Ten absolutely, totally useless things , #3

Back in mid 70’s I got a bee in my bonnet that we ‘needed’ a microwave oven. The prices of microwaves were exorbitant (I know, that is a big word, but remember, I won the spelling bee in eighth grade.) way back then, but I really needed one. We had a two-year old son, and there would be many ways I was sure I could use it since he was now a part of our lives. I don’t think I had to beg too much because at that point my hubby also wanted one. We had visited his uncle and aunt in North Carolina and they had one for years, and we were both very impressed with those things. And, I’m a gadget-type person.

We did our research and price checked until we finally decided on a gigantic Sharp Carousel at a cost of $500-$550, plus another chunk of change.

Recipes for foods cooked in the microwave were just beginning to be adapted from the oven to the microwave at that time because a lot of people were still using them mostly for reheating their leftover food and other basics.

Several months later our power provider ran a notice in one of their monthly flier that they were looking for recipes of dishes converted to use in the microwave and wanted people to submit theirs for the contest which would be held state wide. Each district would have first, second and third place monetary winners then those winners from each district would meet for final competition on a state-wide level.

This intrigued me and I decided maybe I should compete. I would try this recipe and that, until I finally had one perfected to my satisfaction. I submitted my recipe and after final district competitions I was judged to be first place winner in my district. The rules required that my district sponsor would have to come out to my house and I would cook my dish for her, using my oven, my directions, time cooked, etc. and she could help me with any little suggestions, if there was a need for any. They could be only minor adjustments. She came out, found no need for any corrections, and I was off to the state for finals.
During the waiting period, my little two-year old cheerleading son walked around the house proclaiming, “Mommy’s gonna win! Mommy’s gonna win! Mommy’s gonna win!” He had me believing that indeed, “Mommy’s gonna win!” Those are some sweet words coming from a two-year olds little mouth.
The power company made arrangements with the microwave companies to provide the exact model we had prepared our food in when we met for the final competition. Of course, this was crucial to me because I had the Carousel and it cooked the food more evenly without having to turn it. I was chosen to be one of the first to cook my dish.

The power company treated us to a delightful luncheon accompanied by the judges and other dignitaries.

The winners would be announced later in the afternoon after everybody had cooked their dish. The stress was off of me because I had cooked my dish before the luncheon, and I was good for the rest of the afternoon, just waiting.

During the luncheon, strangely several women that I didn’t even know walked up to me and asked me if I was the one who had prepared the chicken dish, to which I replied I was. Not just one woman, but several. It was so very odd, and I began to wonder if maybe I had placed somewhere in the competition after all. However, these luncheon ladies wouldn’t give any further information. Very strange indeed!

So, after all, it did become a very long and nerve-racking afternoon. Finally the winners were announced, and I was lucky enough to place second in my category. I still couldn’t understand all the questioning by those ladies at the luncheon, just because I won second place. It was a good chicken dish, but… Later that afternoon my district sponsor told me that I would have won first place, maybe overall had my dish been cooked thoroughly.

It seems there was a problem. Since I was one of the first to cook, my microwave was hooked up to an area where apparently there was a lot of power being pulled from it, and it resulted in a brown-out of a type, thereby making my dish just a little under cooked.

You would think that since the power company was sponsoring this big shindig they, of all people, would have had a clue you can’t run so many microwaves off of so few cords. Mine just happened to be on the wrong hook up. They quickly corrected the situation, but since I had to provide my own food and I had already used it up there would be no do-overs on it. They had to go with the results they got from the food preparation that day and couldn’t depend on my sponsor’s word that my dish had really only needed that amount of time to cook at my house, under regular power.

All was not lost. I didn’t mourn too long. I had come a lot farther than I ever dreamed I would. How can you possibly be a loser when you have a handsome little cheerleader who believes in his Mommy? Even if I had not won at all, he believed in me and that made it worth it. He had spent an extremely long day waiting for Mommy to win without complaint.

What did I do with my prize money? Like any good citizen suffering during the energy crisis of the l970s, I invested every penny of it in storm windows for our house. It’s still paying off benefits after all these years. Quite an investment, I think. Maybe it eventually paid for that $500 plus microwave we invested in thirty-two years ago.

How much fun would it have been to simply write that I won first place in a state-wide microwave contest? There’s not enough drama in something so simple. I love being able to write about the drama in my life. My life is far from dull. I live it every.single.day. Don’t you wish you were me? Sometimes I wish you were, too. But since that’s no possible, you get to re-live my life here on my blog with me.

Just in case I’ve failed to mention it…my hometown's Only Newspaper In The County ran my picture and a big write-up about me winning. Twice. Once when I won District, then when I won State. Umm huh! THE VERY same one! My mother and daddy were so very proud of their baby daughter. Could you tell?

And it even made the BIG, Big city paper, too, complete with picture and all. That would be the State’s largest newspaper! I’m surprise you haven’t heard of me before now. No… No, really.