Memorial Day Wrap-up
In the United States, today is Memorial Day, a national holiday honoring the lives of the men and women who sacrificed everything for the service of their country. As the son of a veteran, and a friend to more, the importance of the day resonates deeply with me.
Memorial Day is also the gateway to summer. This three day weekend is synonymous with warm weather, good friends, and plenty of grilled food. It’s also a celebration that would not take place without the sacrifice of thousands of American lives, so while yes, we raise our glasses to a beautiful weekend, we do it with reverence and remembrance.
Now, if this were actually an informative blog, I would have been talking about what to grill for this celebratory weekend for the last seven days. Instead, I’m hoping you might find it next year and plan accordingly.
In my typical fashion, I’m not going to talk about what you should do, but rather, what I did do. It’s how I roll and fear not, there was plenty of great grilled food, beer, and wonderful friends.
The Food
As much as we love to entertain, it takes the help of friends to really pull off a party. I offered up our staples of pulled pork and brisket following my tried and true approach. Thanks to the WSM, I’ve started overnight cooks to eliminate A. having to get up early and B. rushing when I would rather sit back and drink beer.
While good, in theory, a late Friday night still means a panicked 630 wakeup call Saturday morning to make sure the smoker is still doing its thing!
Thankfully, it was. Me…not so much. At least I was awoken by the sun and not my iKitchen app sounding in a panic.
Speaking of friends, Gary was quick to add to the food list with steaks for his son, who is off for three weeks of military training tomorrow. The last thing he wanted was a Porterhouse, which true to Gary’s genes, was finished off in about 10 minutes. Even with my tapeworm in tow, I was impressed.
Beans, salad, dips, twice planked potatoes…we had more than enough food, which is the key to planning big events.
There is never enough.
It’s also the key when parties go for 8 hours plus. You will eat twice. I guarantee!
Of course, the best part of the day was spending time with friends.
Yes, every year we get older, and the youngest among us remind us of that every day. For my friends of twenty plus years, it’s hard to believe.
As the laughter continued, the bellies filled, and the water splashed, the magic of the day crystalized. I am blessed in so many ways to put words to screen about such a simple pleasure. Every day I’m thankful for the ability to photograph and write about one of the finer pleasure of life: eating. As the night wound down, I believe it hit every one of us of just how lucky we are. Not only for the friendships and bonds, but the fortune to enjoy it.
Yes the food was great, the beer was divine, but the friendship and respect for those not with us was even greater.
I hope your Memorial Day, regardless of the country, was just as rich. Oh, and perhaps this may give you some ideas for what to serve at next year’s Memorial Day! I’m ready planning.
