Jingsamichty

We need to get some conversion factors between scales. For example, Canada indeed scores very highly on the BBQ Scale, a worthy measurement of summer socialising value, but how does that relate to a relatively poor score on the Local Pubs With Nice Beer Gardens Scale?

Is a triumphant score on the Ice Hockey On TV Scale enough to offset a poor showing on the Football & Rugby On TV Scale?

Do you agree that a high score on the Chicken Wings & Ribs Scale is more important than a poor showing on the Great British Curries Scale?

There's a PhD in Sociology in there.

Hawk13

Pubs

Hockey

Curries

dbd33

I don't think Canada is a great place for barbecue. Yes, lots of people have an outdoor gas stove but relatively few have an actual charcoal barbecue. I'd think Jamaica would be a better place for lovers of charred food and it does better on Violent Deaths You Can See While Eating scale.

Oink

We're facing the same old chestnut with the quantitate vs qualitative argument. I've been made to go to many bbqs and they only stuff they serve are crap hotdogs and hamburgers with a bit of manky supermarket potato salad. Would it hurt these naffers to pop on the odd lamb chop or heaven for bid, go into a delicatessen? And, a few cans of Stella wouldn't be go a miss either.

Novocastrian

Why would you call the Canadian Embassy about emigrating to France?

Almost Canadian

You do have a good sense of humour

Oink

Talk about cheese scale? You only have to glance at the tv to see how cheesy it is here. And I have read most of the tosh on North American exceptionalism and I'm firmly in the unexceptional declinism camp. Keep drinking the Cool Aid love.

Piff Poff

I didn't say there is NO car scene, I said the car scene is crap. Yes every week for the summer there is cruise night on a Thursday, the same 30-100 cars turn up every week, you walk around chat to a few people and go home. There are the secret society show and shines - I say secret as it is hard to find out when these things take place, the show and shines usually have the same 30 - 100 cars that you see on a Thursday night cruise night, you might get a burger stall manned by the food bank and a pie stall and some music. There is also the little advertised (in our are) drag racing and the stupid 100 foot shoot out a couple of times a year.

All this pales in comparison to what we used to attend in the UK, we have been to show and shines where 1000's of cars have attended and where there has been something different everytime - it's what keeps it interesting, plus prices are more realistic in the UK, even if people think that having a badge that says Dodge raises the price for a rust bucket.

We will consider Ontario, it will only work if OH's passion will be fulfilled. The difficulty of living here has been watching the light fade from his eyes. As I say, this isn't going to be a quick make up our minds and move elsewhere, it's going to be a thought out considered move.

Novocastrian

Thank you. But the point of my post was that which country is the greatest in the world is either wholly subjective or not Canada.

cjones

Exactly. If you're expected to eat food that's been incinerated to a state of carcinogenic semi-petrification, at the very least it should have a faint whiff of wood smoke...

Jingsamichty

You are quite right, I've been here too long and become de-sensitised to the incongruity of the idea of food cooked simply over hot coals and the uber-gadgetry of a modern "outdoor grill centre".

Here on my site we have a gas BBQ which is nearly 3 years old and has been used to cook steaks, sausages and chops for about 30 guys every Sunday, in all but the bitterest cold. It's never been cleaned, and it's got to the stage where the gas is just needed as a pilot light... once all the accumulated fat starts going, it's like our own little hot smoker. The flavour from that BBQ is amazing and the health hazards are satisfyingly high. The meaty smell of it on full chat is quite something.

Actually I'm surprised that a bear hasn't tried to mate with it yet.

Greenhill

This is clearly the basis for one of those motivational posters: A picture of you and your crew stood around the man-BBQ with the caption:

The alpha males choose site over family.

Jingsamichty

That's gone right over my head, I'm afraid.

Greenhill

It's the notion that 30 men, who live together in a small shack, hundreds of miles away from their family, while tolerating extreme weather in the remotest, far-north of Canada have to use a dirty old BBQ to assert their manliness.

In other words, although you may all have women-partners, you feel the need to, instead, spend all your time, days and nights, with roughnecks dressed up in high visibility vests. On realization of the public's perception of this situation, you feel a strong desire to use a symbol (said BBQ) to project an illusion of heterosexuality.

So, the incongruity, is seemingly "tough men" choosing to live with other "tough men", rather than pretty, dainty, child-bearing women.

Well, you did say "Actually I'm surprised that a bear hasn't tried to mate with it yet"... what do you expect??

No offence intended, I'm just bored, waiting for the footy to start.

Shard

Crikey! Where does that come from ??

As for gas BBQ v charcoal, is there a discernsble difference? It's said that the dripping fat and consequent smoke provide the flavour so this purist talk about charcoal is a load of cobblers.