Memoriesofthegasstove:production,marketing,andeducationforuse

“Just as your used car is worth part of the payment for a new one... your old stove also holds value. The old stove is unsightly. It contrasts deplorably with the shiny tiles of a well-maintained kitchen. Even so, your stove is worth money.” This advertising campaign expresses the commitment of the Société Anonyme du Gaz to intensify something that had already been occurring since the end of the 19th century, a slow and gradual process: the substitution of wood and coal for gas – in the process of cooking food and heating. And furthermore, for those who already used gas, the exchange for a new stove. In this photograph, a store where there was a showroom for the sale of stoves manufactured by the company itself.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a building with a classical façade located on a corner. On the left side, we see a series of arches and windows, while on the right, there is a large sign with the text "APPARELHOS GAZ". On the upper part of the building, there is an inscription that appears to read "S... NONY E D...". There are trees and people walking in front of the building, and in the background, other buildings can be seen.

This photograph of a damaged stove – the reason is not clarified in the image – serves as testimony to the design of the stoves that were marketed by the Société Anonyme du Gaz.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a gas stove. The image shows a stove with a black and gold front plate that reads "SOCIETE ANONYME DU GAZ RELIABLE". Above the stove, there is a metal device with several prongs that appear to be components of the ventilation system. The stove is positioned against a light-colored wall, and there are paint or dirt marks on the wall surface to the right. In the bottom right corner of the image, there is an inscription that reads "No 113 - SEPT.1-11 BROKEN RANGE - SCHNEIDER TRENKAMP Co."

One of the numerous advertisements for gas stoves published in Revista Light.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white advertising poster. At the top, there is a drawn hand pointing to a gas stove. Below the hand, it reads "Don't hesitate! It's perfect!" in bold. Next, the words "Fast", "Clean" and "Economical!" also appear in bold. The gas stove is illustrated in the center, with details such as a sink, drawers, and flames. Below the stove, it reads "Buy your stove at Sociedade Anônima do Gaz".

In the 1930s, the gas stove was still not a unanimous choice, not even among the classes with better financial means. These advertisements show us the dominant ideas within the advertising world (and of white society, in general) at the time, which served clients such as Light and the Société Anonyme du Gaz: the Black woman — portrayed in a racist and caricatured manner in the ad — was associated with backwardness, that is, with the charcoal stove...

Image description: The image is a black-and-white poster. At the top, there is text in blue that reads "AINDA HA QUEM ACREDITE NA ECONOMIA DO FOGÃO A CARVÃO!...". Below, there are two illustrations of a woman cooking. In the upper illustration, she is using a gas stove and appears pleased with the result. In the lower illustration, she is using a charcoal stove and appears displeased. Next to the illustrations, there is more text in blue that reads "MAS OS OS QUE ARRISCAM UMA EXPERIENCIA FICAM AMIGOS DO GAZ UM PEQUENO FOGÃO PO DE SER ADQUIRIDO EM PRESTAGÕES, E QUEM ADQUIRE UM FOGÃO A GAZ, ADQUIRE: ASSEIO_RAPIDEZ E ECONOMIA". In the upper left corner, there is a seal with the text "SOCIETE ANONYME DU GAZ RIO DE JANEIRO".

… while the white woman of better economic standing supposedly already handled the gas stove. The cook was commonly associated with the Black woman. We know well that in the first decades of our Republic – a period that coincides with the rollout of the Light conglomerate's services – eugenicist policies aimed at whitening the population were intense, as our historians on the subject demonstrate.

Image description: The image is a colored illustration of a woman sitting on a sofa. The woman is wearing a black dress with white details on the sleeves and neckline, and she is wearing a pearl necklace. She is sitting with her feet crossed, resting her right arm on the arm of the sofa. The sofa has a green seat and a red backrest with blue details. In the background, there is text in Portuguese written in two different colors. The upper text is green and the lower one is red. In the bottom corner of the image, there is a stamp with the text "Gaz" and "Rio de Janeiro".

This image shows the great novelty: the gas stove, in a cooking class offered to housewives.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of five women in a kitchen. On the left side, a woman stands near a white gas stove, holding a pot. To her right, four other women are talking and smiling. They are arranged in a row, with the woman farthest to the right wearing a black dress with gold details. In the background, there are shelves with pots and hanging utensils. The back wall is covered in white tiles.

Here, one sees the stove installed in the Flamengo telephone exchange, on Dois de Dezembro Street. On it, the meals offered to the switchboard operators who worked there were prepared.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a kitchen. On the left side, there are cabinets with shelves full of containers and utensils. In the center, a gas stove with two side chimneys. On the right, there are two sinks with faucets and a basin. The floor is tiled and the ceiling has windows. In the lower right corner, it reads "BEIRA MAR" and "CAIXA NO.101".

When the S. A. G. inaugurated the first School for Cooks, in its agency on Teixeira Soares street in Praça da Bandeira, the repercussion was very positive, according to the record in the Revista Light (April 1932). The class was integrated by “numerous ladies residing in the neighborhood” and as the published photograph attests, there was an apparent ‘ethnic’ balance. Taking into account that a considerable portion of the women dedicated themselves to domestic chores including the kitchen, it becomes impossible to know who was, there, mistress or professional cook. But it is a fact that the first rows were occupied by black women, all dressed in white, which could lead to the interpretation that they were all professional cooks. Or not.

Image description: The image is a photograph of two pages from a newspaper or magazine, showing the inauguration of the first Cooking School of the Companhia do Gaz. On the first page, we see a classroom with tables and chairs arranged around a podium where the director, Wilma Kastner, is seated, speaking to the students. To her right, other adults are watching the ceremony. On the second page, there is a photo of a well-organized kitchen, with kitchen utensils hanging on the walls and a work table. The students are seated in rows, waiting for class to begin. The page contains text explaining the topics covered at the school, such as pastas and cakes, how to use ingredients, seafood selection, care of utensils, dessert, pies and pastries, kitchen and gas economy, vegetable selection, the maid's roast, meat selection, and roasting meat with gas.

The course program included the general aspects of the kitchen and its utensils, including cleaning, the handling of the stove and the oven, their techniques and maintenance, the selection of different foods, methods of processing and preservation, various recipes for a complete meal and, furthermore, “the hygiene of the maid in charge of these services.” And would there have been a substantial change in the Carioca kitchen? New ways of cooking, with new equipment, would have implied a change in habits and flavors? This, without forgetting that electricity came to enable the popularization of the refrigerator, occasioning another true revolution in the kitchen and dietary habits. One thing is certain: descendants of those black women, many of them domestic workers, are changing the local reality, where structural racism is increasingly combated and the visibility of other foods is evident. Today, Rio de Janeiro has names of note among the Afro-descendant chefs who command admired restaurants, established in neighborhoods and communities where Afro-Brazilian cuisine – including quilombola cuisine and the votive food of candomblé terreiros – is increasingly disseminated and appreciated.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white advertising poster dated April 1932. It is divided into three vertical columns, each containing different advertisements. In the first column, there is an advertisement for bus travel by "Light Auto Omnibus S.A." offering tickets for 800 réis. Below it, there is another advertisement promoting the work of the Publicity Department. In the second column, there is a course for cosmetologists offered by Gaz. Below it, there is an advertisement for enrolling maids in a cooking course. In the third column, there is an advertisement for Telefônica Brasileira, encouraging the installation of telephone extensions. Below it, there is an advertisement about saving money by using gas, mentioning "Dois Aliados" and "A Luz Protege o Lar."