Which way does the microwave plate spin?

I've been wondering this since childhood.   Why does the turntable sometimes spin clockwise and sometimes counterclockwise?   I finally decided to research the answer.   It's because of the AC synchronous motor that it uses.   It's an inexpensive type of motor that offers constant rotation speed.   Thing is, on this motor, if no special starting mechanism is provided, the direction is random (it depends on where it last stopped and on the phase of the AC current the moment it gets restarted).   Mystery solved!