5 Summer BBQ Tips - GWCC

Barbecue events are enjoyable and plentiful during the summer months. While casual and fun, barbecues can present a multitude of tricky entrees and fashion hitches. These five Summer BBQ Tips will make the next barbecue you attend or host five times more enjoyable!

1) Have you ever tried eating a hamburger or hot dog with a fork and knife? Of course not! These foods are meant to be eaten with your hands. Other barbecue favorites such as ribs, chicken, and shish kabobs may be easier to manage with a fork and knife, but don’t feel tethered to those utensils. If you are unsure what to do: watch the host and follow his or her lead.

2) A belly full of spicy food and Corona may not be a gastro-friendly combination for everyone. Releasing gas in public is never appropriate – even if you are outside. Be prepared to gracefully manage gas-related issues, because the worst thing to do at a barbecue is ruin someone’s appetite!

3) Sticky fingers are inevitable at a summer barbecue and an eminent threat to clothing and furniture. If you are hosting a barbecue event, consider providing moist cloth napkins for your guests. They and your furniture will love you for it!

4) A corporate barbecue event may not require a suit and tie, but don’t show up wearing what you mow your lawn in! Men: you can never go wrong with a short-sleeved, collared shirt (especially the kind with the little green crocodile) and a pair of long linen pants. Women: a light and colorful sun dress is perfect attire for a corporate barbecue. The goal is to look fashionable and professional while remaining cool and comfortable.

5) Barbecue sauce is best enjoyed on food – not off your fingers! True: at a barbecue your fingers are bound to get covered in barbecue sauce, but good manners suggest removing this sauce with a napkin. This same principle transcends fingers to other non-edible articles including: rib bones, chicken bones, plates, and knives. Sauce should not be removed from these items with one’s mouth. Attempting such a maneuver at table can conjure up images of caveman behavior.

Bon Appetite!

Joan R. Stokely (jrs@thesocietyofdiplomacy.com) is the President of The Society of Diplomacy, Inc., a protocol and etiquette consulting firm. We offer extraordinary training programs for corporate professionals who desire greater success in their careers. Increase your knowledge of business protocol and etiquette, your corporate image, international intelligence and social skills by attending programs specifically designed for you.

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