Do people in your country use these small gas cans? They have both liquid and gas inside, and you attach them to a small stove made for them. Most people use them for cooking. In Japan, you can easily buy them at home centers or supermarkets, and they cost about 200 yen each. I heard they are also common in many Asian countries because people use them for dishes like shabu-shabu, Yudofu and chanko-nabe, which sumo wrestlers often eat.
These dishes are perfect for keeping warm, so in Japan they’re considered classic winter meals. People cook them right at the table, adding vegetables and meat into the pot as they eat, then dipping them into their favorite sauces. Recently, small heaters that use the same gas cans have also become available. They use the gas for heating, but since the canisters are small, they only last about two to three hours 😅 When used for cooking, though, one can usually lasts for two or three meals.
After the big earthquake disaster that happened in Japan in 2011, people became much more aware of disaster preparedness, and many started buying these gas canisters to keep as emergency supplies. During disasters, electricity and gas often stop working. However, it’s said that these canisters have a lifespan of about seven to eight years, and after that, they shouldn’t be used because they might become damaged or leak. And… I just found out that we have quite a few expired ones at home too. I think I bought them about ten years ago, but I completely forgot about them. Of course, I use them every year for hot pot dishes, but it seems I also had some stored away for emergencies. There were eleven of them in total.
These gas canisters have already passed their expiration date, so I have to dispose of them. But you can’t throw them away while there’s still gas inside. When I looked it up online, it said to release the gas in an open area where no one is around, make sure the can is completely empty, and then dispose of it with regular trash. Luckily, my workshop is near a large river, and there are almost no people along its bank. So yesterday and today, I went there and released the gas little by little. The gas drifts near the ground at first, but it disappears within a few minutes. I finally finished the job, so I should be able to throw them away on tomorrow’s trash collection day. It was actually a more nerve-wracking task than making puzzle boxes…🤣
