Episode 16: From make-shift ovens to microwaves
AS THEY prepared to take a drive into the countryside, Ryan kept remembering what his uncle said only a few moments ago. It was related to the modern kitchen amenities prominently placed on the counter. For all its purpose in reducing the laborious process, as he sees it in cooking, his uncle was emphatic in his pronouncement that the food tasted better when cooked on a ‘fireside’, and when the ingredients for the curry was ground on the ‘sill’. Ryan has a difficulty in accepting this, given that he has no major problem with the taste in the food he consumes. Uncle Benji’s response was Ryan should taste ‘fireside food’.

Ryan couldn’t recall exactly the explanation his uncle gave, but vaguely remembers him saying that the smoke from the ‘fireside’ and the natural grounding of the ingredients greatly enhanced the flavours. All Ryan knows is that modern technology in cooking reduces labour and time. For him, the microwave oven and the blender are crucial appliances. During their earlier conversation, Uncle Benji related that due to the lack of facilities in his time, villagers were forced to improvise when it came to baking, especially around the holiday season at the end of the year.

He explained that the masses had no access to the kind of ovens now available. At some point, they didn’t even have access to wheaten flour. When flour was available, some households would come together and bake in groups. The oven was either a movable device the size of a 19-inch television with a glass door, which had to be placed on the kerosene stove or even the ‘fireside’. The pans were then placed into the device and left to bake. A piece of sanitised ‘pointer’ from a ‘pointer broom’ was used to poke the dough or cake mixture to check on progress and eventually its completion.

The other kind of oven was one made from old steel drums which were cut down the sides and flattened. These were then used to construct a box-like structure sometimes bigger than an average refrigerator. Shelves were added, using pieces of galvanize pipes, while charcoal or even wood were used to provide the heat source for baking. This was even used by some to make ‘smoke-fish’. Villagers took turns and eventually, those who could have afforded to bake, did so. The ‘home-made bread’ was a real delicacy, while the fruit-cake, made from real fruits which went through a ‘ritual’ from before, presented a sumptuous, intoxicating, luxurious, delight.

The children always willingly volunteered to wash the basins in which the cake mixture was churned. Using their fingers, the remaining mixture made its way to the stomachs as they wiped the basin clean. Even some adults jostled the kids to ‘wash’ the basins. This kind of baking was generally done outdoors, and posed serious health threats when the oven door was opened. The heat and the dew was a dangerous combination. As Ryan got dressed for the trip, he felt a sense of pride at the ingenuity of people then, who were obviously forced to be creative, given the acute lack of facilities.

He remembered his uncle explaining that baking and ‘smoking fish’ were not the only things that householders did together. Uncle Benji had explained that people then made their own flowers to decorate their modest homes. They used ‘straws’, which were of various colours and sold in reels. With a piece of round cardboard about six inches in diameter with a small hole in the centre, the various coloured ‘straws’ were woven in different but specific pattern. Eventually, by turning the cardboard in certain ways, an artificial flower blossomed. The vase to hold a bunch was either an empty ‘sweet-drinks’ bottle, or one made of bamboo.

Ryan realised that these are things that he, and he can safely vouch for those within his age group, take for granted. He grew up seeing a variety of exquisitely decorative artificial flowers, even plants, around the house and offices. He knows on many occasions, flowers are used as gifts. They are available all year round in stores and shops across the country, and are inexpensive. He has even seen them in vehicles. As for cakes and bread, they are as ubiquitous as flies. Bread, in all varieties, is easily bought from various bakeries and shops; the same for cakes.

Regarding the latter, a box with pre-mixed ingredients can now be effortlessly procured, and within fifteen minutes, a cake is made in the comfort of one’s kitchen. The ‘microwave’ makes this possible. With the ease with which things can be done, Ryan feels he will always remain bewildered how people managed during his uncle’s time. He tried to imagine people around a make-shift oven baking in the open, waiting for hours to get a cake or bread. It was something he couldn’t relate to. He saw his mother, and now his maid, taking just a few minutes to make a cake, while a trip to a bakery allowed for the purchase of bread and pastries.

As he descended the internal stairs, he looked around and couldn’t believe that people were forced to endure the harsh conditions his uncle spoke about. As he knows it, in life, having a house, a car, all basic electrical appliances and furniture is the norm. How he wished that those during his uncle’s time could have enjoyed the comforts the vast majority of Guyanese now experience. He called out to his uncle, reminding him that it was time to leave. As he started his car, using the remote, he realised that even such a simple and routine action would not have been contemplated then, for the cars were absent. He was sure of one thing; life now has vastly improved over the years.

To be continued…