normative barbecuing

It is an interesting phenomenon how we gain a great a deal of enjoyment from basic things simply because we associate them with a collective identity. I understand that food cooked on a barbecue is especially good and that it is fun to sit outside fire up a grill and have a conversation… and a drink. I never really did any of that as a kid though. In Arizona the grill was outside and we were inside because the phenomenon of a grill warming you up as the sun goes down and the temperatures drop does not really work there. As an adult in Princeton and in Poland and now in Plainsboro I have learned to love it. I feel like I am doing what I am supposed to do with a slab of meat and charcoal. What exactly is it however that that makes it so satisfying? It connects me to some sense of belonging though I am not sure to what. I understand the enjoyment that comes from communal events even when there is no community present. Many people have religion which can still provide people with strength everyday even if they only worship once a week. I personally have politics music and soccer to keep me sane. I suppose we all have social media. The extent to which sites like Facebook and Tumblr are successful because we actually feel like we are socializing with real people is unclear to me. But in all these situations the communities are more clearly defined or at least I feel I understand the others involved even if I am completely unaware of a group’s actual makeup. Barbecuing however connects me to some unknown community. Adults perhaps? I do not know. I guess what I am ultimately saying is that my enjoyment of barbecuing stems from a desire for community through normative behavior without being sure what community or why it is useful to understand a rather general style of cooking as normative. In the end maybe I should stop thinking so much and instead of barbecuing on a cold Sunday evening I should just watch football … like a normal American.