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Caveman Like Fire
Have you seen the movie “Cast Away” with
Tom Hanks? For a huge portion of the film,
it’s only Hanks on screen, lost on a deserted
island after a horrible FedEx plane crash. He is
forced to survive on his own, having only one
companion, a crazed-looking volleyball named
Wilson. My favorite scene is when, after hours of
failed attempts, he finally gets a fire going. As
the flames began to grow taller, he did what every
man in his situation would do: he beat his chest in
triumph and grunted, “Fire! Fire!” It
brought a lump to my throat, so I burped. It was
beautiful.
Earth, Wind, and Fire was not only a great band
from the 70s, they, along with Water (who left the
group over disputes of creative control), are the
basic elements of our existence. Cavemen had to
battle and control these elements in order to
survive. Men’s kinship with these simple
things is difficult to explain, but we do enjoy
getting muddy, we have a fascination with speed
(fast air), and love going to the beach (although
bikinis may have something to do with that).
And we cook with fire.
Happily, we don’t need to rub sticks
together to create our flames. We have immense
stainless steel outdoor kitchens with 250,000 BTU
gas burners that light with remote control. These
modern firepits have battery operated cooking
lights, warming ovens, automatic rotisserie spits,
and attached kegerators. Yes, men have come a long
way from their primitive ancestors.
Everything about cooking with fire is manly. The
sound of the crackling flames and sizzling meat,
the smell of the smoke and burning air when you
flip a burger and the flames flare up and scorch
your knuckles. It inspires grunts in the meekest of
men. In fact, to cook with fire, you need to be
outside—in the elements themselves. There are
open fire grills that you can install in large
kitchens but my wife doesn’t make near enough
money for me to even consider one of these
luxuries. Besides, how manly is that?
Sometimes, you have to grill in the rain or
snow. When I lived in Iceland, I was not about to
let meager 50 mph winds daunt my grilling plans.
Charcoal grills were out of the question because
the coals would not only blow out, they would blow
away. My gas grill was tucked back in a corner of
our porch, protected from the wind and snow so I
could have barbecues year round. Granted, when the
temperature was in the mid 20s, meat took a lot
longer to cook and I was more inclined to watch it
cook from inside though a window.
But that is why grilling is so important. In a
time when triple-paned windows and forced air
furnaces keep us safe and comfortable, we need to
remember how to face the elements head on and
challenge them in combat. In a deep portion of our
manly souls, we need to find reasons to beat our
chests and grunt “Fire!”
©2008, Mark
Phillips
* * *
Women, it's true, make human beings, but
only men can make men. - Margaret Mead
Mark
Phillips is a Stay-At-Home-Dad and freelance
writer. Along with raising his four children, he is
developing a franchise called “The Vacuum IS a
Power Tool.” It is designed to help SAHDs
maintain that which makes us men, instead of hairy
Mom-substitutes. He earned a B.S. in
Communication/Theatre Arts and teaching
certificates in English, public speaking, and
psychology from Eastern Michigan University. After
six years as a high school English teacher and
Director of Dramatic Arts at Powers Catholic High
School in Flint, Michigan, he changed careers and
became a Stay-At-Home-Dad. www.TheVacuumIsAPowerTool.com
or E-Mail
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