I cook over fire.
Yeah, I’ll admit I feel pretty bad-ass about sucking it up and going “bush.” Nick walked in my kitchen the other day to storian with me and he asked me, “How do you deal with all the smoke?” while squinting and looking uncomfortable. I looked around and saw there was indeed quite a bit of smoke everywhere. That’s the moment I realized, Wowee! I’m actually getting used to this smoke and fire business! I still pour sweat and get a runny nose when I’m squatting next to the fire making cookies (yes, I make my cookies in a saucepan over the fire- take that!) or frying up taro chips. My eyes also water occasionally, but I welcome the smoke that chases away mosquitos and the smoky smell that lingers in my clothes hours afterwards, masking B.O. My fire-making abilities can compete with that of any boyscout. As long as I have coconut leaves available to use as “island matches” and coconut husks and shells to fuel my fire. This gal doesn’t need fuel. Bah!
My apuwoman is super proud of me. She says I’m almost an island girl. Especially since I know how to weave fans by myself from Pandamas leaves and wash my pans in the river.
Yep, I wash my own saucepans. Though, the 3 times I’ve gone to the river to wash them somebody has ended up grabbing one away from me and helping me because they feel sorry for me and don’t like to see me get my hands dirty. Yes, I am spoiled.
Washing smoke off of pans is probably my least favorite domestic activity. A lot of times parents will make their pikinin go wash them. If you wash them after every use the black comes off easily, but who has time to do that? I typically wash them after using them 3-4 times- which is about twice a week because I don’t cook every meal for myself.
To wash my pans I can either walk to my tap, or walk about 10 minutes to the ocean/river run-off. Or one of the many river spots around my village. I prefer the ocean spot so that I can swim as a reward after cleaning.
My 10-year old sister Clenda taught me how. You can either use the ash from a fire or sand from the beach. You wet the pan (I sit with my feet in the river) and throw sand on it, then scrub the hell out of it. It takes lots of elbow grease. You can use part of a coconut skin as a scrubber. You wet the pot and add sand and scrub… doing this over and over until it’s shiny like new. Then I go swim in the ocean, and then the cold river right after that. And then I go home and “swim” with my bucket once more.
