Livin' La Vida Microwave

   Ahhh...the microwave life, pop it in, push some buttons (with my E.T. fingers, see 'My Push Button Life') and whoop there it is, an instant meal in a plastic dish. Let's all say, "Hey Grandpa, what's for supper?", "A dollop of tasteless mashed potatoes, some BB carrots and a chicken leg with enough meat for one bite on it, and don't forget the brownie that sticks to the roof of your mouth", "Mmm-mmm". I sound like Julia Child talking when I eat the brownie.

  Microwave ovens were official in 1971 the same year as the crock pot. They both serve the same purpose with a very much different approach. Microwaves are for convenience and the instant appeal. Crock pots handle the convenience issue because you can do 'all day cookin' without lookin', but the instant thing ain't gonna happen.

  I think the Jetsons had it made, instant everything. Jane had the luxury of instant make-up application with the push of a button, she also got her hair fixed instantly when the dome-shaped thing came down on her head. Their clothes got changed in a blink of an eye, their food got cooked, pronto, the dog got walked, effortlessly. What a way to live...want it?, have it, NOW!

  I realize that I have had a microwave mentality that I have had to change to the crock pot way of thinking. Instant gratification is not all that it is made out to be. Credit cards (me see - me want) crash diets and compromises have left me more than once with a dissatisfaction for the just add water approach to my decisions. The crock pot method takes SO much longer, but the results are much more satisfying.

  The flavor, the aroma, the tenderness of the cooked to near perfection crock pot meal is much more necessary for me. When I live the  microwave life, hasty un-tasty things happen. "It's my money and I want it NOW"... I scream out my window. Yeah...and you better put it in the crock pot. "It's my life and I'll live the way I want to"...crock pot. "This may be my only opportunity"...crock pot.

  Don't you think that crock pot food just tastes better than microwaved food? It's the method, not the material that makes all of the difference. It's the -take your time approach- compared to the -zippy zoom concept.

  I have to remember to tell myself that life is not meant to be lived at an instantaneous pace, that NOW will not always make me happy and microwaves are really just better for reheating the food that my crock pot cooked.