Man has been in control of fire for a long time. Some scientists seem to think from the artifacts that man has been using fire for cooking, warmth, light, and fellowship since 1.9 million years ago. But, I bet they had a harder time starting fires back then since they didn't have any BICs or Zippos or even matches.
Probably the first fire that man made use of was started by lightning strikes. Once they had possession of fire, I am sure that they did their best to keep it going day and night so they wouldn't have to wait until the invention of the match to light another one. . . (grin).
I don't think that a fire for them was just for fun. It was a matter of life or death. Not only would they cook over it, they would use it to warm themselves, to give them light in the night, to deter wild creatures, and maybe to sit around and tell ghost stories. . . or maybe not. But I bet they told it over and over how they chased down and killed the animal that was feeding them at the moment.
Yes, I am sure that they ate a lot of their meat raw, but they were quick to learn the art of cooking. They didn't have a McDonalds close by to run to when they were hungry. Maybe it is a throw-back to those times, but I prefer my steaks rare to medium rare. Well, no matter how you like your steaks, or if you are a vegetarian like my wife, I want all of you to have a great day, you hear?
Burnt food for thought. I imagine the first fire was frightening, and maybe several fires later found them returning to the site and tasting something that had been cooked, but I mostly see them using it for warmth, having a preferred taste of raw meat.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what went into the first soup?? Maybe I don't want to know. OK, now I am hungry. Food for thought doesn't fill the belly, whether it is burnt or not. Oh yes, I love to eat!! Must be from my prehistoric ancestors.
DeleteI just finish reading a book about the American Indians... and how they carried their "fire" from one site to another. We're not vegetarians but seldom eat red meat... but still... I like a lot of foods cooked (just not cooked to mush).
ReplyDeleteCarrying the fire from camp site to camp site was a lot easier than trying to start a new one from scratch. Actually, my wife is not a true vegetarian, she definitely will not eat red meat, but I will.
DeleteI like beef just a bit above rare, but if I had to eat raw meat I'd switch over to the plant eating tribe.
ReplyDeleteI can understand what you are saying.
DeleteI've read the series of books, Clan of the Cave Bear, and she put so much history into them. Fire is one she did too. The last one was so technical, got really boring a lot.
ReplyDeleteBTW, like my beef like yours.
Never read them, but I bet I would enjoy them.
DeleteI liked the first few of the Cave Bear series, but after a while it's difficult to write something new. Many series are just the same things repeated - not all though.
DeleteGuess I need to read some of those books.
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