Saturday Cooking
On the ground conducting cookstoves research in Mwanza, the IDEO.org team has a day of in-context immersion, while also helping to cook a full Tanzanian meal.
Given language and cultural barriers, it’s relatively difficult to really get to know people in Tanzania in a short amount of time. To remedy this situation, our IDEO.org cookstoves team arranged to spend an entire day with one family, casually hanging out and cooking an afternoon meal. Daniel and Gaudensia welcomed us into their family of nine in the nearby town of Buhongwe. Our first stop was the market where we bought everything we needed for our feast including meat, beans, sweet potato, ugali flour, fruits and vegetables, and…. a live chicken.
When we got home, the ladies quickly got to work lighting the three charcoal stoves and cutting up the meat and vegetables. The oldest boy, Godwa, was told to slaughter the squawking chicken. Cameras ready, we watched as he cut through the chicken’s neck, drained the blood, and left it twitching in a bowl ready for plucking.
The meal took several hours to prepare. There was swapping of pots and lids, lids doubled as cutting boards, and each item including water and the chicken went through several discreet processes before it reached the table. And when it was done, three hours later, it was elaborately dished onto plates for the men and the guests and eaten out of cooking pots for women and children, and all consumed in the space of 20 minutes.
And then, when it was cleared, they lit the charcoal stove again and started preparing for dinner.
What is (or will be) the impact of your project?
By meeting a Tanzanian family where they live, cook and socialize, the IDEO.org team was able to gain new insights into how a family in Tanzania prepares, cooks and experiences a meal.
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Discuss this Story
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Was there any particular revelation that was derived from the observation of the Cooking Experience that provided the IDEO.org Team with any additional insight on how to improve the cookstove design, efficiency, or user experience? Does "efficiency" have the potential to compromise on the value of the inherent "socializing" element in the cooking experience?
For our Design studio class at SF state, we are planning to do a similar participatory cooking experience with senior adults. With the "Aging in place" theme, this course focuses on inclusive design approaches in dealing with design for the elderly. Having Identified "cooking" as one of the problematic tasks that senior users face -living independently- we are going to have an in-context immersion, going through the four phases of shopping, preparing food, eating and cleaning up together with selected older adults at their own houses. We hope to find some interesting areas for further consideration and possibly design solutions. I look forward to hear any advice/ comments on the subject.
I wondered after your team's one day observation, what is the main problem you discovered from this time consuming cooking process? Would you like to share with us as well?
As I noticed from your picture, they don't have any furniture, like table for them to prepare the food, so they put everything on the ground. They must to walk from here to there and try to avoid to step into the dishes or other stuff. They have to squat down for most activities because the lack of furniture, would that be a big concerned for the inefficient cooking process? Or the main problem will be the strove? Or for them, it's not a problem at all, they enjoy every process?
Great story. I am also working on a cooking experience project now. I really look forward to hear about some of the insights you took away with you from this project.
I have been with an Ugandan family in Tanzania. I am a volunteer from Thailand while Sarah is from Uganda. On weekend, Sarah and her sister will prepare ingredients from 8 a.m. and finish cooking breakfast at 10 a.m. Likewise, like you said, it really takes time for cooking stove. They will prepare ingredients again at 11 a.m. and have lunch at 2 p.m. However, I think it is one kind of art of living. We cook slow and eat slow. We focus on process longer. It is very necessary to be patient with something in this electronic world where people think fast but act nothing. For example, we will be frustrated if the internet is slow sometime. We always need speed in life. I tried hard to wait when I cooked rice with cooking stove. I got mad when I was so hungry and waited. Later, I start cooking before I feel hungry :)