A Little Slice of Heaven.

Hello All,

After 10 or so weeks of eating canned or frozen food, with an occasional restaurant meal, I am happy to have finally broken out of that with a little grilling.

Not BBQ mind you, but grilling. What's the difference? Grilling is throwing meat on a surface heated charcoal or propane. BBQ is an art of rubs and heat applied to meat over time. I've given BBQ a shot with mixed results. Anyone north of VA should ask a Southern friend about BBQ (Jodi has a great story about a "pig pickin" she attended a number of years ago.)

BBQ is one of the few things uniquely American and various regions have their own take on the process (dry or wet) and the type of meat used (beef or pork). Each region claims to have the "best" BBQ and, quite frankly, it is all good. If you get to Kansas City, St. Louis, Most of NC, and Most of TX, don't pass up a chance to have BBQ at the place the locals eat. If I didn't mention your favorite region/state/or local BBQ joint, insert it here _________, now.

Anyways, I grabbed a bag of charcoal, brats (local vendor) and a couple of NY Strip steaks and headed for the grill.

I also took with me a great cigar, Arturo Fuente Opus X Super Belicoso, as well as a couple of bottles of my favorite German beer, produced by Augustiner Braeu (that really old brewery in Munich, founded in 1310).

Now granted, the cigar would have been better accompanied by a glass of scotch or bourbon, but a great German beer was found to be an acceptable substitute.

Back to grilling. Well, I had no equipment/utensils and the grill left a lot to be desired. The manner in which I grilled my steaks was less then ideal with no seasoning on the steak and the meat was too far away from the charcoal. I used a plastic fork to flip them. When I took them off the grill, one side was done to much and the other not enough. But, when the two met in the middle, it was perfect.

It is amazing what you miss when you don't have it. Conversly, we probably don't appreciate what we have. I appreciate what I have and miss what I don't. It is a lot easier to do in a foreign country with different food, language, and customs.

There are some things I would like to change in the US, but, I can think of a lot more things I would keep just the way they are.

Anyways, it was great to smoke a cigar and eat a steak; a little slice of heaven American style, you might say.

God bless America. It is a great nation and a great place to live!

Until Next Time,

Michael