Why do Canadians call it "Barbeque"?!
Why do Canadians call it "Barbeque"?
I was watching some Canadian television and apprently what Americans call a "Barbeque grill", Canadians would call it simply a "Barbeque". Why is that? If a Barbeque grill is a Barbeque than what do you call the food that is made on it? For an American a Barbeque can mean a social gathering in the park or in someones yard while the Barbeque grill is going. It can also mean grilled food. Americans refer to grilled food as simply "Barbeque". So in that case what do Canadians call "Grilled food"? Why is there such an inconsistent use of nouns here for neighboring countries?
Answers:
we call a party with grilled food, a barbeque
we called grilled food, barbeque
we call the appliance on which to grill the food, a barbeque
we just do that with a lot of words...
in the US, a lot of people call hockey "ice hockey" and skiing "snow skiing" or skating "ice skating"
in Canada, some words, unless otherwise specified, are just kind of a given...
the inconsistant use of nouns is just the way it goes...there is a difference on how people use words in various regions of the US as well as Canada...i.e. some call a carbonated beverage pop, some call it soda, it all depends...
neither is right or wrong, it's all just preference...
cheers!
they're canadian.....i dont say barbeque(as in social) i say cook out
Aussie's call it Barbeque as well. We are going to the "Barberque" and we will "Barbeque" the food on the "Barbeque". We use all those terms. We also many times shorten it to "Barbie" but wherever the (@#$#$%^ the phrase "Chuck a shrimp on the Barbie" comes from I dont know, because we dont freakin say that. We say "prawns"!!!!
Not just differences in neighboring countries, but within the states as well. What my husband (from New England) calls "barbecuing", I (from the South) call "grilling". In the South, barbecue is done slowly in a barbecue pit or on a spit. When you put food on a grill, we call that grilling.
i say bbq and i'm an american (of course i live in a canadian border town hmmmm)
Brandy is right. It differs among the states too. But really, what difference does it make?
We candians use the word Barbecue or grill as a verb to refer to the cooking of items on a barbecue which is the item being used to cook the food. ie: "I'm going to grill some steaks on the barbecue (appreviation: bbq. ) " or "I'm going to barbecue some steaks." Canadians don't usually do the southern-type slow cooking barbecue. Maybe that's why there's less of a difference in wording for us. As for the idea that Quebec french has influenced the word, I think it's the other way around. The french have appropriated the word from the English.
Dan the English teacher from Quebec.
The first guy that answered your question is a moron to say the least.
I'm a Canadian and in Canada a "Barbeque" can also mean a social gathering in the park, etc.
I have never used the term "Barbeque Grill". The Barbeque is just called the Barbeque.
The food put on the barbeque is usually referred to by name. Ex. "Do you want barbequed hot dogs tonight?"
P.S. Canadian television is terrible. lol