Grillax, Bro: I’m a feminist. I’m a dude. And I hate that I love to grill.

Slate ^ | July 22, 2015 | Jacob Brogan

[C19fan]

I hate how much I love to grill. It’s not that I’m inclined to vegetarianism or that I otherwise object to the practice itself. But I’m uncomfortable with the pleasure I take in something so conventionally masculine. Looming over the coals, tongs in hand, I feel estranged from myself, recast in the role of suburban dad. At such moments, I get the sense that I’ve fallen into a societal trap, one that reaffirms gender roles I’ve spent years trying to undo. The whole business feels retrograde, a relic of some earlier, less inclusive era.

I take food prep a little too seriously, curtly brushing others out of the way when I step up to the kitchen counter. In my online dating days, I tried to spin this fault as a feature, describing myself as “a finicky, meticulous cook.” On reflection, I’m probably just kind of a jerk, but when I’m grilling I worry that I’ve become something even worse. Am I shoving others out of the way because it makes me feel like a man? Have I become some sort of monster?

[Jack Hammer]

Yet another example of cringing self-flagellation from yet another idiot Liberal (White) male seeking to explore the depths of contemporary social fashion.

[KGeorge]

“a finicky, meticulous cook” Frrrruit. This guy’s confused. He’s not a feminist. He’s effeminate.

[Yo-Yo]

Jacob Brogan is a Future Tense research associate. He is writing a book about the cultural history of lovesickness. Follow him on Twitter.

[Mister Da]

Get a life you emasculated fool.

[BraveMan]

I empathize with the author.

I am a lesbian trapped in the body of a big hairy biker. I like women. I was born this way.

[Rinnwald]

Well, at least you’re a lesbian. Anything else would be rape.

[48th SPS Crusader]

I hate how much I love to grill. It’s not that I’m inclined to vegetarianism or that I otherwise object to the practice itself. But I’m uncomfortable with the pleasure I take in something so conventionally masculine

Seek help. If you think about this minor issue that much you have real serious issues............

[RetiredNavy]

He may be male physically, but he certainly isn’t a “dude”. I’m sure his dude card was taken from him years ago.

[Bob]

Yes, sometimes it is just a hotdog. To a dedicated feminist, though, it’s more often a phallic representation of white supremacist, heteronormative, cisgender oppression.