Last week I was cooking our dinner at 375F when all of the sudden; sonic boom, poofs of smoke and complete loss of oven power. Like any reasonable cook, I immediately opened the oven to rescue my dinner. After our failed attempts at repair, I had no choice but to call for professional help. My oven and range broke on Thursday, June 17th.I was so excited for Monday, June 21st and not because it was the summer solstice. June 21st was the day my oven would finally be fixed. I had an overly large, welcoming smile on my face when the repair person came through the door and I said, “I am SO SO happy to see you. Thank you SO much for coming.” He was very kind and courteous and knew exactly what the problem was when he examined my oven. He told me that he would need to order two replacement parts that would take at least a week for delivery and the earliest appointment time for installation would be June 30th. My jaw dropped in disbelief. He easily picked up on my astonishment and said, “Ma’am I am getting the distinct feeling you do a lot of cooking in your kitchen, right?” I did not tell him what I did for a living, but found this comment fascinating and depressing. Isn’t everyone excited when the oven repair person shows up after not having a working oven or range for almost 5 days? I could not comprehend his comment. Needless to say, I had to settle on a June 30th repair date. He called into the company to order the parts and I overheard him say “Can you please upgrade this repair to emergency status. The woman uses her stove and oven a lot”. I almost fell over. Now come on. Who doesn’t use their stove and oven at least a couple of times per week? I am not making elaborate dishes here folks. Sometimes I am roasting potatoes or believe it or not, baking chicken nuggets (the horror, I know.) I couldn’t help but wonder, are his comments giving me a glimpse into the frequency that some southern California families cook meals? If people are not using their ovens for cooking, then what are they doing for food? Microwaves? Reservations? And because pediatrics is my specialty, I always think of the kids. I never push my families to become gourmet cooks unless they want to, but I do strongly advise them to prepare food at home, especially to expand a picky eaters repertoire of food. A stove and oven are an integral part of my therapy. At 7:15pm tonight, that nice repair person came to my front door with one of the parts. He had gone out of his way to get the part to me to expedite my oven repairs. He has no idea how grateful I really am.
About Melanie Silverman
Melanie is a pediatric registered dietitian nutritionist (RD) and a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) working primarily in pediatric nutrition for well over 15 years.
She spent seven years as a clinical dietitian at The University of Chicago Medical Center in the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, adult and pediatric burn units, and high risk pediatric follow-up clinic. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago.
Melanie has presented at state and national meetings for the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), March of Dimes, Prader-Willi California Foundation, Texas Prader-Willi Association, Oklahoma Prader Willi Syndrome Association, Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) in the United States and Canada and the Prader-Willi Syndrome USA (PWSA).
She worked hard for her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Spanish from Indiana University and a Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. A member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, California Dietetic Association, Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group, Women’s Health Group, Nutrition Entrepreneurs and an active member of the International Lactation Consultant Association.
