We purchased a house in the Black Hills of South Dakota thirty years ago. The house we chose had a built-in dishwasher, but that was the only major kitchen appliance that the previous owner left. With a limited budget, we headed to an appliance store. We found a “scratch and dent” kitchen range with an easy-to-clean glass cooktop. We decided to spend a little more on a refrigerator with the latest refrigerant, which is considered safer for the environment than freon. The refrigerator had a new feature: a dispenser in the door for cold water and ice. Owning an ice maker was a delight for us. We could have cubes or crushed ice any time we wanted. The design of that particular appliance was a freezer and a refrigerator that were side by side. The ice maker was in the freezer door. It worked without problem for the 25 years we lived in that house.

When we purchased our home here in Washington, we bought a refrigerator with the house. It also had an ice maker and cold water dispenser. However, it was designed with a freezer drawer at the bottom and the ice maker in the refrigerator's door. It took up quite a bit of space in the appliance, but it worked when we purchased it. However, the design meant that the refrigerator used more electricity to make ice in the door while maintaining an above-freezing temperature in the rest of the compartment. What we couldn’t see on that shiny, seemingly new appliance was that on the back of the machine was an electronic valve that controlled the water going into the ice dispenser. It was behind a metal access panel that got cold. Humidity from the air condensed on that panel and caused it and the components it housed to rust, leading to the failure of the switch. I learned to disassemble the components and replace the switch, but corrosion on the wiring harness and other components finally rendered the unit beyond repair.

We reverted to a practice that we had done for much of our lives. We made ice with ice cube trays. It required little labor, and we had ice when we wanted it. It turned out, however, that the ice maker wasn’t the only part of the appliance that was prone to failure. The electronics that regulated temperature in the refrigerator began to fail. We ended up replacing it even though it had lasted less than half the lifespan of our previous refrigerator. We were overwhelmed by the number of appliance choices when shopping for a new refrigerator. We tried to avoid some of the problems of our previous one. We selected one with an ice maker in the freezer compartment, separate from the water dispenser. It does not have a dispenser in the door. We open the freezer and access the ice with a scoop. So far, it has worked flawlessly.

Continual and convenient access to ice has become a part of our lives. I heard on a CBC documentary that in North America alone, we use over 360 billion pounds of ice annually. That is a lot of ice! When we go to the seafood market, the clerk fills a bag with ice and puts our fish on top for the trip home. We purchase blocks of ice from a corner store to keep our food fresh in a cooler when we go to the beach or camping. We are used to having ice available whenever we want it.

Easy access to ice has only been part of our culture for a couple of centuries. In the early 1800s, cutting huge blocks of ice out of frozen lakes in the winter took considerable effort. The ice was packed in straw in underground chambers that lasted through the summer. Some businesses cut and stored the ice. Homeowners could subscribe to a service that delivered ice to them regularly. The ice blocks were put into insulated boxes for food storage. Access to ice allowed for breweries to operate year-round. Fruits and vegetables could be transported long distances. The use of ice for the storage and transportation of apples made the fruit available over an extended season for a larger group of people. Even those with limited financial means could afford apples year-round. The phrase “As American as apple pie” originates from the widespread use of ice for fruit transportation.

The invention of mobile refrigeration units mounted on semi-vans has revolutionized the transportation of fresh produce. We have become accustomed to having access to fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. Even though we complain about the difference between the tomatoes we purchase and those we grow in our garden, we continue to buy ones shipped in while we wait for our plants to produce.

Movie theaters began the practice of placing huge ice blocks in front of fans to create a cool space for audiences during summer showings. When commercial air conditioning became available, theaters were among the first public buildings to install the service. People flocked to theaters to escape the summer heat. A popular term from the days of ice blocks and fans continues to be used. When popular shows filled large theaters, the fans had to work harder, and the ice melted more quickly. Such a popular film was called a “blockbuster” because of the increased rate of ice melting.

We take many modern conveniences for granted, from access to fresh fruit and vegetables to comfortable seating in theaters. We forget that these were not always a part of people’s lives. I am used to having ice in my water whenever I want it. I enjoy having an ice maker in my home. Even though I complain about appliances that don’t last and some other inconveniences, I’m not ready to return to ice boxes and worry if my food will stay fresh on hot summer days. Those days are coming, and I can sit in air-conditioned comfort with a glass of iced tea whenever I feel like it. We have it easy compared to those who lived hundreds of years ago.