Happy Birthday, America!
This morning has seen a frantic attempt to create a themed CD for the afternoon's events. At first, I was bogged in the mire of Sousa marches and Skynyrd songs, but then inspiration came charging like a frontiersman across the wild, wild West. Neil Diamond! Elvis! Don McLean! Too-many American-themed songs to download! Mellencamp! And let's not forget Hendrix wailing The Star Spangled Banner! Kid Rock's "Cowboy"? Genius! Morricone's epic "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"? I'll be whistling it all day long! Even "Born in the U.S.A." and a Green Day rant about W....what would an all-American overture be without a protest song or two? Just a little something I like to call freedom of speech, people. Let's remember the rights we're celebrating!
So anyway, this mix is shaping up to be a patriotic tour de force, which our hosts (and their neighbors) are sure to love.
As far as food, I'm sorry to report that the day's menu is really looking more Greek than American. I hear mumblings about lamb and fresh figs plucked from the tree out back. Not to mention Don Julio, a little nod to the newest Americans, who break their backs taking the jobs we won't. But really, it being well into the summer, we've been doing our fair share of good ole American chowing down. It is, after all, fair season, and we're no strangers to the midway diet of corndogs, icy cold Bud and funnel cake, all served up by a toothless-but-still-grinnin' carny. Plus, with an all-American backdrop of acts like Cheap Trick and Benatar belting it out across the county fair circuit, we've been having a marvelous time.
This summer has also seen us stay in a yurt in Santa Barbara (hey naysayers, g-d made yurt and yurt don't hurt), a cabin in the Russian river and a plush pad in Tahoe, all of which provided backdrops for more decadent dining. To wit: my recipe for grilled halibut on rosemary skewers will be posted soon. But right now, we've got flag waving to do. You know, in the barbecueing, good-timing, fire cracking sense–not the "America's number one, this is an awesome war" sense. I think we all understand the bittersweet complexities of being an American today, but I, for one, will shout it from the mountaintops: I love my country and I'll be goshdarned if I'm not going to revel in it today.
And last but certainly not least, a spirited salute to dad and both granddads for their proud service! "Anchors Aweigh" we go!
So anyway, this mix is shaping up to be a patriotic tour de force, which our hosts (and their neighbors) are sure to love.
As far as food, I'm sorry to report that the day's menu is really looking more Greek than American. I hear mumblings about lamb and fresh figs plucked from the tree out back. Not to mention Don Julio, a little nod to the newest Americans, who break their backs taking the jobs we won't. But really, it being well into the summer, we've been doing our fair share of good ole American chowing down. It is, after all, fair season, and we're no strangers to the midway diet of corndogs, icy cold Bud and funnel cake, all served up by a toothless-but-still-grinnin' carny. Plus, with an all-American backdrop of acts like Cheap Trick and Benatar belting it out across the county fair circuit, we've been having a marvelous time.
This summer has also seen us stay in a yurt in Santa Barbara (hey naysayers, g-d made yurt and yurt don't hurt), a cabin in the Russian river and a plush pad in Tahoe, all of which provided backdrops for more decadent dining. To wit: my recipe for grilled halibut on rosemary skewers will be posted soon. But right now, we've got flag waving to do. You know, in the barbecueing, good-timing, fire cracking sense–not the "America's number one, this is an awesome war" sense. I think we all understand the bittersweet complexities of being an American today, but I, for one, will shout it from the mountaintops: I love my country and I'll be goshdarned if I'm not going to revel in it today.
And last but certainly not least, a spirited salute to dad and both granddads for their proud service! "Anchors Aweigh" we go!
posted by jamie at 10:50 AM
1 Comments:
I am d-lighted to see the yurt delicacies mentioned here, and the promise of the rosemary-skewered halibut recipe! And just so you know, OUR 4th of July celebration down in Long Beach featured a plagiarism of your cilantro-lime-corn that was the brightest star of the yurtgrub galaxy! So, please revel in the knowledge that your foodliness inspired and fueled multiple celebrations of your inexplicably beloved America on its birthday.
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