As we approach Memorial Day Weekend…A thought occurred to me that sent my imagination and love for culinary history running wild!  At what point,  in the evolution of humanity,  did we acquire/prefer the taste for charred meat?  That is; under what circumstances did prehistoric man learn about this?  Let us take a moment to ponder this…shall we?  Here are my thoughts on this subject: Being a fourth generation Las Vegan; who has been told to “figure the odds on that” since I was five years old…I would be willing to bet that prehistoric man came upon charred meat before he learned how to make fire!  “How is that possible?”, You may ask…It is my contention that prehistoric man came upon charred critters as the result of a lightning strike that created a forest fire. Not only did he not have to chase the beast down and club, pummel, choke or drive it over a cliff; that beast was laying there cooked and ready to eat!  Prehistoric man, who was both a hunter and gatherer, subsisted largely on nuts,seeds, and plants.  On occasion, he would be able to hunt down some form of beast and probably eat it raw before the advent/discovery of making fire, right?  So when prehistoric man came upon this beast that had died as a result of a forest fire and was cooked at the scene…according to my scenario at that moment, when he took that first bite of cooked meat, do you think he enjoyed it or spit it out thinking “Wow that is really gross!”  Was he really too hungry to care?  Was he a loner or did he live/travel nomadically with a group? If he was with a group, did he drag that cooked carcass back to the group; as if it were a trophy or the discovery of a lifetime, which it had to have been by the way…Let me know your thoughts on these questions.  I would contend that modern man has a genetic predisposition to favoring barbequed/grilled meat because of this prehistoric discovery!   Again, let us share some thoughts at the campsite! Healthiest regards! Coach Curt