Bookending Our Aussie Adventure

We have ended our time in Australia like we began it -- with a kitchen catastrophe. I never ended up posting this story, but I tried to make Tacos our first week in Australia... here was the result:

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So much for my relaxing evening. I set the &($*% kitchen on fire. Our stove is European and instead of having Bake-Broil-Etc is has little symbols. A light bulb, a wavy line, a fan, a little tear drop. No idea what they mean. I tried calling reception but no one was in. The kids wanted tacos for dinner so I tried the first symbol -- nothing. I tried the second -- nothing. I tried the wavy line -- the oven finally started to feel warm so I put in the taco shells and sat down on the couch.

A few minutes later I smelled smoke. Apparently the wavy line is the BROILER because when I opened the stove the taco shells were all in flames. Nik started shrieking, I started putting out the tacos using the kitchen towel, and the fire alarm went off as smoke POURED out of the stove. Eventually I put out the tacos, cleaned up, calmed down the children, and got Warrick (the landlord) up. Luckily I escaped with some minor burns on my hand and the kitchen escaped with a 1 cm singe on the corner of the floor. I feel like the world's biggest IDIOT.
Those are going to be some pretty pricey tacos.
Next time we'll go out for Mexican.

* * *
So... umm... last night, despite spending the afternoon in bed sick, I decided to make a nice dinner. The pan I normally use to roast a chicken was in the dishwasher so I put a chicken to roast in a glass baking dish.

After an hour I took the pan out, put a meat thermometer in the chicken, and put the chicken back in the oven. As soon as I closed the door I heard a "boom." I looked back at the oven and the glass dish EXPLODED all over the oven. Shards of glass as thick as my finger and sharp as knives had shot all over the oven. And my poor roast chicken was now dripping onto the oven floor and my dreams of chicken-and-rice soup were evaporating before my eyes. I sat on the floor and cried.

Once the oven cooled, I spent an hour cleaning glass shards until I cut my hand and decided to call it a night. The kids had Maccas for dinner. Today I still have to finish cleaning all the glass out of the oven. As if I didn't have enough to go.

Tonight we are having take away for dinner. Thai or Fish and Chips? Or maybe a last dinner at Mt. Erica Hotel? Or Pizza Piazza?

5 comments:

Tina in CT said...

Poor Katya. I hope you are back to being healthy in time for your long flight. Just think that soon you'll be home in your new kitchen.

Careful with the glass in the oven.

said...

a fond farewell of fireworks as you leave the antipodes

L

Anonymous said...

Have a safe trip back home!
Olga

Tina in CT said...

You must be over or on US ground by now. Welcome home!

Margo said...

I'm sorry to read about your dreadful oven incidents! I have been perusing your blog on and off while we ready our family to move to Melbourne. My boys loved the lego pulley system from long ago. If you keep the blog public, we'll definitely be checking back for ideas on where to explore once we arrive!