Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Freezer-Emptying Chowder


Freezer-emptying Chowder

Is this something universal? Does this happen to you, too? I mean, when home electronic products break down, they break down one after another, don’t they? Isn’t this Murphy's Law? Or does this happen only to me?

Anyway, I finally bought a new refrigerator today and it’s going to be delivered on Friday morning. Before I decided on which one to buy, I shopped around all afternoon till I was totally exhausted. What made me mad was that for having the fridge delivered, I had to pay extra 2000 yen, and what was worse, they charged me for another 5,355 yen for throwing away my old fridge that broke down.
※#●X !!! ** OK, sorry, I was wrong. The 5,355 yen was for the cost of recycling, not the cost for them to throw away the old appliance.


Now I need to empty the fridge I have now and clean the kitchen by Friday. Hence, this supper tonight. Maybe I should call it “chowder.” The quickest way to use frozen spinach, broccoli, corn, seafood mix, pork and chicken stock that were in the freezer. The taste? Edible, at least.

OK, let’s see the bright side of it. On this coming Friday, I’ll have a new, slightly bigger fridge with a self-defrosting freezer AND clean kitchen! For that kind of joy, I should be happy to go through the hardship of cleaning my old fridge AND the kitchen.

Oh, I hope I don't have to buy a new lanudry machine anytime soon!

9 comments:

cookiecrumb said...

When my refrigerater broke down several years ago, I found I was psychologically powerless to replace it. No idea why... something about maybe wanting to move to a new place, or do a huge (expensive) remodel, or... ? So we bought a small dormitory-size half-fridge to live out of until we came to terms with our cowardice. And then we bought a new, full-size fridge and sold the house!
(Your soup actually sounds good. My husband calls that kind of cooking "cream-of-bottom-of-the-refrigerator soup.)
:D

Anonymous said...

My family also had to pay extra for delivering a new oven...I think it was CAN$50. Luckily, we could dispose of our old oven by leaving it by the curb...and it was picked up by someone within a few hours! ^_^;

I must also try making a chowder from my freezer foods to help clear space. My grandma loves stocking up on stuff, but we have TOO much. >_< Great idea for the chowder and enjoy your new appliance! ^^

K and S said...

I didn't realize you have to pay to take the old one away here. I think in America they take it away for you for free (I may be wrong).

At least you'll have a clean kitchen and lots more space to put "new" food into. :)

Your "chowder" looks really good.

Karen said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Karen said...

I really hate when this kind of thing happens! It's so annoying, isn't it? You are doing your things and then suddenly something breaks down and you have to worry about what to do!
Well, i'm new here, but i like to read your blog! (sorry my English is a little rusty!)

Anonymous said...

obachan;
Well, the chowder looks good..nice for the cold weather...and a new fridge is great...and a cleaner kitchen...all positives .. here, if you purchase at certain stores, they will haul away your old appliances for free. Free? maybe the cost is added to the price of the new appiance? ha ha

obachan said...

cookiecrumb
I see what you mean. I often chickened out when buying a new thing after the old one broke down.
“Cream-of-bottom-of-the-refrigerator soup!” :D. I like it.

Tea
Wow, that someone must have been happy to get an oven for free.
My mom is just like your grandma, and she doesn’t make chowder...

Kat & Satoshi
Well, because of the (relatively new) Home Appliance Recycling Law in Japan, now you have to pay for the cost of recycling when you try to get rid of certain appliances: TV, fridge/freezer, air conditioner or laundry machine. And the price differs depending on where you live. I think in Osaka you can get rid of them cheaper.

Karen
So glad to hear that you like reading my blog. Thank you.
Yeah, it’s really annoying, but maybe I was lucky that it happened in winter, not in the middle of summer ;)

carlyn
I guess the stores used to haul away old appliances for free here in Japan, too. But now we have to pay, and the payment is for recycling (not for throwing away. Sorry.) The government decided, “let’s recycle old appliances instead of throwing them away.” And now under the new law, the consumers pay for the cost of recycling, the stores take care of transporting old appliances from consumers’ places to recycling manufacturers, and recycling manufacturers make recycled products out of the old appliances.

Actually, if my fridge was relatively new and in a good condition, the store could have bought it from me so that they could sell it as a second-hand product instead of bringing it to a recycling manufacturer. But my fridge was very old and broke, so it was out of question. Anyway, a new fridge in a cleaner kitchen! Yeah, I’m excited. :)

Pinkity said...

First my washing machine broke down, then my TV set, then the computer and then later the fridge. I thought it could only happen to me but now that you've mentioned it, I'm freaked out. There's like some sort of a virus going around or something when that happens...

:)

obachan said...

Hi Pinkity,
I really think this is some kinda virus that consumer electronics companies have secretly cultivated and spread. ;)