Those bodega nights

Here we are, all ready for a candlelit dinner in our own bodega. How lucky we are to have this little 'extra' place.
The bodega was originally built as a kitchen, though certainly not with a microwave in sight. No, around the year of 1870 when this little stone construction was painstakingly built, it was the hub of the house where meals were cooked over a log fire, the floor was of hard-packed soil and the doors blackened with smoke. In those days, they relied on natural and nearby resources - and whilst the houses were super-simple consisting of just a family bedroom above the potato store, an open smokey flame was hardly desirable or safe.
In fact, this was not just where they cooked the food on inclement days and dark nights, but it also served as a dining room and lounge. All the more incredible to think that this served for the two houses here on the finca with their large families.
We feel very privileged therefore to bring back life to the once abandoned room with its still blackened doors, to sit around the table with family and enjoy a meal together. And candlelight still makes the perfect ambiance.