5444: Re: 5425: alternative fuel (to charbon) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: NLaleau@aol.com

I've wondered about solar cookers too, and apparently some organizations have 
tried them in Haiti with mixed results, I hear.

A planner I know who worked in India for years said that food customs are the 
hardest to change -- one factor that inhibits the use of solar cookers, he 
said, is that they require someone to spend time in the open sun, darkening 
their skin. In cultures where light skin is of social value, women are 
reluctant to do anything to darken their complexions. 

A second impediment is that the sun is hot at mid-day, meaning that in a 
culture where the evening meal is the main meal, solar cookers wouldn't 
immediately catch on because they couldn't be useful then. 

You will probably hear from a number of people who are successfully using 
them -- perhaps they will tell you how they overcame the obstacles.

Nancy Laleau