The Cultural Changes of Traditional to Modern Kitchens of Kusantarat Village

Abstract

This research aims to investigate cultural characteristics changes of kitchen facilities in Kusantarat Village. Data were collected by in-depth interviewing and observation of about 65 households. Results show that the villagers' cooking areas are both at their houses and in the fields. In the traditional way of cooking, there are no speific rooms for cooking inside the house and most of the cooking is done outside the houses. A stove is the accepted sign of a kitchen. However, later in 1997 the villagers changed their way of cooking by having a specific aea as a kitchen and using a gas stove, similar to the modern way of cooking. To keep their living expenses relatively low, the villagers use their modern kitchens only when they are in a hurry. The modern and traditional ways of cooking at kusantarat Village depend on economics which determine the size of the cooking area, kitchen appliances and tools, and cupboards for storage of food and equipment. Additionally, since kitchens are social and cultural spaces relating to the villagers' ways of working in each season, how villagers use their kitchens differs from society to society. Kitchens are also found to be areas for social interaction where family members, relatives, and neighbors meet because the kitchen areas are not enclosed spaces and lack privacy unlike those of urban society.