Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Are you going to eat me?


Microwaves have come a long way. The one we had when I was a kid had dials, not buttons. It wasn't digital. I'm not sure it even had a clock on it. It was about the size of a Honda Fit and it didn't even have a rotating plate at the bottom.

The microwave I have now has a special button for popcorn that senses when the popcorn is done and never burns it, it has a button to soften your butter without melting it, it has a 30 second button for quick heats (that I love), and buttons 1-6 automtatically cook your food 1-6 minutes with one touch. But the best feature about my microwave is the "Are you going to eat me?" feature. This kicks in when you have put something in the microwave and then become a total idiot and forgotten all about it. After your food is done and you wander away, the microwave begins to beep periodically as if to say, "Hey, are you going to eat me?" If you're around, you will hear it and remember your food. If you've suffered more serious brain damage and don't come back to the kitchen for an hour or two (and also don't notice that you've become ravenously hungry and can't figure out why), that nice little beep will be patiently chirping for you when you return. I think it will beep until the end of time if you don't open the microwave door.

Of course you'll have to either throw your food away at that point because it is now bacteria infested and a danger to your health. Or you'll have to reheat it again because it is colder than when it started. But never fear, if you forget again, the "Are you going to eat me" feature will save the day. (And yes, I have had to use this feature more than once on the same piece of food.)

3 comments:

Mindi said...

ours TOTALLY does the "eat me" beep. but the problem with my girls is the fact that it happens all too frequently.

i remember our neighbors were the first ones to get a microwave and i remember standing in front of it watching a piece of cinnamon toast get nuked in it. it had a big dial, too. random the things you remember from childhood......deep thoughts.

Chelsea said...

I totally remember our huge microwave from the 80s - complete with dials and a mechanical bell. We've come a long way in kitchen developments! I love the "are you going to eat me" beep so much, because I am famous for walking away and completely forgetting I have something in there during the 1 minute it takes to reheat my lunch.

alex dumas said...

At my house I usually make it my job to holler, "WHO PUT FOOD IN THE MICROWAVE?" It's louder than the beep, which is necessary when the television is on.