"It's Electric!"

[LillFilly]

Due to the storm in my area, some people lost power for a whole week. An employee was leaving and commented that she'd be picking up another cold supper tonight. I asked if her power was out. She said it had been out for 4-days. I said it was a shame she didn't have a gas stove. She said "Oh I do, but the electric starter won't work!"

Blink...

Blink...

I told her that she could light her stove by turning it on like always and holding a match to the gas outlet; then she'd at least have hot food and could boil water.

She hemmed and hawed and said she might try that, but seemed under the impression that only the (magic) spark from the electric ignition would light the gas.

Sigh.

[Argabarga]

Has she been walking to work in the meantime too? Cuz' her car's starter is electric too...

And that's probably 4 days she hasn't been doing the electric slide either......

[ADeMartino]

She hemmed and hawed and said she might try that, but seemed under the impression that only the (magic) spark from the electric ignition would light the gas.

Every time I think that people couldn't possibly get more stupid, someone like this comes along, and then I end up depressed and in need of self-medication when I realize I can't have that person sterilized or euthanized. I grieve for future generations.

[sms001]

I gotta say I'm kind of FOR her not fussing about with the stove.
Many people are a bit apprehensive of them (I know my mom was) and if you haven't grown up lighting your own it could seem kind of dangerous. I would certainly learn how as quickly as possible if I was in her situation, but really, if you don't know what you're doing, it seems best to NOT mess with the highly explosive gas in your house.

[CoffeeMonkey]

Some newer gas stoves, as a safety feature, will not allow the gas to go if the starter doesn't start. the purpose is to prevent gas from escaping into the room if there's no flame to burn it up.

Not all have them, though. My gas stove ONLY will light with matches.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Has she been walking to work in the meantime too? Cuz' her car's starter is electric too...

Sitting at Tim Hortons on night, during a power outage, doors all locked, can't have any customers in, can't leave, just playing cards and watching the traffic. Coworker turns to me and in all seriousness asks 'When the lights go off in all the buildings why dont' they go off in the cars too?'

[dalesys]

Re: Thread title... Eee! Eee! Eee! I'm the offstage librarian for a DJ and we play that at least twice a night. Eee! Eee! Eee

Then, while I'm at the grossery store shopping this evening, the Muzick plays the "Stupid Shuffle"

[MoonCat]

Last time we had a power outage that's what we did: Lit the burners with a long match. We were able to have hot water, hot coffee, and hot food. YAY! We didn't light the oven though. I wouldn't try that. Too awkward and the possibility of boom.

[LillFilly]

Last time we had a power outage that's what we did: Lit the burners with a long match. We were able to have hot water, hot coffee, and hot food. YAY! We didn't light the oven though. I wouldn't try that. Too awkward and the possibility of boom.

I was told that a lot of gas stoves had electric starters; like our old hot water heater too. Otherwise she'd have a pilot light and it wouldn't have mattered. When I lost power I just...figured it out. Process of elimination. Gas needs ignition source, no sparky now, here match, hold match to burner on low gas setting. Fwomp. Fire. Fire good. Cook with fire now. Yum.

[dalesys]

... hold match to burner on high gas setting. Fwomp!!

Eyebrows are much overrated...

[Gizmo]

umm... she could stop somewhere and get something hot on the way home right?

Also a friends family member texted him once to say "The light in the fridge has gone off... the rest of the lights in the flat are ok though...." much facepalming was had!

[Raveni]

Trust me, with critical thinking skills like that, it's for the best that she doesn't play with gas and matches.

[wolfie]

Trust me, with critical thinking skills like that, it's for the best that she doesn't play with gas and matches.

I'd take the opposite tack - it's best if someone with that level of critical thinking skills DOES play with gas and matches. After all, the gene pool needs to be chlorinated.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I gotta say I'm kind of FOR her not fussing about with the stove.
Many people are a bit apprehensive of them (I know my mom was) and if you haven't grown up lighting your own it could seem kind of dangerous. I would certainly learn how as quickly as possible if I was in her situation, but really, if you don't know what you're doing, it seems best to NOT mess with the highly explosive gas in your house.

Very true. If you don't know, get someone who does know about them to show you how to use it.

I grew up with electric stoves . . . I learned to cook when I was 7 years old on an electric stove. Mom wouldn't have a gas stove around us kids.

Reason why we never had a gas stove in our home growing up: Mom nearly blew herself up and a trailer with one when she and Dad were first married.

Short version: Fall 1967 - they'd only been married a few weeks at the time and were living in a trailer owned by my dad's mom and stepdad (they owned a trailer park then.) Dad was still at work and Mom wanted to surprise him with a romantic dinner for two. Had her hair fixed, makeup on, new pretty negligee . . .she starts cooking dinner.

She'd forgotten she'd already turned the knob on for the gas, so she turned it some more and when she lit the match . . .

Big KA-BOOM!

Windows blew out of the trailer, Mom was thrown up under the dining room table. Luckily she was still alive - her negligee had melted to her and she'd lost her eyebrows and eyelashes. Dad's stepdad heard the racket and went running to see what had happened. Mom ended up in the ER treated for burns on her face, neck, arms and trunk.

Luckily they were able to repair the trailer (insurance) and they moved into another one in the meanwhile. But ever since then, Mom would not go near a gas stove, nor let us kids near one either.

Yet my Dad and stepmom have one . . and I had to have Dad show me how to turn the thing on this past Christmas while I was there (stepmom was spending the day looking after her mom, so I was going to cook dinner for everybody.) Wasn't hard to do at all - frankly it's not that much different than using my big gas grill.

[thatcrazyredhead]

Many people are a bit apprehensive of them (I know my mom was) and if you haven't grown up lighting your own it could seem kind of dangerous.

Yup. I'd be terrified I'd blow up my house.