I belong to a town in Colombia, which is made up of a largely rural area. Its main economic movement is agriculture and the countryside and, therefore, the care of the land to produce enough food and thus be able to market it. In my community, because it is so small, it has always been difficult to access technology or an economy that allows its habitants to be updated or modernized, so some cultural and gastronomic habits are still maintained.
In my community, we use the term “Fogón” and the expression: “Vamos a prender el fogon” to carry out one of our habits, which is about preparing food in a place, preferably outdoors, and created with our own hands, which is suitable for making fire. In other words, to light a stove, we need a structure built on a base of stones or bricks, and between this base, we put firewood, and on top of the wood, we put a grill that helps us hold the pan where we are cooking. It is important that the stove is located at a point in the house, that it can function as a kitchen and as a dining room at the same time, in such a way that it allows several people to gather and share.
In short, when in my community we say “Fogón,” we mean a stove or oven. This word has an origin and is used by our ancestors to refer to fire.
Over time and throughout history, the stove has had various uses. It has served as a source of heat, like a fireplace or bonfire, since, in our community, there are high mountainous areas and it is cold there, so “prender el fogon” means gathering around the fire to receive heat. It also works for cooking and drying different foods, and this is its primary function since it is the perfect tool for cooking in large quantities. This is why “el fogon” has also turned out to be very useful in restaurants and to market and sell the food that the community itself harvests. That is to say, that sometimes we meet men and women, who dedicate themselves to the home, offering the sale of sancocho, arepas, tamales, and chorizos. This fact eventually happens in my community, where people have their way of generating income, preparing food to sell to other people from the stove they have at home. ”El Fogon” has also been an important tool for making work materials or artifacts that, in the past, could function as tableware or decoration. Most of them made of clay or ceramic and fulfilled the function of giving heat to the oven in which these objects are created.
I liked reading this and with the attention to detail and imagery, it made it a joy to read. I found that the purpose was: ”el fogon” has been a vital implement and also something that has brought you closer to your community. All in all, this is great, I would like to know more about your own experiences or familial experiences, perhaps a story, or incorporation of more imagery.
I liked the way you started your easy, the way you introduced the word before actually mentioning it. I enjoyed the details, I found this part “In short, when in my community we say “Fogón,” we mean a stove or oven. This word has an origin and is used by our ancestors to refer to fire” interesting because it was nicely structured to show the main point of your previous paragraph+ I like the idea of letting the audience know what the origin of the word.