Is it a barbecue or an SUV you can cook on?

Not your parents' barbecue
Originally uploaded by Brite Lights photos.

HOME DEPOT, Anywhere - Does anyone else remember those quaint little hibachi grills? Made in China, they lasted about a season, required charcoal and lighter and were tiny.

Cooking for more than 2 or 3 people required cooking in shifts. Maybe that's why we were thinner then.

Today a walk down a aisle in any home improvement store will eventually bring you to behemoths like the one in the photo here, the subject of column/story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Got food?

It's doubtful this photo will get the same number of hits as yesterday's naked yoga practitioners (about 250 and counting) but it's still an impressive shot.

Me? I've given up the backyard barbecue entirely. Too many goddamned propane tanks, too much cleaning the grill and too many critters taking residence up inside the thing unless I use it almost daily.

I use a George Foreman electric grill. Yup, just like on the late night informercials. And it works great for cooking everything.

So, when I shop for an SUV this summer, I won't need to worry about how many burgers it can cook simultaneously. George Foreman takes care of six at a time, quite nicely.