Family and food. Friends and food. They seem to go together, don’t they? Don’t we celebrate good times and bad with cookouts and casseroles, dips and desserts?
Moi? I’m craving burgers. Preferably cheeseburgers. Patriotic cheeseburgers, of course. Delightfully decorated with little flags — despite my disdain for the demoralizing display and daily doings of 45.
The fact is that for Americans, it’s time for chillin’ and grillin’ to fête the nation’s birthday. It’s time for the Fourth of July!
Yeah, well, so… I’m steering clear of non-partisan shenanigans and non-healthy taste temptations. No cookout for me. No barbecue either. No burgers and fries or other fab, fattening foods.
Instead, it’s my New Month Veggie Soup. “Beefed up” with bits of chicken. I’m committed to continuing my real-world responsible regimen and to accomplishing what needs to get done. Getting back to a healthier weight!
But damn. I love a great burger. I don’t eat very much meat, so when I go that route, I want a really scrumptious burger — with or without decoration. (My personal fave is Five Guys. AWESOME burgers. Outstanding fries. Nine million calories, of course. Okay, maybe just 9,000 calories (tra la). Worth. Every. One.)
For my non-U.S.-based friends, aren’t your gatherings with family and friends typically over something to eat and drink? Although my French and Belgian compadres have always been far more (sanely) circumspect over overdoing (and the quality of what is consumed), don’t all cultures celebrate with food? Don’t enjoyable eats encourage and enhance equally entertaining conversation? Isn’t there a tremendous sense of satisfaction when you cook for family and see them filling up on food and lingering at the table? Don’t many of us think back to family dinners with young children or as young children sharing laughter and stories – even during non-holiday times?
Might some of you say that your best memories have included particular foods? (Mine include lamejun, remember?) Haven’t you taken enormous care at choosing or preparing the menu for special celebrations like weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, or graduations? Are there any in particular that you might want to share?
Incidentally, I was curious to know the origins of the Fourth of July cookout tradition. (I like to geek out when it comes to research, even on holidays. You should know that by know.)
I was intrigued to learn that we owe the beginning of this tradition to Virginia colonists (in the early 1800s) smoking their meats in summertime. But there’s more to that story, so check out the link to the Slate article I just mentioned above.
As I sip (yet another) herbal tea, I’m also craving something sweet for my fourth of July festive feed. A few cupcakes, perhaps? Sparklers on top? Icing in red, white, and blue?
Nope. No Go. It’s not on the menu. My dessert is most likely to be fruit. Why oh why must my Independence Day be “independent” of yummy food?
Right. Because I am resolved to stick to my healthy diet.
What I would really love? A fruit pie. A devilishly delicious bodacious, beautiful berry pie.
Right. No Go. No Go times two. (You? Any pie?)
My, my (sigh). I will have to get creative and come up with something in the appropriate color scheme for Independence Day.
Perhaps vanilla yogurt with strawberries and blueberries? Do you mind if I throw in a few banana slices?
What about you? Memorable meals to celebrate milestones? Do you like to cook out or grill and eat al fresco? Any upcoming festivities with friends and family involving favorite foods? Too much temptation or tossing caution to the wind?
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Oh my stars!! That berry pie is patriotically beautiful! No desserts for me today except almonds and pomegranate seeds. Dinner will be chicken salad, low on the mayo, and on cranberry walnut bread from Whole Foods. Pretty much my daily diet. Nothing exciting, but nothing on the no-no list either. xoxox, B
Your menu sounds delish. But yes, wouldn’t that gorgeous Stars and Stripes berry pie be fantastic on the 4th?
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