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HEALTHY EATING
The grill is not just for men
WOMEN TAKE CHARGE OF THE BARBECUE REVOLUTION Eric Rose
O
ver the years, so much has changed in the average American household, and the traditional roles of men and women have changed drastically. Of course, I am stereotyping, but I think it is safe to say that in years past it was traditionally the woman’s role to do the shopping, plan the dinner and prepare everything. Except when the grill was involved! That’s only for men … (Ha Ha). People have been debating men and grills in different forums for a very long time. In an old Forbes magazine article, I stumbled across from 2010, Meghan Casserly explains why men love grilling: Grilling is sort of dangerous (there’s fire!), it lets dudes hang out together while also providing some sort of neutral entertainment (getting to watch one guy do stuff and possibly also criticizing him while he does it), and it requires minimal cleaning (self-explanatory). Casserly also notes that this is a particularly 20th-century American phenomenon — in early hunter-gatherer societies, cooking meat over a fire was largely women’s work, and in most of Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Serbia, for instance, it still is. The reason we associate grilling with men is, like many stubborn gender stereotypes, a product of the 1950s and suburbanization. Suburban homes with
JU LY 2022
backyards led to the popularity of the backyard barbecue, and parenting books at the time stressed the importance of present fathers who’d spend time with their families, when in an earlier era they may have spent that free time at the pub with other dudes. Oh, how things have changed. More recent studies have shown that women are doing significantly more grilling these days. In fact, they are competing against the men and winning nationally sanctioned BBQ championships across the country. The Food Network and other similar channels look a lot different now, once dominated by males there is now more equality. Legends like Julia Childs, Cat Cora, Paula Deen, Lidia Bastianich, Ina Garten, Sara Moulton, Giada De Laurentis and Rachel Ray can be credited for paving the way for generations to come. Who stands behind the stoves and grills has forever changed, and we are much better for it. This Fourth of July, the backyard barbecues will be fired up and celebrations will be plentiful as it has truly become an American food experience. One thing that is sure to be different this year is that there will be significantly more women ‘MANning the grill.’
FOOD, FASH ION & ENTERTAI N M ENT EDITION
