My parents and I always talk fondly of my grandmother’s kitchen in Bicol, which was small but no less efficient! Its key feature was the banggerahan, an open-air shelf or balcony for hanging plates and glasses to dry.
Lola Chedeng made good use of her banggerahan, which I learned is also called pinggahan (it’s meant to house plates or pinggan after all!). In her tiny U-shaped kitchen, floor space was minimal but it also made everything within reach. One minute you’re facing the sink; turn to your left and voila, there’s the range. Turn once more to your left and there’s the ever reliable banggerahan, which was also used for planters for growing herbs.
From that kitchen came out many meals that made my dad, aunt and uncle what they are today– strong, healthy and well-fed with love.
I hope to integrate a simple banggerahan into my Nuvali home, so I asked my dad to make an updated drawing (shown above). I want it to house not just my plates, glasses, cutlery and potted herbs, but also all the fresh fruits and veggies I don’t want (nor need) to store in the refrigerator. Underneath maybe I can put my compost pit.
Was also happy to read on PinoyDreamHouseToday.com about Architect Bobby Manosa also incorporating this traditional kitchen feature into his home projects. Author Jun Sanchez was kind enough to indulge me and share a pic of Manosa’s very sleek banggerahan (look for the link in the comments section).
Oh yet again, so exciting! So many design ideas, have to work harder to stay true to my design thrust of keeping it simple. For now though, kudos to the banggerahan and all the other back-to-basics lessons we can learn from our grandparents!
I am Johanna -- an artist, professional real estate broker and new resident of Nuvali.