Some Things Are Built To Last

Amy's spirit lives on in our food processor!

Next month my husband and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary. Joining us will be our Braun food processor, which we received as a wedding gift. That might not seem worth mentioning, but believe me it's remarkable, since over the 40 years of our marriage we have had to replace our washing machine four times, our dryer five times, two microwaves, a couple of stoves, a furnace, two refrigerators, perhaps a dozen electric coffee pots, several toasters, a toaster oven and a dishwasher.

When we called a repairman for our dryer a few years ago, he bluntly said it was not fixable, adding that, "These days appliances are built to last between six and eight years." When the fan in our built-in microwave stopped working, we learned that they don't make that part anymore, forcing us to install a whole new unit.

So you see, our Braun food processor is a champ. It has gotten constant use bordering on abuse, considering the number of cookies, cakes, pies, soups and stews it has been called upon for chopping, grinding, pureeing and mashing for 39 Thanksgivings and Passovers, countless birthdays and too-many-to-count platters of guacamole, hummus, eggplant salad and spinach dip with nary a break in the action.

Sadly, our dear friend Amy who gave us the food processor died two years ago, but her generous gift is still going strong. Kudos to Braun: those Germans certainly know how to do things right, even when they're doing something terribly wrong.