Guys like to Grill because it isn’t cooking
Grilin'
Guys like to Grill because it isn’t cooking
How many guys do you know (including yourself) who “don’t cook” but are the Grill Master at home, amongst friends or even the neighborhood?
But……
Isn’t the most basic and fundamental element to cooking the process of applying heat to food in order to alter some aspect of the food’s taste, texture or color in order to make it edible, or at least more edible?
So, isn’t grilling or bar-b-queing cooking?
Yes.
So why claim not to cook and then profess a passion for cooking by another name?
In a word, perception.
Even with massive media presence of celebrety chefs such as Bobby Flay and Emeril, the act and concept of cooking remains closely associated with maternal or feminine roles such as nuturing and caring for the family.
Meanwhile, grilling and bar-b-que are associated with images and concepts related to “the hunt”, survival, and the outdoors.
Don’t believe me? Compare the images of Rachel Ray and the Barefoot Contessa vs Bobby Flay and Guy Fierri.
Adding fuel to the fire, is how cooking is portrayed as difficult, time consuming, and something enjoyed only by the “elites” – those with time, money and/or “culture”. So now, not only is cooking perceived as feminine, it is also difficult, time consuming, elite-ist.
In summary:
cooking = woman, nurture, care, work, tedium, NOT FUN.
grilling/bar-b-que = man, hunt, survival, not work, FUN, cool (not literally),
Hmmmm, which one looks (will be perceived) as fun, not feminine, something a man/father will enjoy, and will be accepted and approved by other men?
Now, how does this relate to social media?
Perception – how a thing is perceived governs how how treat it.
If have something you want people to notice and engage with, try to be your audience’s concept of bar-b-que/grilling and not their perception of cooking.
Use social media to talk with and listen to your audience. Listen to their likes, dislikes, rants and raves. Talk with them on a person to person level, telling the story, details, etc of you, your product, company or vision. Most importantly, make sure you are letting them hear how and why you are grilling and not cooking as if they were saying to themselves.
