As if 2020 hasn’t been weird enough, we’ve now been thrown a curveball – is the pronunciation of ‘microwave’ supposed to sound a little like a ‘Harry Potter’ spell??
To backtrack: the question went viral after a clip of Nigella Lawson – the renowned English food writer, television cook and domestic goddess – went viral. In the clip from her new BBC2 show, ‘Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat’, Lawson is seen preparing brown butter colcannon (a variation of a mashed potato dish) – nothing unusual so far. But then! She picks up a jug of milk – which she says she’s warmed in the “mee-cro-wah-vay”.
To clarify, yes, she is talking about a microwave. Since then, the 60-year-old has confuddled many.
Eternally grateful to Nigella Lawson for letting us know we've all been mispronouncing microwave for the last 50 (or so) years. pic.twitter.com/tfXODGQRDp
— andrew (@floellaumbagabe) December 8, 2020
From this day onwards, I will only call it a mîcrowàvé #Nigella pic.twitter.com/DoFX6TpbrU
— Jordan 🇺🇦 (@TheJordan_JB) December 8, 2020
Can’t believe we’ve all been saying microwave wrong all these years? Thanks Nigella xxx pic.twitter.com/0XYoImVOpD
— Asad Zafar (@as1z_) December 8, 2020
Obviously, this caused quite a stir. Lawson is known for her cookbooks and shows centred around cooking; much of her career is built around cooking. So, for her to pronounce ‘microwave’ as ‘mee-krow-wah-vay’…
Are we wrong or is she?
Thankfully, Lawson has since put our worries to rest. After becoming a viral meme for her pronunciation, she clarified:
“Well, I do say it like that, but not because I think that’s how it’s actually pronounced,”
Well, I do say it like that, but not because I think that’s how it’s actually pronounced
— Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) December 8, 2020
The viral memes and clips circulating around the internet didn’t end there, despite her clarification. So much so that Nigella’s reps have even had to share a statement on her pronunciation, stating.
“In a nutshell, it’s how Nigella refers to the microwave at home. It’s a bit of a family joke.”
Phew. Who else is ready for 2021 after this?
*Cover image credits: Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash