When I moved into my cute little apartment last May I was warned by a friend and wicked close neighbor "gas here? expensive!" It's the deregulation of this utility about 10 years ago in the ATL that did this. It was supposed to help folks: give us a choice who we wanted to provide our gas service based on pricing, right? Yeah, unfortunately, the *piping system* is still owned by one and only company. And so gas prices took the opposite turn: they're redonks.
The only thing in my glorious little apartment that needs gas is my stove/oven (heat is: but it's radiator gas controlled and included in rent). I'm not sure what's the difference between a stove and an oven. Is the stove the top and the oven the inside? Either way, it's gas. And either way, it would cost me $40 a month just to have a line in, even if I never used it. So either way? It's now just a storage unit; extra shelf space.
Now, folks. Contrary to popular belief, I like to cook. I do! I just don't often cook just for myself because, well, it's just myself. But I do like to cook. But I also do not like to pay that fee every month PLUS whatever gas I use on top of it when it just seems outrageous to me. So, being me, I got creative.
Convection ovens? Oh yeah, that does casseroles, pizzas, anything the "oven" would do. So I bought me one. Soups and stuff? Microwave. Had that. Stews and chili? Nice big crock pot. Had that, too. But the one thing that I missed -- that I couldn't do in ANY of that?
Hard boiled eggs.
Dammit!
Oh, I do so love me a good hard boiled egg. Add the devil to that and I could eat them up like there's no tomorrow.
So, finally, after all this time (8 months and 10 days, to be exact), I finally got myself one of them little coil burner things this Christmas. You know, the ones that were "illegal" in your college dorms? And Mama sent me home with two pots I still remember her using when I was just a youngster.
So I'm making a batch of hard boiled eggs now.
Because I CAN.
Oh, it's SO game on come Easter!
Ahh, the good ol' hot plate! Gotta love it. At least you have the option for gas in your neighborhood. Here it's not even an option. You use electric or put in your own propane tank in your yard.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's a good way of looking at it, Perry! I'm not really sure if it's really an "option" though; you kinda get what the house comes with (though I reckon they'd let me buy an electric oven myself if I wanted to pay for it!)
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