Let There Be Light(bulbs)

The United Nations International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015 Logo

In 1945, with a world still reeling from a globe-spanning war, the United Nations was born with the hope that it could avoid another major conflict. In the decades since, the organization has taken on the objectives of peacekeeping, human rights, economic development, and humanitarian assistance. 2015 will mark perhaps the high water mark of their accomplishments: the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies.

It promises to be quite an eventful year, with light-related stuff happening Paris. I don’t know exactly what stuff is happening, but, hey, it’s in Paris, so it’ll probably be pretty cool. And if not, you can always ditch it and go to the Louvre.

The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies has caused me to contemplate light and light-based technologies. It is, after all, something that we tend to overlook, with the exception of early December, when I spend hours upon hours wrestling with miles of tangled Christmas lights. So I asked myself, “Self, what is the epitome of light-based technology?”

“Self,” I answered, “that’s easy. Easy bake, that is. As in, Easy Bake Oven.”

While I never had one myself, I recall using them as a child. My sister had one that was shaped like an old-fashioned cast iron stove. The “cakes” that came from it were usually edible. I’ve since graduated to using real ovens, and the results are generally much better. But that’s not to say that it’s any more fun.

Unless they can get their hands on an old one, today’s youths are deprived of baking with light bulbs. A few years ago, the government got into the business of regulating light bulbs. As a result, the Easy Bake Oven’s design was changed to eliminate them. Sadly, the current model has a heating element built in.

So in 2015, I managed to get my hands on one of these old, inefficient-but-fun ovens (thank you, eBay)��to make something at least once a month. For example, January 26 is Australia Day, so I’ll make “Shrimp on the Barbie” in the Easy Bake Oven. February is still up for grabs, though. I can’t decide between Dominican Republic empanadas or Estonian pirukad. The only requirement is that the country of origin has a holiday in the month of the blog. So…any suggestions for the rest of the year?

My New (to me) 1978 Model Easy Bake Oven