Gifts for men who picnic

My eldest brother turned 50. That’s a milestone in anyone’s life. As a family, we wanted to get him a special gift to mark the occasion. Something timeless, something real that he would appreciate and use. Not something that he would consume in a day and forget.

I asked some friends and was pointed to several online gift shops. They had a variety of offers, but none stood out.  They were mostly special alcohol bottles. It’s nice to have an expensive bottle of whiskey, but once you open it, it’s gone in a few hours.

There also does not seem to be much imagination in men’s gifts. Yes, there are Fathers Day specials, but then it’s like they set out to masculinize and adapt Mother’s Day gifts for men. Instead of wine, do whiskey. Also, change chocolate to whisky stones and a beauty package to a beard kit. But hair grooming items will not appeal to someone who has managed his hair for 30 years.

Then one day, while shopping at Carrefour. I saw something that clicked. I took a picture and shared it with the family. They all agreed that it was perfect.

My brother loves to host guests and to grill meat.  At family functions, he is always our resident meat chef, lighting a jiko, roasting goat legs and ribs, and carving them all before serving. While the kids are inside playing video games, and the ladies are cooking and gossiping in the kitchen, you will find him outside at his rather old grill with tongs, a bunch of rosemary twigs and marinade. Watching, sprinkling, raising the grille, turning, the meat. He’s at peace out there with a drink and a newspaper.

So far the grill is perfect. I have not had a chance to taste what it roasts, but he’s very happy with and says it uses a very small amount of charcoal. He says it cooks really fast and that the first time he used it, he burnt the meat to the bone, as he got caught off by its intense heat conversion.  

So we got him, one of the three models by BBQ’s Today (http://www.bbqstoday.co.ke) at Carrefour  We took a smaller one that cost about Kshs 27,000. It does two kinds of cooking, with charcoal, has wheels for easy movement, and is compact enough to fit in a station wagon.

There were other larger ones, that cost about Kshs 50,000. I see lots of excitement about Builders Warehouse opening in Karen that also has several grills on its posters, and can’t wait to compare what they have.

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