In mid 1946, as rice rations disappeared, it was announced that “the era of flour has arrived.” An Osaka electric company responded to the challenge with an immensely popular device known as the Hōmu Beikā, Japanese-English for “Home Baker.” This consisted of a crude wooden box lined with metal sheets connected to an electric cord. One poured in batter or corn meal (a new taste sensation, courtesy of food imports from America), and that was it—although the Home Baker also emitted an unintended blue sparkle that was regarded as aesthetically pleasing. The earliest advertisements proclaimed this
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