The abundance of E.Coli and beef recall cases over the years has not dampened our appetite for red meat.
The increased cost of a pound of ground or a rack of ribs may have limited the frequency that burgers and ribs are consumed but overall beef remains on the menu.
So, it’s hard to imagine that even the faintest rumblings of H5N1—Bird Flu—in dairy cows will even merit a second thought at the upcoming barbecues. Well, maybe there will be just a smidgen of a millisecond of hesitation in considering the merits of ordering a cheeseburger. But overall, the grills this weekend will be packed with burgers and asada and ribs, as well as hot dogs and sausages.
Memorial Day weekend ushers in the unofficial start of summer and grilling season—though in Southern California the weather lends itself to year-round cookouts. Maybe they’re blowing smoke, but the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association contends that 80% of homeowners and 70% of households owns a grill of some sort. (Technically, I’m part of that population but I long ago converted my grill into a planter, so am I among the haves or the have-nots?)
The Association also says that Memorial Day weekend is the second most popular day for summer grilling nationwide, the first being Fourth of July with 54% of grillers lighting up the fire.
Sure Labor Day finds that 47% of grill owners take to the outdoors while Memorial Day attracts 44%, but as far as I’m concerned Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer and as a result it isn’t counted as a summer time activity.
Other Memorial Day tidbits you can share at this year’s summer time kickoff barbecues include:
• The first Memorial Day to commemorate dead U.S. military serviceman was in 1868, honoring soldiers who fought in this country’s Civil War.
•It wasn’t until 1971 Memorial Day became an official federal holiday set on the fourth Monday of May.
•Since 1868, more than half a million U.S., servicemen died in various wars, with World War II reporting the most at 291,557 deaths.
• There are two National Cemeteries in San Diego County, Rosecrans and Miramar.
