Microwave Threat

Before the microwave discussion, I should say that there is a page called SandraDodd.com/radiation, about how (someone assured us) wifi would harm us and all of our children. Wifi doesn't remove all of the nutrients from food, though, so that's good.

One day on facebook, on a happy post on my own page, mostly about dishwashers, someone came to be snarky about my microwave oven.

She wrote:

I've never had a microwave and never will, They strip all nutrients from food and irradiate it. If that doesn't bother you - more power to you.
I was surrounded, in that discussion, with happy people I've met in person, mostly, and some I've known for years, and here comes a volunteer to piss in my Wheaties, as it were. It was fun to disassemble her pronouncements, though. Sandra Dodd:
"More power?" Knowledge is power.

Boiling can take nutrients from vegetables. Some goes into the water, some goes into the steam and sticks to the ceiling. 🙂

Where do you think it's going, in a microwave? Have you, yourself thought about why or how ANYthing could "strip all nutrients from food," or are you parroting something you heard?

Clarity of thought is more powerful than any microwave. As to "irradiated foods..." Food grows in sunshine. People have dried foods (in my lifetime, locally, mostly chile pods, venison/beef to jerkey, and apples to preserved, dried state) in (indirect, in those cases) sunshine. For days, or weeks, or months. The microwave is only on for minutes, unlike that New Mexico sunshine.

I've lived at over 5,500 feet since 1959, in places with sunshine all but half a dozen days a year—many days without a single cloud. THAT is some radiation!

Sarah Dickinson:
I think a machine that could literally remove ALL nutrients from food would be quite impressive. I can't imagine the sorts of changes that would have to take place to achieve that.
Robin 'Ehulani Bentley:
Does microwaving food remove its nutritional value?
[Rude Commenter]:
Knowledge IS power. Parroting? Is that what're you're doing, in addition to being insulting? I speak only for myself and it shouldn't cause you to react the way you have. As for the link from CNN - seriously? I eat only raw or lightly steamed veggies. What you do in your kitchen and put into your body isn't something I care about, as it's your choice. I suggest you respect the choices of others too.
Robin 'Ehulani Bentley:
"If that doesn't bother you - more power to you."

That's a pretty snarky thing to say, following a post full of sweetness and gratitude. To focus on assumptions about microwaves instead of the love of family, the little joys of life, and good reasons to be happy is missing the point entirely.

Maybe read it again, ignoring the microwave parts, and see how lovely Sandra's words really are.

[Rude Commenter]:
Who said it was an ASSumption? Love of family is the key and that's why I don't own a microwave.
Robin 'Ehulani Bentley:
Why should Sandra respect your choices *on her own page* when you don't respect hers enough to refrain from commenting?

Yes, the link from CNN, seriously. It's a little more information that might shake up some confirmation bias.

[Rude Commenter]:
Respect is mutual, regardless of where it is shown. CNN, LOL!!
Robin 'Ehulani Bentley:
"Love of family is the key and that's why I don't own a microwave." So are you saying that anyone who uses a microwave doesn't love their family enough?
[Rude Commenter]:
What do you think? I did mention the word "choice" in my earlier posts.
Robin 'Ehulani Bentley:
I'm asking.
[Rude Commenter]:
No, you've made another ASSumption
Robin 'Ehulani Bentley:
I asked. They are your words. So I'm asking what you mean. If you didn't mean that, you can say so.
Deborah A Cunefare:
If anybody is still interested, this is a nice exploration of the claim.

MICROWAVE DANGERS? TOP 5 CLAIMS VS. THE EVIDENCE https://skepticink.com/health/2013/12/21/microwave-dangers-top-5-claims-vs-evidence/

Jo Isaac:
We recently got a microwave. First one in about 5 years. I didn't get one before because - I don't even know - maybe I felt somehow superior to people who had one? Maybe deep down I thought they were dangerous? Not even sure.

Anyway - best.thing.ever! My son can now microwave his noodles in a minute by himself! I'm saving LOADS on electricity because I don't need to heat things up on the stove. I'm kinda mad at myself for being an ASShole about microwaves in the past...Love that microwave!

Gwen Montoya:
Without a microwave, I'd have to drink cold coffee. And then I'd be a sad Gwen!
Sandra Dodd:
[The original commenter's] name went black on me. Does that mean she unfriended me? (The friend request must have been hers, that I approved, because I don't know her and wouldn't have asked.) But I can't respond in that thread now, even though it's my own page! 🙂

Thanks Robin, for pointing out that "If that doesn't bother you - more power to you." was the opening insult.

[She] might be hiding from me, but I assume she can still see my page, because I don't hide my name from people, and haven't in my whole llife. I do have a made-up name I used for a long time (AElflaed of Duckford) but it was usually put down right next to Sandra Dodd (or Adams, or Gill, depending when).

I'm not hiding, I'm very happy with my life, and am going to keep helping other people even though once in a while one goes crazy and runs off sqawking about how mean or ignorant I am. That's fine. If everybody decides they don't want to read anything I write, I'll have more time to watch great korean dramas, and sew, and work in my yard, and play Dr. Mario with Keith! Maybe I'll scan all the photos from when my kids were little and put them on all the webpages that match the stories, or use some in Just Add Light.

NO, wait! I won't need to do Just Add Light anymore when everyone decides I'm wrong about microwaves and everything else. Well good, then. But WHY on earth would I think that someone who has never owned a microwave and never will would know more about microwaves than me, Robin, and CNN all rolled together? Because she read somewhere that someone said they will rise up at night and KILL YOU?

If someone who said "I've never owned a book, and I never will" came to my house or my page to tell me how awful books are, I would think he/she/it was a lunatic.

If someone said "I've never owned a TV and never will" told me TV sucked, I would laugh. People have, and I did laugh, because my kids were happy and great and probably smarter than the people who were telling me all about something they were afraid of, and hiding from.

Sandra Dodd:
-=-What you do in your kitchen and put into your body isn't something I care about, as it's your choice. I suggest you respect the choices of others too.-=-
That was written by the same person who chose to "facebook friend" me, who chose to read here, and who chose to tell me microwaves were awful, AND that if I had one I didn't love my family. She didn't mean to say that, but she did, and then ran away rather than delete or clarify.
-=- I suggest you respect the choices of others too.-=-
Huh! She came to MY page, when I was giddy about my kitchen, and wrote doom, gloom and insult. And I'm supposed to respect her choices as much as she respects mine? 🙂 DEAR EVERYBODY:

Think before you write. Thinking's fair.
It's not cheating to think.
It's okay NOT to write. It's okay to write and not post.
It's not as okay to write, post, and then get mad at other people for having read and understood it.

I guess Ms. [Rude Commenter] without a microwave blocked me and Robin. That will keep any (irritatingly irradiated) light from shining in on her assuredness about evils. Evils have traditionally done better in darkness.

Some people love to be angry and afraid. It makes them feel knowledgeable, but they would be more knowledgeable if they went beyond the emotion to some helpful, positive, sunshiney thoughts.

Renee Cabatic:
Oh, Sandra! I'm sorry Ms. [Rude]asky was disrespectful and rude but I have really missed your awesome writing and your ability to shine helpful, positive, light into those angry, fearful spots.
Marjorie Shipers Ibarra:
I think she was quite defensive and out of line. Your post wasn't even about microwaves, really. Her comment was rude and unnecessary as far as I can tell. I love my microwave. I also love learning new things, even if it means I'm wrong. Some people seem to need a sense of superiority about the oddest things....
Sandra Dodd:
Thanks, Margie. It's kind of amusing. It surprised me, on such a peace-and-love post, but some people don't like for other people to express contentment and gratitude. Some people seem to think that only slow-minded people are happy (or like plays or movies) and that if one is really smart, they'll be indignant or critical.
Marjorie Shipers Ibarra:
Very true. I think lots of people confuse critical thinking and evaluation of evidence with being critical. I'm a generally happy, silly spirited person, but am often viewed as unintelligent, probably due to a combination of that and looking young. Not that I'm a genius or anything. :shrug: People figure it out eventually, and it can be kind of fun to watch them be surprised when I actually know what I'm talking about!
Sandra Dodd:
I think that happens with me, too, Margie, and did much more when I was young. Older people assumed they could trick or manipulate me, and I politely let them try, and then made a move that surprised them. But it sometimes embarrassed them, too, so I stopped doing the "blink-blink-smile 'really?' smile" thing.

As I got older, I made a good move early so they didn't get embarrassed or waste time. Then, in my 30's, when I was direct and plain, they would be surprised I was from Española. THAT was fun. The "Really?" came from outside, then. I would watch their eyes blink as they tried to figure out their logic problem: someone smart from Española? Or if I'm from Española, maybe it was only a lucky first move? 🙂

I know a ton of bright people from Española, but they get averaged in to a century of jokes and bad politics and violence.

The ways people decide whether to respect the actions or opinions of another person are interesting to me. I like to look at trust, honor and clarity playing out in real-world ways. It's interesting to see people' fears and prejudices and bluffs and defenses come and go, depending on the factors of the moment.

Years ago in the SCA, some of the older peers wanted me to play chess, and were surprised I wasn't good at it and didn't enjoy it. It was required in those days, for people to play chess, to advance in the group. I was pressured, once, by someone who played chess a lot and was good at it and who liked me and was trying to help me. I said "You tell me which of those pawns used to be married to each other, and who wants what, and which pawn WANTS to move, and I'll play."

He got it.

Marjorie Shipers Ibarra:
Also good points! I'm much more direct than I used to be. I also have zero interest in chess, or similar strategy games. I'm not good at them and have no desire to put the effort in to become good. Just doesn't interest me. 🙂
Sandra Dodd:
I assume that my facebook "friend" blocked me and Robin rather than clarify her statement: "Love of family is the key and that's why I don't own a microwave."

I love my family enough to try to be as sensible and rational as possible. Perhaps, though, people who believe anything they read are also being as sensible and rational as they can be.

Cally Brown:
I seem to have missed most of the excitement, thankfully. But there are people who are so opinionated they just can't miss a chance to force theeir views on others. I had a microwave for years and almost never cooked with it. (Other people did.) Eventually it died, and I missed it so much but couldn't justify buying another. My son's partner gave me one as she had acquired two. I'm sitting here right now with a sore back being soothed by a wheatbag - how do the microwaveless people heat their wheatbags?
Jo Isaac:
==how do the microwaveless people heat their wheatbags?==
They don't! When my RA was really bad, I SO needed a wheatbag, and couldn't get one because we didn't have a microwave! I ended up getting this below par cold/hot pack thing that you could heat in hot water. It was rubbish!
Sandra Dodd:
-=- I'm sitting here right now with a sore back being soothed by a wheatbag - how do the microwaveless people heat their wheatbags?-=-
Corn bags, here. Marty's house furnace was out for a while. I wanted to lend them corn bags, but they have no microwave. 🙂 What a wonderful combination of high-tech, ancient, it is to heat up cloth bags with corn, rice, wheat, cherry pits for two or three minutes—and use them for hour's warmth.
Alex Polikowsky:
Using a rice sock heated up in the microwave to warm cold kitten tosh had surgery today. Thank goodness for microwave.
Jackie Heim:
That's a fallacy. Either you love your family and you get rid of your microwave OR you keep your microwave and you don't love your family. There really is a third option where people who keep microwaves in their house also love their family.
Sandra Dodd:
Jackie, that's not a full set. If you're right, there might be people who are SO adamant about microwave ovens and iPad radiation and the rights of turkeys that they can't pay much attention to their families, except to look at them as people they care about enough to rant on about microwaves to strangers.
Deb Lewis:
I'm glad you have your dishwasher, and your microwave, and your happy-making dishes, and your nice Keith. And I'm glad you have so much peace in your sweet life that mean, scary speculation and superstition doesn't hurt you. I don't have a dishwasher yet but I have my eye on a sleek portable that we might be able to make room for. Two more fill-ups of the spare change can should just about do it, if we don't rob it for something else first. It'll be ok if I never get one. I kind of like the day-dreamy time of washing by hand. I wouldn't want to be without a microwave, and feel privileged to have lived long enough to know the glory of the super fast potato.
Kathryn J Baptista:
Sandra, don't you know that if you combine a dishwasher and a microwave that the terrorists win? Don't you love your family and county? (Where's the eye-roll emoji when you need it???)
Megan Valnes:
I am so grateful that I can make Julian these frozen enchiladas in the microwave in 6 minutes as opposed to 35 in the oven. Pretty sure he is too. Get your 12 minute potato on and congrats!

NOTE: This is not the first microwave burrito on SandraDodd.com.

I was telling the story of when I said, "Omnipotent means he can do anything, all-powerful. And (to Holly I said) the question that goes with that is whether God can make a rock so big that he himself can't pick it up. If not, he's not omnipotent."

Holly (age 12), without missing a beat: "I thought the question was whether Jesus could microwave a burrito so hot that he himself couldn't eat it."

She cited her source. It was a great conversation. Click here to read the rest.


I'm reading this a few years later, as I added it to this site. I always remembered the brave claim that a something (anything) could "strip all nutrients from food."

Today, I see this more clearly: "I speak only for myself and it shouldn't cause you to react the way you have."

It can't be that it only strips all nutrients from food at her house, for her personally. It can't be that it irradiates her, but others aren't irradiated.

It was fun, and interesting, to see what she thought "respect" meant, and her claim that "all respect is mutual," after so many years of thoughtful discussions with most of the others in that topic.


Science Food Fear (stepping up and out of it)