls with our delectable supper. There were new plastic cooking utensils designed for microwve cooking, cook books, and even TV dinners were now delegated to the microwave. The age of machination indeed, baby! What an absolute thrill to be on the cutting edge of gadget history. We were there, we led the way O Pioneers!

And now? I can't even thaw meat without that thing. Leave the meat out of the freezer? Are you crazy, what about germs? Re-Heat carry out dinners in the oven? ,are you daft? Yes I must struggle through just as my Grandmother and Mother have done before me. At least until the repairman comes.

34 comments:

Brian o vretanos said...

F I R S T ! ! ! !

Brian o vretanos said...

This is terrible! How will you cope?

The really good news is that GBC can be made quickly and easily in the oven, so at least you won't starve.

My thoughts are with you (and especially your poor family) at this difficult time.

Brian o vretanos said...

Is the waffle-maker still going strong? And you could always borrow Bee's super duper Black phone thing. I'm sure that must have a microwave function, as well as making the tea, etc.

Brian o vretanos said...

I can't get over the fact that I was first. It's so satisfying. I love that picture.

Brian o vretanos said...

The rest of the post's not bad either...

Brian o vretanos said...

Here's something that may be a life-safer

Car Engine Cooking

Bee said...

WHAT THE HECK!!
BRIAN!!!

Bee said...

So not cool! I just got back from lunch and ran over a few doctors to be first and you beat me to it!

Bee said...

jean knee, we didn't get a Mic until 1995. Even then my momma did not use it until a few years ago.
Last year she bought one for my grandparents but they only use it for popcorn.


Bad Brian! Bad!

Bee said...

At least now I'm...

Bee said...

11th!!

Bee said...

Jeez! I had the longest word verification in the history of mankind!

Brian, are you mocking my Scarlet? (that's the name of my Blackjack)

Brian o vretanos said...

Bee:

As if I'd do that ;-)

Bee said...

Should I tell you that Andy bought me a red wireless mouse yesterday to go with my other gadgets? Nah! You'll think I'm weird.

Bee said...

Well, in your face cuz I was 11th!

Jean Knee said...

now, now we will only have bickering on Brian's blog


Here is another tale: Last night while cooking supper I did not know how to defrost the friggin meat. I stuck it in hot water--didn't work then I tried to kinda melt it in the pan and flip it a lot--sorta worked but some was charred. no one said a thing about it

Brian o vretanos said...

No, you can't spoil it for me. To check the blog, find that the much anticipated post is finally here, AND to be first, AND to be handed a great idea for my blog when I was having difficulty finding something.

There are some things money can't buy...

Bee said...

jean knee, since you're in Texas, just take a giant magnifying glass and stand in the sun with it pointing at the meat.

Melissa said...

Take out. That's all I gotta say!

Melissa said...

Take out. That's all I gotta say!

Maddy said...

I had the same thing but with the huge oven. Thank goodness for the toaster oven.
Cheers

Super Happy Girl said...

Hey! I wanted to be 11 :(
Booo hooo :(
:(
:(

Super Happy Girl said...

Ok whatever.
We got a microwave after visiting the U.S. and we got to see the wonders of heating water.

"We need one of those!"

I have never cooked in it, all I do is re-heat things, boil water or making pop corn.

Super Happy Girl said...

So.

What did you do?!?!?!?!?!

Bee said...

JEAN KNEE! You've got me daying "dang" now.

Anonymous said...

We approve of Bee!!!

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain. Hope the repairman comes soon. Hope he's easy on the eyes, too. I mean, why not?

Klin said...

I do more cooking in the micro than anything else. I think we'd starve to death or eat it frozen if ours went out. Well, it actually did once and we made it 2 days on Ramen Noodles and Subway, then we got another one- P.D.Q.!!!!!

Millie said...

You poor darling.

Love the pic, though. Her arms don't look chubby.

Dapoppins said...

I had a comment but I got caught up in reading brian and bee and now I cant remember what it was...

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

Oh Jean Knee! I am so sorry for your temporary loss! I'm sure you've been over to Brians so I'm sure you know that there's a possibility that your microwave is indeed still heating, just in space instead of your kitchen.
Take comfort in that.

Dan said...

11 th

elasticwaistbandlady said...

My son tied my big, silvery gray tarpuline to the sides of my truck over the weekend.

Every time I sped up the wind caught it and puffed up. I told the kids that it was a giant bag of Jiffy Pop and it was going to blow popcorn all over the place.

elasticwaistbandlady said...

The handle fell off my microwave oven two years ago.

We've taught our kids how to jerry-rig it by opening it up with the flat end of their silverware.

That's hardship, baby! Go take your story and cry about it in the corner.