Chandler Arizona

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Charles Goodnight's invention  

November 2011

Photos taken by Alex Yu

Chandler Chuck Wagon Festival is an event that celebrates the cowboy’s cultural heritage, especially the tradition of chuck wagon. This tradition originated from the Texan ranger Charles Goodnight. He added compartments to his wagon so that the wagon could be turned into a mobile kitchen while he was  traveling. The chuck wagon cook, also known as “cookie,” prepared meals for the whole group by digging a ditch on the ground as the stove and using whatever available “fuel,” such as cow dung. The basic ingredients of a typical chuck wagon meal included meat, beans, rice, and biscuit. I arrived at the festival after lunch hours and all meals were sold out; nonetheless, I still had an opportunity to try some free sample. It tasted very good and as a result I forgot about the dung.