Although I’m not quite sure why it took such a long time for such a useful tool to gain the recognition it deserves, I think the important thing is that it finally did. The inventor is using the momentum to mass-produce and bring the kyoto box to the people who need it most.

I agree with you about the success of the product riding on whether or not locals will use it for making their favorites. I think it’s great that the cooker can make rice (which is a must for anywhere in Asia and many other parts of the world), but I do hope that Mr. Bohmer continues to study, adapt and even provide training programs for how to use the Kyoto Box.

I think that the biggest challenge for solar ovens is figuring out how to adapt them to local cultural food practices. There are numerous advantages in solar ovens in terms of saving trees and in cutting down on indoor air pollution, for example. Also, these cookers allow hands free cooking thereby freeing up people to do other things with their time. However, if indigenous folks can\’t cook their traditional faves they are less likely to use these solar cookers. So, for this device to truly succeed, the designer should team up with anthropologists, local chefs and the like to figure out how to cook food which will satisfy local palate.