BBQ
From Plastic Tub
The barbecue is a ritual enjoyed all over the world. In Latin America is is called a barbacoa, or an asado. Even the Hawaiians get in on the action at a Luau. Many philologists believe that the word came into English via Spanish from the Bahamas; the French maintain that it comes from putting a spit through an animal from barbe (beard) à (to) queue (tail). Whatever, the origin, however, it is an almost universally recognized symbol of good eats. The word in this sense not only denotes the event, but the style of cooking.
In America, the word has a variety of linguistic forms, sometimes but not strictly delineated along cultural lines. Ex-Black Panther and chef Bobby Seale maintains that any black restaurant worth its salt calls it "BBQ." White people of the working class know it as the "Bar 'B' Cue." Denizens of the suburbs go for the more proper "barbecue." As a matter of fact, however, the variants are used freely among all groups, but the statistical division is an intriguing area for further study.
Whatever the appellation, the ritual is the same. A fire is made. Succulent meats such as pork, chicken and beef, even ostrich are consumed. The simplest and perhaps most commonly-used meats come in the from of hot dogs, sausages and hamburgers, but barbecue menus can be much more sophisticated. Usually, beer is consumed in great quantities.
Every year, the AA holds a barbecue called the Incidentalist Dead Flesh Bonanza, which includes a fiery chili cookoff.
