While surfing my life away on-line, I discover a masonry segment on boingboing dot com. At first, I read the story about the convenience of building rocket stoves, but it doesn't quite register until I see the how-to video on building a metal version of it.†
The presentation is given by somebody who looks like he really knows his music. The idea of outdoor concerts and make-shift rocket stove cooking comes to mind. One of the materials boingboing mentions on the brick version of it is ash. This doesn't make sense, even after the brief explanation of it's function as a heat filter. Having grown up in a bar-b-q celebration environment, I was quite familiar with the mess that accumulates after the fire burns out. My main job was mostly lighting the charcoals, cooking the meat, but the clean up process kind of just lingered overnight as the burnt coals cooled. After that, it was forgotten and left there until the next time a celebration was planned.
To build a rocket stove, one must be a pack rat with access to lots of junk. I'm perfect for the project. I can just see the possibilities of fish recipes I will learn afterward. Fish can leave such a nasty smell indoors, and I might even lose a pound or two on a diet like that. If I ever find a small group of friends to hang with at a Woodstocklike concert, I might impress them with the portable device for cooking on the go.