[Molly-D20302]

I have wondered for a while what is up with the whole ‘man at the BBQ’ thing. Yes, I understand the ‘women in the kitchen’ setup. Women in the kitchen has a long history of oppression and gender roles that enforced a male public space and a female private space in the home. So is the male BBQ role an extension of that public space? Why, oh why, is barbecuing a man thing?

User Detail :  

Name : Molly-D20302, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 21, City : Oakland, State : CA, Country : United States, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[BL23445]

In speaking only for myself, I believe there are a few factors involved here. First, my wife and girls are afraid to light the flame, as if expecting an explosion, and they do not like cooking over the open flame. (We have a gas range, so go figure.) Second, I’ve always enjoyed camping, and BBQ’ing on the deck is usually as close as I get to the real thing. Third, my wife usually looks to me to BBQ because she knows I enjoy it, so it can be viewed as an act of love and respect. If my wife and girls want to consider this a ‘guy thing’ (which they do), that’s fine with me. No oppression here.

User Detail :  

Name : BL23445, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 41, City : Burlington, State : VT, Country : United States, Occupation : Accountant, BBQ Cook, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dan31698]

Meat … and fire. Two ancient, time-honored and complementing elements of the macho experience. Cro-Magnon hunters returned with a freshly killed mammoth, chopped it up, built a huge bonfire, cooked it until the parasites were (mostly) gone and then chowed down. Picture it: As they eat, sitting on a circle of boulders outside the cave entrance, they tell war stories, dirty Cro-Magnon-era jokes and the occasional insult that leads to a bitter, on-the-spot club fight. Meanwhile, the Cro-Magnon women scurry about inside the cave, cooking lizards and wild vegetables over hot rocks and feeding the kids. Ironically, anthropologists have determined that it was stone age women who kept humanity alive. Wild plants and small animals that they trapped were far more regular and reliable than the occasional big game animal that would be brought in sporadically (maybe two or three times in a month). I reckon the modern day practice of barbecuing – outside, flames, meat, guys, beer, Laker game blasting on the radio – is a throwback, a reconnection of sorts, to the days of the cave.

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Name : Dan31698, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[chris]

I dunno. I’m a vegetarian. I think it has something to do with some perceived caveman heritage thing.

User Detail :  

Name : chris, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 25, City : Austin, State : TX, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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