BBQ and DNA

Okay, so I’m building my skills on the barbeque. I rank myself maybe a five or six on the ten-point ‘Tong Handling Grade Card’. Having been invited over to a friend’s house and handed over governance of the BBQ this evening puts me a bit on edge, by which locally brewed pilsner has become my rescue remedy for the stress that accompanies me cooking.

I’ve seared the chicken breasts. By the way, searing is the latest thing in BBQ fashion, don’t you know. I add a glaze from quick-tipsto- make BBQ sauce out of my Martha Stewart pocket-size handbook. In times of stress, the tactile feel of paperback outstrips an app. As the smoke and aroma slowly drifts through the light of the setting day, it is the perfect backyard setting for a song or two. If only the neighbours could bear it.

You see, it occurs to me that what I am doing is in the DNA of all of us. Even folks like Darwin figured that of all the primates, only humans learned to control fire, something which has given us a lead in evolution. So far: while fire and smoke can factor into spiritual and religious ceremonies, we also need to remember that fire includes inner fires in combustion engines, metal foundry ovens and nuclear energy.

Fire is a natural phenomenon. Take lightning as a for instance. Humans learned from hawks and other birds of prey that are alerted to opportunities to catch animals disturbed by fire. Without being overly graphic, like the hawks, humans could seize the chance to harvest cooked and smoked-cured protein in the aftermath of a fire. So, over long term processes as recorded in archeology samples taken from encampments of two million years ago in the region of Kenya in Africa, cooking and also smoking meat as a method of preserving were common practices. It was the same practice as the later era smoked bison and sun-dried cranberry pemmican that became the human fuel of the fur trade in North America. These days, chicken is great, but it is hamburger that is the most preferred food of the BBQ.

So the BBQ being imbedded in human behavior thing? It is reasoned that a higher quality diet contributed to increased human brain size through the Pleistocene period era and the coming together around the hearth fire led to the development of the social brain of cooperation and origins of languages. We need to know that when folks today are asked what known character they would invite to their ideal BBQ gathering the favourite choices are Bart Simpson, Indiana Jones and Tony Soprano. My take on it is that modern day enamour with outdoor cooking is Fred Flintstone meets propane.

Although the taste of food cooked on a slow charcoal fire is preferred, the propane unit is more popular, and men still lead the way over women when it comes to outdoor cooking. Half of the population likes to BBQ year-round. Maybe it’s the mosquito thing of summer that promotes flipping burgers in February as long as you don’t light your mitts on fire.

BBQ and tailgate parties are often synonymous, a natural match for spontaneous get-togethers. However, just as the tailgate is not always that of a domestic make of a truck nowadays, our food for BBQ adventures reaches to offshore tastes as well: like the spiciness of Malaysian or Filipino or the heat of Peruvian chilies. I personally can’t imagine a food cookout at North Beach or at Little Bluff without a Pinoy BBQ or Rendang Curry or the added touch of turmeric, chia or flaxseed.

Perhaps it’s a return to the days around the stone hearth at the cave entrance why the ancient herbs of thyme, peppermint, parsley, lavender and rosemary are now being rediscovered. Or the earthy flavors of the Aztec ancient grain of Amaranth or the smoky Mexican liquor mezcal made from the agave plant that makes us want to eat with our hands and wipe them clean on animal hide clothing.

So, I’ll just keep on cooking as I work out my primal DNA theory. Barney Rubble be-damned: With the magic of Martha’s quick fix sauce and a little bit of local brew I’ll sing my way through a favourite album of Barbeque Bob’s Mississippi Heavy Water Blues. If only my host’s neighbours could stand it.