Tuesday, February 28, 2017

MY ADDICTION TO THE MICROWAVE

     Four nights ago our microwave went dark. It stopped in the middle of heating our supper. It silently quit and went dark. That was it for a hot supper.

    Now when the microwave quit I realized how dependent I had become on it and how much I used it. It was difficult to be without it.

    So half the supper was cold. The next morning, no hot cereal. No hot morning coffee. My soup for lunch had to  be done on the stove. I can't remember the last time I heated soup on a stove. We kept running to the microwave only to discover again and again that it wasn't there. We suddenly realized how many times a day we used the microwave.

   The microwave was still on warranty so we had to take it back to the store. There was a hassle at the store but finally they agreed to replace the microwave. But , they didn't have  one like mine. they checked other stores. Finally they found the right microwave but it takes a few days to get here.

    Now the last time the microwave died we just went out the next day and bought a new one. Unfortunately, this time we have to do without the microwave.

    Now all this whining has made me look back and wonder how we lived before microwaves. In my Mom's case she spent more than half her life without refrigeration. We didn't cook so much at one time so we didn't have leftovers. Now we make large amounts of food, refrigerate it and then warm it up with the trusty microwave. Want  coffee? Boil the kettle and throw a teaspoon of instant coffee in your cup! Remember instant coffee? It's been 20 years since we had instant coffee. 

    So now on the fourth day without a microwave we are getting used to the routine. We're not going to the microwave only to get a shock when we realize the microwave is gone. I haven't stopped looking over for the time on the microwave clock.

   Maybe Thursday we'll have the new microwave!


43 comments:

  1. We realized how much we relied on ours, too, when it quit. The other thing I like about them is how much more efficient they are - they hardly use any electricity.

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  2. Yep, you are right. We have become very dependent on our modern conveniences, and the microwave is a big one. People 40 years old and younger have always had them!

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    1. I guess they've been around that long. I can't remember when we got the first one.

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  3. Oh absolutely, what did we do before microwaves? We're totally addicted at our house.

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    1. There was a before microwaves and we coped.

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  4. I only cook rice or heat leftovers in ours so i can manage quite well without it, except the rice part! I just can't figure out how to do rice on the stove.

    The light in my microwave was blown for a very long time and it was strange to start with but i got used to it

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    1. I think ours is used about 75% for left overs.

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  5. The microwave has been one of the inventions that really has made life so much easier and freed time to do other things - like blogging!

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    1. Yes, it did make life much easier and saved time. Yes, for us we used the extra time for blogging.

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  6. I don't use it so much as you I think. I use the stove every day for cooking and the oven aswell. The microwave only when we have to warm up a left over once in a while.

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  7. We had the same thing happen 2 or 3 years ago, and couldn't install the new one ourselves, up high, above the stove. I know how you feel.
    My ex-late mother-in-law gave us my first microwave in 1976, as a wedding present! My ex-husband tried to cook cookies in it, and they came out like pottery!

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    1. We've never had a built in microwave...not enough room.

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  8. I use mine at least several times a day. You just made me realize how dependent I am on it! I remember the first one I saw at someone's home and stood way back when we turned it on, afraid we might be cooked if we stood too close! :-)

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    1. You never know how much you use a microwave until it's gone.

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  9. I have one installed in the cabinets. I know it will be a pain to replace it when it finally goes out

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    1. Mine is a countertop so easy to change.

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  10. Amazing how much we rely on things like microwaves.

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    1. I think I'd have a tough time if the coffee maker died.

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  11. I my microwave dies it will have to be taken out by a repairman as it is part of the oven as well. We use ours for re-heating food, making tea and sauces. But I cook most of the rest of the food we eat.

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    1. I wonder if the built ins are better than countertop ovens.

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  12. Hope you have a new microwave by now! It is seriously the best convenience invention in my lifetime so far!

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  13. Hi Red, I sure know what you mean about depending on the Microwave. We moved to our current home about 2 years ago. Before that we, believe it or not, never used a microwave. Didn’t think we needed one. When we got here there was one already installed. We started using it for one thing and another and now use it multiple times a day, just like you do. Wow, what other kind of technology are we missing?

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    1. I can't believe you didn't have a microwave until two years ago.

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    2. Hi Red, Almost 4 years later ... I use my Microwave almost every day and usually, when I do, I am reminded of you and this post back in 2017. Now I understand WHY you said what you did. The machine is virtually indispensable! I wonder if you ever experience something like this ... When you go to do something it will remind you of someone or some event in the past. Anyway, just an update for what it's worth. Have a good day Red.

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  14. I remember being addicted to my spin washer after my wringer watcher now it is my front loader. Progress sticks :) B

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    1. You had a wringer washer? I thought they were all in museums.

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  15. It's hard to imagine a time without microwaves. I mentioned to our grown son that there were no microwave ovens when I was a kid and he looked at me like I was a dinosaur.

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    1. Sometimes when I tell my kids stuff I can hardly believe what I'm saying.

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  16. That's funny. By the time you get used to doing things the old way, a microwave will be back in its spot and you will forget to use it! We mainly make cups of tea in ours and it's sort of silly to have it.

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    1. I've got the new microwave and supper was easily made tonight.

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  17. Please remember that you are married to The Micro Manager and not to The Microwave!

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  18. I don't use the microwave that often but I know I'd miss it if I didn't have one. It sure comes in handy from time to time. There are so many things we've become accustomed to so that when we are without our conveniences we wonder how we manage. I hope the replacement microwave is just what you expect and hope it to be.

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  19. I am happy to read you have your new microwave. I would miss mine too if it were gone.

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  20. When I lived in NYC for 10 years I didn't have a microwave at all! I just used the stove to heat my food. (I didn't cook much, though.) Even now I use it mostly just to reheat leftovers.

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  21. I remember a roommate buying an early model and I really wondered what good it might be, for the space it took.While camping one year for a month a young boy looked into my tent and saw my microwave, and went back to argue with his grandmother who told him no TV while camping. His comment was,"Well he has one."

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  22. So many conveniences that we're dependent on these days. We use our microwave to warm up food and make popcorn. That's about it. But even with limited use, I'd miss having one. My mom, on the other hand, has never had a microwave. She heats her food on the stove or in the oven.

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  23. Hope you get your new one soon! I keep wondering when ours will go. It wasn't new when we moved in, and we have been here ten years now. I would definitely miss my microwave if it died.

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