Sometimes when I gather the cool bullets in my palm, I stare at them and wonder: How did I, a Berkeley resident, a former peace activist, someone with a "Bread, not bombs" button, end up married to The Man? I like to tell people we met because he pulled me over, and I avoided the ticket with my feminine wiles.
They usually eat together before talking about politics — an effort to push a primitive cooperation button by breaking bread together.
And it's supposedly super-easy to use: just put water, salt, sugar, shortening, wheat gluten, dry yeast and about 220g of rice in the bread pan, press the start button and wait four hours to get a fresh-baked loaf.
"Maybe it's because I put in a slice of bread and pressed the 'bagel' button, just to be cute.
Push down the button to toast the bread.
The most frequently reported activity problems were; brushing teeth, do and undo buttons, peel potatoes, cut bread and meat, and needlework.
It used to be that I could press the power button, walk to the supermarket, buy some bread, a paper and some milk, and get back just in time for the sweaty mass to ask for my password.
Other activities frequently mentioned were difficulty in washing the armpit on the unaffected side, styling their hair, putting on tight clothes, buttoning up jeans, tying shoelaces, slicing cheese and bread, carrying large or heavy objects using both hands, or writing on the computer for longer periods of time.
For example, if a customer chooses a grilled cheese sandwich, but wants it with gluten-free bread and extra peppers, the merchant can hit the grilled cheese sandwich button and then individually select the type of bread and extra peppers.
The 60,000 people at the show could also consider the advantages of a bread maker that allows a not-so-ambitious baker to press a button and bake a cake.
