The Oceanian Kitchen

I remember with pleasure the extraordinary neatness of my friend Tino’s cookhouse, beautifully constructed and thatched. It was divided into two equal parts by a coconut log, the cooking section covered with neatly raked white sand, the eating section covered with pandanus mats over a cushioning layer of sweet grass. All of his well-scrubbed utensils were hanging in order in an easily available place. . . .

Across the street there was another family, as well-to-do, as prominent, even larger than Tino’s. But the cookshed was old and dilapidated, with great gaps in the roof through which the sunlight showed and rain could pour. No separation was made between eating and cooking place. Sloppiness prevailed, and the shack was full of unpleasant odors. Dogs, cats, and chickens skittered about and the family pigs looked on from the side.

Donald Marshall, 1961, Ra ‘ivavae