10 May 2003 23:40 [link]
this suburban life
This evening saw our first "proper" barbecue party. Cooking for seven people on a 12" grill requires careful scheduling, but is possible I assure you.
Matt described barbecuing as an essentially suburban occupation. And indeed he's right: you need a garden - one large enough to accommodate a small fire and the resultant smoke - and the time and inclination to cook food in an overly convoluted way. Urbanites have the Gaucho Grill; suburbanites do it themselves.
I don't think I've lapsed into suburban life yet, though, at least not fully. We'd do dinner parties if we had the space, but only out of a desire to see what they're like: I still prefer the party-with-dinner option. We don't own a car (more of a hindrance in London, although it would make escaping the Big Smoke much easier). No kids yet. Just a barbecue.
We did lapse into a number of barbecue stereotypes: a randomly changing group of kibitzers in the garden, the men (each of us a latter-day Prometheus, wielding tongs) falling for the lure of fire and discussing barbecue technique, dusting ash off burgers (make your own: they're fatter and less likely to slip sideways through the grill), burning sausages (Quorn sausages char remarkably quickly).
I can recommend it.
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