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| 2010/10/02 03:25:48瀏覽1124｜回應2｜推薦10 | |
| Have you ever had this strange feeling before? When you suddenly heard an old melody that would bring you back to your childhood and remind you of something. That makes you realize nowadays we are so lucky to have all this convenience around us. Time has changed. For the past 40 years, kitchen appliances had been a huge leap towards modernization. These appliances had been invented, improved and refined. For example, we can enjoy different model of cookers, refrigerators, dishwashers, etc. Technology had created a more effective and more efficient way of cooking for the women or men in the kitchen. Hence, whoever uses these kitchen appliances definitely will appreciate the people who made every endeavor.
Every time when I heard of this song "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", immediately I recalled how my mother made our meals every day and how we squatted by the coal-stove managing to keep the coal-ball burning. When I was ten years old, helping my mother with her cooking was always a game to me instead of a chore. First, I tore the wastepaper to small pieces and put them inside the stove, then I stacked short and thin stalks loosely on top of them, next I kindled the fire on the wastepaper. When it burned up to the stalks, I put the coal-ball on top of it. The tiny sparklets underneath the coal-ball would allow it burned slowly. If the air wasn't enough, by waving the flame or using the fire-tongs poked inside the coal stove to adjust the fire. At first, smoke came to me like heavy fog. Coughing in tears was the price of learning. Having overcooked or raw food for dinner were very common in the beginning. Later on we learned how to control the fire and then we could have an edible and tasty meal every night. Those days had long gone. Time fled like a free wind and it blew away the heavy smoke around me. Now I am standing in front of my electric cooker, touching its polished stainless-steel surface with my fingers. It is smooth and clean, shining like a mirror. With one simple touch of the electronic ignition, I start the heat and turn the knob to adjust it. These hotplates can accommodate several pots and pans at once, all bubbling away at different temperatures. One pot is simmering the soup of chicken and vegetables plus few strips of Austrian bacon. The other pot is stewing ribs and seaweed. Another pot covers with lid tightly for its smoking duckling. The last hotplate with an empty wok is waiting there, until the doorbell rings, that is the signal for starting to stir fry the green and crispy vegetables. Then the dinner is served. These cookers are designed to cater for our cooking needs. I can cook several dishes simultaneously. From simmer to stir fry are all under my control. I can rustling up a quick meal for four or a dinner party for ten easily. It sounds so perfectly just like a beautiful dream for a housewife. But, this is not a dream. Technology made everything easier and faster. The most important thing is, we are still striving for that goal. For the welfare of the human being. Therefore, whenever I hear this song "They asked me how I knew my true love was true, I of course replied something here inside can not be denied." Now in retrospect, those good old days seem to me like a trailing white wisp of mist. It never ends up in smoke. (April 28th, 2004 at Shinchu City) |
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