I have arrived back in Galicia with the autumn, rain outside and my cocina lit. The cocina is fueled by wood and is the most common form of cooking, heating appliance in rural areas. For those of you in Britain it is similar in appearance to an "Aga", less sophisticated and far less expensive. In the UK I know that wood burners are trendy at the moment here where the population is small and most people in the countryside own a piece of woodland they make economic sense.
The down side of using a cocina is that they involve a great deal of work, felling trees if you have them (we buy uncut logs locally) chainsawing, splitting and stacking. all of which should be done by now. We still have logs to cut, but have some ready for winter from last years supply. Working a year in advance means the wood is better seasoned anyway, but every fine weekend is spent cutting wood and in our case scavenging wood from local logging sites (with permission) to eke out our supply,
Cooking on a cocina is also more of an art than a science and takes a degree of practice.
The up side of all this is that winter fuel costs little in terms of cash, the kitchen is always warm, the kettle is always hot as is the oven. A faint smell of wood smoke hangs over the village which adds to the welcome and I love it. I always wondered with Aga,s whether the attraction was purely psychological, the always warm kitchen, the reassuring solidarity, the potential to dry anything from wellington boots to kittens, and the promise of casseroles and cakes. Our wood stove would have no place in the super hygienic, pristine, kitchens of home makeover shows but carries the comfort and warmth that I want in a home.
I have just returned from a whirlwind week in the UK. The time shared between cooking for friends and being a Grandma. Both are occupations which are high on my favorites lists and I miss my family dreadfully. The longer we live here though the harder I find it to tear myself away, I am used to the quiet, the clean air and the steady rhythm of rural life. Besides that, being used to Galicia´s roads, good quality and almost empty the M1 seems like a nightmare version of eternal punishment. The cost of a bad cup of coffee is also bewildering as is the size of the cup. I fear that these examples of progress may one day reach here,and have to remind myself that "sufficient unto the day the evil there of....."
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Cooking on a cocina is also more of an art than a science and takes a degree of practice.
The up side of all this is that winter fuel costs little in terms of cash, the kitchen is always warm, the kettle is always hot as is the oven. A faint smell of wood smoke hangs over the village which adds to the welcome and I love it. I always wondered with Aga,s whether the attraction was purely psychological, the always warm kitchen, the reassuring solidarity, the potential to dry anything from wellington boots to kittens, and the promise of casseroles and cakes. Our wood stove would have no place in the super hygienic, pristine, kitchens of home makeover shows but carries the comfort and warmth that I want in a home.
I have just returned from a whirlwind week in the UK. The time shared between cooking for friends and being a Grandma. Both are occupations which are high on my favorites lists and I miss my family dreadfully. The longer we live here though the harder I find it to tear myself away, I am used to the quiet, the clean air and the steady rhythm of rural life. Besides that, being used to Galicia´s roads, good quality and almost empty the M1 seems like a nightmare version of eternal punishment. The cost of a bad cup of coffee is also bewildering as is the size of the cup. I fear that these examples of progress may one day reach here,and have to remind myself that "sufficient unto the day the evil there of....."
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Good to hear that you're doing well Dawn
ReplyDeleteYes we are Andrew thank-you. Would you pray for us as we consider Gods Calling for us here?
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