As the battle for the Ashes is being played out on the cricket pitch, 2,000 English and 2,000 Australians living in England have been questioned on their prowess and behaviours at the barbecue in a poll commissioned by the AXA PPP healthcare Nutrition and Fitness website.
Despite the predicted British "barbecue summer" being officially rained off this won't prevent 49% of Australians living in England from getting out their grills this weekend to celebrate the 4th Ashes test.Barbecue Survey Findings* Aussies would happily barbecue in temperatures under 15°C. Only 10% of English said they would do the same, with 67% saying it would need to be at least 20°C first* Two thirds of cricket fans holding Barbecue parties during the Ashes series* UK based Aussies are planning an average of 4 summer barbecues, the English just 2.5* Over half of Aussies expect guests to "BYO" food and drink to their barbecues compared with just 23% of the English* 58% of all surveyed think Australians are the better barbecuers* Aussies consume nearly two thirds more calories than the English during an average barbecue at 1,695 and 1, 036 respectively and drink an average of 5.8 beers compared with the English 3.7* Aussie bravado prevails; over half admit to wearing novelty hats/aprons at the grill, 70% opt for cricket team's colours. Just 30% of English will don a comedy outfit and 40% England kit* The English are twilight barbecuers citing 6:00pm, while more Aussies prefer lunchtime 1:00pm - their parties lasting over 1.5hrs longer at 5.57 hours to the English 3.89Aussie Vs English comparisonAXA PPP healthcare's Nutrition and Fitness behavioural expert Judy James analyses the two nations' barbecue profiles:The English Barbecuer is relatively timid and status-modest alpha with nocturnal habits, preferring to barbecue in the evening and being no great fan of dressing up to do so – Aussies are much more aggressive and competitively alpha, taking more solo control of the barbie and enjoyment of showmanship and performance.For the Englishman a Barbie is seen as a chance to up social status by providing food, whilst for Aussies the role is less about power and more about tribal sharing as guests are expected to bring their own to the altar.The Aussie alpha display is more about demonstrating short bursts of power through physical presence as opposed to the longer-term strategic food-trading of the English barbecue psychology and typology.English Barbecuer Profile:The English Barbecuer is relatively timid and status-modest alpha with nocturnal habits, preferring to barbecue in the evening and being no great fan of dressing up to do so. Compared with the Aussie barbecuer they are cautious and careful, cooking food twice as long, turning it more frequently and drinking less beer, although the care doesn't seem to prevent a 'Mr Bean' personality from emerging as they suffer more self-inflicted burns and eat more burnt food. However, as with cricket, national pride is important. Despite our un-showy habits we still give ourselves a high rating for expertise (5/10 compared with Aussie 4/10).He/she is apparently more altruistic and less competitive than the Aussie counterpart. For the English barbecuer it's an opportunity to up social status by providing food, plus sharing the alpha role with other helpers. This makes us more likely to be power-traders, giving food as a gift in the expectation of pay-back throughout the year in terms of favours and trades.Aussie Barbecuer Profile:For the Aussie barbecuer it's a role that is much more aggressively and competitively alpha with more solo control of the barbie and more enjoyment of the showmanship and performance. The "show" such as dressing up is important to the Aussie, suggesting a stronger sense of ritual. In social terms the role is less about power by providing food and more about tribal sharing as guests are expected to bring their own to the altar. This makes the alpha display more about demonstrating short bursts of power through physical presence as opposed to the longer-term strategic food-trading English barbecue psychology and typology.
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