By Frank E. Vaerewyck, “The Firehouse Foodie”
Swiss playwright and novelist Max Rudolf Frisch (May 15, 1911-April 4, 1991) said, “Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we don’t have to experience it.” As a society, we have evolved into individuals who have become very dependent on technology, which in some ways has alienated us from each other as a community. Advancements in technology allow some of us to work from home, shop from home, and essentially never leave the confines of home. Just about everyone has a cell phone, and even with this popular communication device, we would rather spell things out on a text message than actually dial a number and have a conversation using words. Digital media is putting an end to the tried and true print media, and as many newspapers and magazines go by the wayside, so do the jobs that that industry creates.
Throughout history, not all technological advances have been accepted with open arms. The first self-propelled steam-powered fire engine in the United States was built in New York in 1841. Strangely enough, it didn’t catch on. Firefighters considered such a propulsion solution dangerous and unreliable. It took tens of years before the steam-powered fire engine actually did catch on. The reign of the steam engine didn’t last long.
Despite the fact that steam-powered fire engines were still in use, here and there, up until the 1920, motorized fire trucks became more and more common by 1910. Horse-drawn or steam-powered engines began being converted into fire trucks and by 1913, Ahrens-Fox Manufacturing Company from Cincinnati was the leading company when it came to these conversions. From 1911, Mack Trucks began producing fire trucks, slowly becoming the most famous manufacturer of that time.
The kitchen is not much different. Advances in technology throughout the years brought us from fire pits to cast iron wood stoves to kitchen appliances that have more circuitry and innovation than the first computers. Through all of these advances, one thing has remained unchanged, and that is our love of good home-cooked meals. A friend of ours here at the Firehouse Foodie, Betty Cerreto of Port Charlotte, Florida, sent us a recipe to try. After trying it out, we found that this Soy-Garlic Chicken is a big hit! Thanks, Betty. We know Tom is as well fed as we are at the station, and “That’s Bringing the Firehouse Home.”
Soy-Garlic Chicken
Serves 6
Ingredients:
6 chicken leg quarters, skin removed
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
Directions:
1. Cut leg quarters at the joint if desired.
2. Place in a four-quart slow cooker.
3. In small bowl, combine next 4 ingredients.
4. Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hrs.
Side note: Betty adds barbecue sauce to this and it gives it a little different flavor. Enjoy!
Frank Vaerewyck has had a passion for the fire service that has spanned 20 years. He has been a volunteer and career firefighter and is currently a firefighter/EMT with the Manassas (VA) Volunteer Fire Company. He has passed on his passion for the fire service through instruction and mentorship. That same passion he has for the fire service is shared with his love of food. In 2006, Vaerewyck won an Iron Chef-style competition sponsored by a radio station in Richmond, Virginia. That is where he also furthered his education by attending a Culinary Arts Program. As the Firehouse Foodie, he has been compiling recipes to be included in a cookbook that will give others the opportunity to see their hometown heroes not just as firefighters, but as the firehouse chefs they truly are.
