A Different Use For A Garage

[TB Roye]

My neighborhood in South Sacramento is Cluturaly and Racialy diverse (not a political statement just the facts) I recently purchased a bike on Dr orderes to loose 20# and get in shape. This past weeked while riding in the area I noticed a lot of garages do not have woodworking equipment in them but kitchen/eating and living room type areas. The garages have not been converted into rooms in the normal sense as removing the garage door and putting a walls up. As we have many residents from Asia, the Pacific Islands the Middle East/Aribic and the East Indian areas they have installed kitchen cabinets, counters and in some cases sinks and stoves. I have seen evidence of concrete floors & driveways being jackhammered for isnstalltion of sewer lines. On hot summer evenings they are in the garage preparing meals and visiting and sitting around watching TV form their homeland (multiple Sat. Dishes on roof) while most us would be inside with the AC on. Their stove or cooking unit uses propane for fuel. What is interesting the kitchen cabinets are new, not removed from kitchens while being remodeled. It did answer a question on why I see so many kitchen cabinets going out of Lowes and the BORG. These places have nicer cabinets in their garage than I have in my kitchen, hope LOML doesn't see this. Some have added what I thought would be the 3rd car stall or shop along side the garage but no, it is a seperate kithchen/ cooking area. These people also have some very large parties where they bring in pota potties. They never cause problems with noise of fights they have parties that can last 3 or 4 days. The also put up PVC or Conduit frames and blue tarps that extend the eating area out into the driveway. I am not complaing as it is just very interesting to observe. Some time the cooking oders get to me espically the Curry. I am Sweedish Lutheran my food is bland and white, Ask Garrison Keller.

Tom

[Ken Weaver]

Not surprising - I spent Christmas of 1970 with a Vietnamese family at their home in Saigon, two rooms. Back was the bedroom (WC out back) and the front room was the living room, kitchen and dining room. After dinner and all the pleasentries, we left and as we were leaving, the tables were moved aside and the family car was brought in.

It was a wonderful evening and a great time. The grandfather played hymns on a toy piano (used to be an organist in Hanoi). Never have been able to find out how they made out in 1975. The husband/father was VNAF.

[LCHIEN]

I have known a number of Chinese families that have that arrangement.
What they do is have regular weekly or monthly family dinners for aunts uncles brothers sisters, parents, grandparents where everybody pitches in and helps. Its a family thing that Asians prize. Anyway rather than everyone bring cold dishes they all cook - four burners inthe kitchen is not enough so the garage is the overflow cooking and eating area.

[Tundra_Man]

About a year ago there was an article in our local paper about the growing popularity of converting your garage into rooms for other uses. Dens, rec/game rooms, home theaters and second kitchens were pretty common modifications. Personally, I don't see the attraction to doing this, but then again I tend to be as trendy and hip as the Unabomber.

[Russianwolf]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind having a setup similar to that. I hate cooking in the house as all you do is add additional heat to your cool space. That's why I do alot of grilling in the summer, keeps the heat outdoors.

[atgcpaul]

Well, being Asian I can tell you another reason for this is cooking smells.
Some of the spices and sauces used in especially Southeast Asian cooking
are pretty strong smelling compared to smells from a "Western" kitchen. They
can linger for a long time and cling to every square inch of your clothing.
Preserved this, pickled that, fish sauce, chillies, etc are not really part of the
repertoire of the common US cook.

I have looked at real estate houses where even though the last tenant had
moved out of the house, you could definitely smell their presence from their
food. Some people just can't handle the smell just like I'd have problems
living in a house owned by a smoker.

Even my father who can eat Asian chilly peppers straight from the plant
is sensitive to some smells and therefore my mom cooks the stronger dishes
outside. He has no problem eating them, though.


Paul

[just4funsies]

My brother-in-law did that in his garage, and he's from West Virginia...

[LCHIEN]

Well, being Asian I can tell you another reason for this is cooking smells.
Some of the spices and sauces used in especially Southeast Asian cooking
...

Yeah, that's what my wife said.
Even tho her family is Cantonese and don't have the real pungent spices,
the odors from deep frying and wokking (pan frying at high temperature)
can liger in a house for a long time. She said its to avoid permeating the house with cooking smells.

[dsellinger]

My neighbors would agree with atgcpaul. Being Indian they said the curries that they use can even cause the paint to peel and to strip the finish off cabinets. Plus the smell would be too strong for the whole house. So they do the smelly cooking in the garage with a propane stove.

[jnesmith]

Sounds pretty cool to me. I'm not interested in the setup for myself, but I wouldn't mind a neighborhood full of exotic outdoor cooking. I would be wandering from garage to garage with a plate, fork and a smile.

[Pappy]

My brother-in-law did that in his garage, and he's from West Virginia...

That's because he is using the kitchen sink as a parts washer on the Chevy truck!

[Bruce Cohen]

And then there was the time I really pissed-off the wife. I spent a month in the newest bedroom (which was once the garage) in the house.

Bruce

[cwsmith]

One of my "discoveries" with meeting people from other parts of the world is how social the dinner hours are. Here in America, we leave work and go home to our families and have dinner (or as in most cases today, go out or get take-out).

Through my last assignment I was able to meet quite a few people from other countries and a common concern expressed by many of visitors was that while everyone was very kind and welcoming in the office, at 5:00, "Americans seemingly go home and hide in their houses"; thus, making a several weeks ro months here in American, a rather a lonely experience for them.

In Saudi Arabia for instance, meal time is a time for family... and that's practically everybody in the family including aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Many families live in group housing units or compounds. Meals are shared with many wives doing the cooking.

In India, especially in the west, it is extremely hot and dinner and evening hours are spent in the streets, cooking, eating and general socializing with friends. Here we might call it a "block party" but there it is almost a nightly social event.

I'm not sure about China. My friend there lived in Beijing where things might be a little more conservative, but I still got the idea that a lot of dinners were prepared in the garden or on the rooftop, with friends.

I suppose this "garage" thing does appear an oddity, but when I started dating my wife, I found it a bit strange that in addition to the regular first floor kithchen, most Italian families also had a complete kitchen in the basement. That way the food could be prepared for big events like holidays' etc., without messing up the main kitchen too much. It also offered the ability to prepare many different "dishes" at the same time.

I love the enlightenment that living in a diverse neighborhood often brings,

CWS

[dwolsten]

My neighbors would agree with atgcpaul. Being Indian they said the curries that they use can even cause the paint to peel and to strip the finish off cabinets. Plus the smell would be too strong for the whole house. So they do the smelly cooking in the garage with a propane stove.

Isn't this what range hood exhaust fans are supposed to be for?

Of course, maybe it's me, but it seems like true range hood exhaust fans that exhaust to the outside, instead of just blowing it back into the kitchen, are extremely rare now, since house builders can save a few bucks by not bothering with the ducting.

[atgcpaul]

Isn't this what range hood exhaust fans are supposed to be for?

Of course, maybe it's me, but it seems like true range hood exhaust fans that exhaust to the outside, instead of just blowing it back into the kitchen, are extremely rare now, since house builders can save a few bucks by not bothering with the ducting.

Well, even after all the cooking is done and the vents are off, hot food still
wafts the aromas around the house.

Paul