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| The real American Fourth of July food is barbecue, smoked, with or without vinegar or ketchup, hot or mild, pork, beef, or chicken. High on the Foothills of Twelve O'Clock Knob Mountain Now some unenlightened souls will opine that the classic American Fourth of July meal is hot dogs and hamburgers, perhaps with some potato chips on the side and a soda to quench the thirst, and maybe a slice of watermelon to finish the meal. Not that a properly done hot dog or hamburger is not a glorious creation, but step back and look at a hot dog. They are all one shape even if the lengths vary, certainly homogenized, and flavored to taste remarkably similar no matter where you get them. Granted some slaw, onions, ketchup, mustard, and perhaps some chili if there is skillful cook in the neighborhood can add real class to the ubiquitous hot dog, but it is still a hot dog in Virginia, Californa, Florida, or Texas. Hamburgers offer a little more opportunity for creativity. Will that be ground sirloin, ground chuck, or enough fat to provide some extra fireworks on the grill? Remarkably, I believe hamburger condiments other than the potential of a leaf of lettuce are not as varied as hot dog condiments. Of course over the last few years we have lost that great pleasure of having hamburgers cooked to taste. No more can you safely consume a hamburger cooked less than well done. The somewhat dry texture of today's hamburger is something of a disappointment for those of us especially ex-cattlemen like myself who used to enjoy the slightly pink juicy burgers that were with us before food poisoning became such a concern. Then of course if you really want to worry, there is mad cow disease. Some would argue that chicken burgers or soy burgers are acceptable substitutes. Those of you of this persuasion should stop reading now and go chew on a cardboard snack. The real American Fourth of July food is barbecue, smoked, with or without vinegar or ketchup, hot or mild, pork, beef, or chicken. There's Texas style, Kentucky style, along with Louisiana, Kansas City, Montana, and California versions, and even wars within states like North Carolina's eastern and western versions. Everyone has an opinion on barbecue, it could be the most regional of foods. I suspect from my time living in Canada that while Canadians understand hot dogs and hamburgers, they could quickly become lost in the American world of barbecue. Since we have established barbecue as the main course, let the religious wars begin. Here on the slopes of the Roanoke Valley, we are very ecumenical about our barbecue, never having met very much barbecue that was not pretty close to delicious even in California. Your right to your personal favorite amongst the many great barbecues of America will not be challenged here. However, this being the Fourth of July, it is time to draw a line in the sand. Lightly smoked, coarsely chopped, pork barbecue with just a hint of vinegar would be my first choice and Bastian's Barbecue within sight of the Roanoke River would be my source. A large bun with sesame seeds, a healthy dose of glorious barbecue, some of my wife's justly famous cole slaw made from tender mountain cabbage with Kraft mayonnaise, some vinegar, salt, and a hint of sugar, topped with some dark mysterious Bastian's sauce enhanced by some onion pieces floating in the light tomato base. Beyond these basics of barbecue, fractures appear even within our family. I love a slice of tomato to crown my sandwich. This is if, perchance, I am lucky enough to have one out of the garden this early or have found a savvy farmer whose crop of delicious early Jet Star tomatoes have come in at exactly the right time to kick off the summer festival. Even in my family I am considerd something of a heretic for putting a tomato on my barbecue sandwich, but this is a free country and what I do to my barbecue sandwich should be between me and my sandwich. My son even mixes a healthy dose of the sauce with the barbecue and reheats for a more moist rendition. Beyond the delicious regional varieties of barbecue that should convince anyone that barbecue is the true Fourth of July food, consider what you normally have to accompany hot dogs and hamburgers. Potato chips? What a way to downgrade the Fourth of July. Of course I mean no offense to the wonderful Cape Cod potato chips from Massachusetts and the equally delightful Route 11 ones from Virginia, but potato chips just don't cut it for our national birthday though they have obviously have their place on the sandwich plate on less important dates than our country's birthday. However, potato salad in its infinite variety, now there is a proper side dish for our melting pot of a country's birthday. There are probably more versions of potato salad than there are of barbecue. From the hot German versions to the ones with egg, without egg, mayonnaise or salad dressing, onions or not, hot or cold, and of course at our house the long running celery debate. Of course in my strictly constructionist view proper potato salad has to be my wife Glenda's version, made the day before, so the flavors of the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, onion, and pickles have time to infuse the lowly but noble potatoes with their glorious but subtle tastes. Ah, potato salad, a chance for real creativity and truly a mixing pot of flavors but definitely without the toxic celery pieces which endanger human life. When properly done, potato salad explodes in your mouth with the first bite and demands reinforcements almost immediately. What then could prove to be the perfect foil for the creamy cold potato salad? Nothing short of tangy baked beans could stand the heat. Once again the perfect accompaniment is a regional food with as many excellent recipes as there are wonderful spots to live in our great country. Since we don't want to throw health concerns completely to the wind, my personal favorite baked bean recipe is my own, David's five bean vegetarian version, tomato based with a hint of molasses, mustard, and plenty of the onions. The surprise ingredients, baby lima beans and for a nod to all the soybean farmers in the midwest, vegetarian soy crumbles. The near final all-American addition to the plate has to be corn on the cob. Actually through modern science, even grocery store corn unlike the rock hard commercial tomato is often remarkably good. Colorado bi-color, yellow, white silver queen or any of the great varieties so readily available across the country will easily find a home on the plate. Boil quickly, apply real butter with no remorse, lightly salt and enjoy with multiple napkins. Last to the plate, but often first eaten and most requested, Glenda's internationally famous, at least in Canada and the US, deviled eggs. A treasured creation apparently learned in absolute secrecy by southern girls shortly after birth. Truly how could mashed boiled egg yolks, lowly vinegar, dried mustard powder, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper and a wisp of paprika for color taste so heavenly. Some would say that this Fourth of July meal is lacking in green vegetables. That may be true and if you are truly concerned, serve your potato salad on a leaf of lettuce. You can even use real lettuce if the ice berg version hurts your conscience. If that does not work, have a salad tonight to ease your food pyramid guilt but tread lightly on the great American Fourth of July menu lest you dissolve the political bands that hold this diverse country together. The meal is almost complete but for beverage and perhaps a dessert. Lemonade with at least some real lemons for taste and decoration is as American as it gets with lemonade stands being the training ground for our young American capitalists. And if lemonade is not right let the debate begin on regional beers and exactly the right one to go with your favorite barbecue. Ah dessert, can there possibly be room? But of course! Fresh cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, blue berries, blackberries, and raspberries with some honeydew melon thrown in for those still yearning for more green. Now I ask you which meal would you prefer to have, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips, and a soda or the great American classic barbecue meal? Wait , now the debate really begins. My wife wants to replace the fresh fruit medley with real chocolate cake with no comprise chocolate icing made by our neighbor, Jeanette, with her special chocolate imported from of all places northern Virginia. Well it is a free country. |
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