> >And, yes, the Soviet Union DID ban microwaves...and
> still bans them.
>
> http://www.bisnis.doc.gov/bisnis/isa/990630con.htm:
>
> In Russia, microwaves have become popular in larger
> cities for customers
> with middle and high incomes.

Thanks for that info Philip. My first thought about
the Soviet Union banning microwaves (if that happened
at all) was that they were probably considered too
"high class" for their "classless" society.