My lady burgers are in demand

I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, but I barbecued for the first time last weekend.

How did I get to age almost-48 and never use tongs in an outdoor setting?

I have no idea.

My ex did all the barbecuing during our 23-year relationship. It was just one of those unspoken rules. He was particularly famous for his brekkie barbies.

When we broke up and sold the house, our BBQ was so infamously decrepit (see “Happiness is not to be found in a new BBQ”) that it fell apart when we tried to move it …

I haven’t owned a BBQ since then, though I still gaze longingly at the awesome stone-topped one that provoked marital consternation every time I visit Bunnings …

I finally popped my barbecuing cherry at Nookfest and whipped up burgers for 10 – including a teen band – on Saturday night.

A random bloke wanted one of my “lady” burgers too.

He’d been chatting to me at regular intervals throughout the day. I’m not sure if it was chatting “up” or just plain friendliness, but he did seem to cross my path a lot. And he wanted to know what I was whipping up for dinner.

He got VERY excited when I said I was making burgers and said he’d much prefer a lady (made) burger for dinner than the steak his mates were cooking him.

I was a little startled by his announcement.

I don’t think it was his idea of a naughty pick-up (along the “I’ll eat your fish tacos” *suggestive eyebrow wiggle* lines). But I reckon he was implying that women are better behind a stove than men.

I laughed politely, but I was a bit annoyed by the implication that someone’s sex had anything to do with their cooking prowess. Or maybe it was because I was camping and hadn’t had much sleep.

Whatever he meant, I’m definitely not a “lady.”

As for barbecuing, it was way easier than I thought. I’d previously placed it in the category of putting a needle on a record. I was TERRIFIED of doing that as a kid. Properly terrified.

Who barbecues at your place? 

Song of the day: Pat Benatar “All fired up”