Poor Little Hot Pot

Monday, January 26, 2012, 2 am

The last time I was in India I took note about how convenient it was to have a small electric hot pot to boil water.  Not only would the hot pot provide a good source of drinkable water, it would also allow me to have a nice cup of coffee in the morning.

Before I left Seattle, I searched everywhere for a portable electric hot pot.  I looked everywhere:  online, department stores, grocery stores, drug stores to find this treasure.  Finally, I settled on a an 8 cup hot pot which was the smallest one I could get.  I tried it out in Seattle and it worked fine, boiling water in just a few minutes.  I even tried it at the hotel in Bangalore and it worked.

But I am sorry to say that my poor little hot pot has met its end.  The first time I tried it in my room at the Tibetan Children’s Village College it broke.  Water came to a boil quickly, but then it stopped working.  I think the problem was a voltage incompatibility:  the hot pot is rated for 110V but the electricity here in India is 220V.  Many electronics, such as most computers, can handle both voltages, but others, such as my hot pot, cannot.