I have a repertoire of about a dozen soups that I enjoy preparing, but I certainly don’t consider myself a gourmet chef. However, I can legitimately claim to be a master of the microwave. Hand me a potentially edible substance, and I will nuke it to a palatable temperature in one step. This skill comes from 30 years of practice and requires a sixth sense that includes factoring in the object’s water content, shape, and density, and knowing whether I am starting from the frozen state, refrigerator cool, or room temperature.
Sadly, our 30-some-year-old microwave nuked its last leftover in a shower of sparks a few weeks ago, and I have been forced to recalibrate my technique with a new machine. Not to worry, I am just one or two more rewarmed meals away from returning to my old “nukelear” mastery.
I recently learned that Amana introduced the first countertop microwave in 1967, the same year that Pediatric News began publication (Susan Strasser. “ What’s in Your Microwave Oven? ” The New York Times. April 14, 2017). Over those ensuing 50 years, the microwave has been one of the major forces molding what, when, and how North Americans eat. It has been a tremendous time-saver for those saddled with the task of preparing family meals. The microwave oven also has allowed millions of adults and children without even the most basic kitchen skills or equipment to prepare themselves warm and nutritious meals at any time they choose or when their schedules allow.
Unfortunately, as with any new technology, the ubiquity of countertop microwave ovens has come with some downsides. While they do offer the cooking challenged among us a broad choice of foods we can prepare in minutes or seconds, the choices we make are not always nutritiously sound.
The microwave oven and single-serving prepared frozen meals have been a great boon to people who live alone or live or work on schedules out of sync with their families’ meal schedule. However, there is a point when this technologically-enabled nutritional independence begins to take precedence over communal dining. The family meal slips on to the endangered species list. Although there is some debate about whether family meals are any more valuable as character-building exercises than other shared family experiences, there is no question that children in families who dine together on a regular basis enjoy substantial health benefits , such as less depressive symptoms, more healthy foods, fewer weight problems, and less delinquency.
The forces that have driven the family meal into decline are numerous and powerful. However, we should not underestimate the role that the microwave oven has had in greasing this path toward extinction. Even if the family has one member with the time, skills, and commitment to create nutritious and complete meals, the microwave oven offers even the youngest member an easy way to opt out of sharing it with the rest of his family. A parent who must work late can rewarm his serving at 9:00 p.m. when he or she gets home. The high school thespian can nuke her own prepared frozen dinner at 5 p.m. so she can get to a rehearsal at 6 p.m. And, the 4-year-old picky eater who won’t touch anything green can have his treasured mac ‘n cheese warmed to his taste while everyone else is enjoying fish tacos. And, there you have it. Poof! With the touch of a couple buttons, the opportunity for a family to enjoy a meal together and share their experiences of the day has vanished into thin air along with a valuable lesson in cooperation and compromise.
But, we needn’t worry about those family members who are dining separately getting lonely because more than likely they each have their own electronic companion to keep them company while they eat their microwaved meal.
Dr. Wilkoff practiced primary care pediatrics in Brunswick, Maine, for nearly 40 years. He has authored several books on behavioral pediatrics, including “How to Say No to Your Toddler.”
