Menus, July 2, 2014

All nations are immediate to God.... every country has interests real and fictitious concerns generous and selfish, motives honorable and squalid. We too are a part of history's seamless web.

Arthur Schlesinger

Which has been a point of argument since 1604, when the first dictionary was published, and people could be absolutely sure that a point of argument was, in fact, the word for what they were fighting about. The thing is, that if we're all pretty much the same, there is no "them". 

And where there's no them, it gets harder to find an us.

Which would not be a problem, except we're pretty much all the same. We want to be unique, we want to fit in. We want to exist independently, we need love and community. We want rules, just not someone else's.
And the department of mind blowing circular ironies brings you the following fact: The desire to celebrate the unique character of one's own nation is so wonderfully human that every nation on the planet does it.

Every nation but one.
That would be Great Britain, the progenitor of many nations.

When the THEM gets larger and farther away, the US tends to get smaller and  tighter,

No, not tighter that way!
Well... not only that way....

Until the us decides that we don't really need the them and the us gathers itself together 'round the rallying cry "We are many and we are one and we are awesome!"
Although that is not a direct quote of the rallying cry heard round the world one July afternoon two hundred and thirty-eight years ago. The actual rallying cry of the American Colonists was more like,

"We are brilliant and brave and can totally rock satin breeches

while you, sir,  just wear really silly outfits."

and so in the banding together of one diverse group in a violent differentiation from its diverse group of origin,  

a new us is born. 

But here's what I especially love about the great big coast-to-coast us that I was born into. When we shoot the works on our National Day, we do it with a melting pot of food that is just like us- food that's come from all over the world to find itself on one plastic coated paper plate. Hamburgers and hot dogs from Germany, Corn from Central America, Potatoes from Peru (by way of Europe). Then there's fireworks from China, giving us a spectacular excuse to just sit and watch the night sky for twenty minutes. And a Summer's night sky? 

Well, that comes from everywhere,
and belongs to everyone.

One of the things that makes us modern Americans us, that is, the ever-looming threat of heart disease and diabetes, means few if any of the traditional Fourth of July feasties are going to wind up on plates over here. But that's okay, because of another thing that makes us us- the optimistic ability to adapt. We are champions at turning lemons into lemonade,

and turning lemonade into a multi-owner profit sharing beverage conglomerate.

The lemons here are a doctor's (very strong) recommendation to stick to a gluten-free version of the Mediterranean diet, and here's what I hope will be the lemonade: 

Thursday: Mediterranean Beans and Rice

Here's a new flavor spin on an old favorite. Ground turkey...hmm. What is it about ground turkey that seems to lay on your fork whispering "I am a substitute for the meat you'd rather have"? I think we'll leave it off entirely and go for all-vegetable protein.

Friday: Grilled Chicken and Artichoke Provecial

Look for bags of frozen Artichoke hearts in the weird vegetable section of the freezer case- they're much tastier and much cheaper than canned. The link here isn't really a recipe as much as a tutorial on how to grill a chicken breast that does not taste like chicken jerky, and it's a great one.

Saturday: Grilled Salmon and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

Again, a tutorial here on grilling salmon, and given my past history of nearly inedible fish, I need it. Costco, if there's one near you, is a good place to start for good salmon fillets at a reasonable price.

Sunday: Barbecued Chicken Salad 

Here's a great and tasty way to use up that leftover chicken and any leftover bean- and it won't be too hard to modify that dressing into something a little healthier.

Monday: Salmon Salad Nicoise

Another main dish salad, this one will use the leftover salmon. Salad Nicoise...sigh...so cool and so filling. One of my favorites.

 I have three times in these past days heard shop keepers and customers cheerily wish each other a "safe Fourth of July"... which is funny. Because we don't wish each other a safe Christmas, or a safe Easter, now do we? But I suppose it makes sense that we celebrate the happy outcome of a violent and costly struggle in ways that mix fun with a little danger....

or a lot of danger...
(yikes! that kid is about to become independent of his
arms and legs! children, do not try this at home...)

So I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth.

I hope that nothing important explodes,

and that nothing important is burned.

I hope you're with people who welcome you 

into an us.

people who value your independence

without leaving you all on your own.

And I hope you know that it matters-

every time you try to make your us

a little wider, a little wilder, 

a little more welcoming.

Because love that can hold out affection

to someone on the other side of otherness?

Well, that's the sort of spark

that can light the whole world.