Shipboard barbecue traditions in Australian and US service

Would two ships crewed mainly by Texans avoid a barbecue cook-off if they belonged to the same formation?

Barbecue is contrasted as an Australian naval tradition and an occasional US Navy event, with individual ship rubs suggested by analogy with Japanese curries.

The question imagines two ships with predominantly Texan crews competing in a barbecue cook-off. Dr. Clarke contrasts barbecue's place in Australian naval food traditions with its treatment as an occasional event in the US Navy. Another participant jokes that competing American regional definitions could obstruct a common tradition. Japanese ship-specific curries then provide a possible model for each US ship having its own barbecue rub. The distinction is between a navy's recognised food traditions and the individual tastes of its sailors.