Nobody Goes Camping for the Food

MB_CookingA Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Culinary geniuses they ain’t.

After spending a weekend with my son’s Boy Scout troop on a tailgate camping trip I’ve decided that it will be my personal mission to see every one of these fine young men earn his Cooking Merit Badge. Hey, I’m not fussy -and I love bacon, hot dogs, hamburgers, runny eggs, potato chips, and donuts as much as the next guy- but it is my belief that an important measure of manhood is found in the kitchen.

Just stop by my firehouse if you don’t believe me. Cooking is a skill that’s rated very highly in the firefighting community. We’ve got plenty of guys who can throw a ladder or swing an axe, but if you can make dinner for forty people? That’s something special.

Boys it’s time to cook. And remember: this isn’t just about preserving the health of your adult leaders, it’s about impressing girls.

4 thoughts on “Nobody Goes Camping for the Food

  1. Bravo, Rob! As a mom who has experienced the boys’ culinary skills first hand, I appreciate your willingness to show these boys a thing or two about cooking. We suggested to our Scout that perhaps something other than hamburgers and hot dogs might be warranted, and he looked at us as if we’d lost our minds. Go for it, and make sure my son is in that merit badge group!

  2. Or, if you teach them how to make campfire baked beans, they can spend the night lighting farts.

    I could imagine little that would be more fun to a bunch of boys than that. Especially, if they are a bit young for wanting to impress the ladies.

  3. > Boys it’s time to cook. And remember: this
    > isn’t just about [snip] it’s about impressing girls.

    Damn straight, cuz for one generation and part of another, nobody’s been teaching girls to cook, either. That means the typical wedding you attend right now is a union of take-out artists and boil-in-bag beachcombers.

    Even my own brilliant but divorce-distracted teenaged daughters — better prepared than most — only *think* they can cook.

    Funny, just realized that if I’d had a son I wouldn’t have let it slide. Wouldn’t be right.

    LQ

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