by Dante de Miura

Created on: March 28, 2009   Last Updated: March 29, 2009

As youths we learn a "spread" is that which lays atop a bed or gets pushed around on bread. But in time, we get it. Especially as we start our own families and continue the traditions we participated in over time. I'm talking about food. The inevitable "spread" of food deliberately and specifically prepared to celebrate time-honored traditions and usually reserved for two "spread-dominated" holidaysThanksgiving and the Fourth of July. And while many consider Thanksgiving the "spread of spreads," it is actually the Fourth of July spread that takes the cake.

COOKING OUT IS IN

As Americans, we have a love-affair with cookouts or backyard BBQsthe type of meal method most associated with the Fourth of July celebration. We love to grill food. Perhaps it's because we also love everything that's associated with outdoor grilling: warm weather, friends gathered and a large variety of food and beverage that is linked to the occasion. Outdoor grilling is an event. And, by and large, a less stressful, more fun-packed, less structured and more carefree event than Thanksgiving dinner. Women love it because, typically, they don't feel the pressure to perform. They are not usually the cooking lead in this play and can focus on the environment and social aspects of the celebration. Guys love it, because they get to be the meal "coach" and the decision-making quarterback or Grill Master, if you will. Grilling also happens to hold its own as a solid method on the food preparation front, if done correctly.

Food fare for the Fourth of July holiday is more dimensional than that of the Thanksgiving feast. The Thanksgiving meal is typically centered around the main course which is usually a turkey. Additionally, we find that most of the other foods prepared for Thanksgiving are annual staples. When was the last Thanksgiving that you attended that did not have pumpkin pie, cranberries or stuffing? The Fourth of July meals are flexible, with no real "typical" expectations. They are generally broad in food types and not as one-dimensional in the main course areas as Thanksgiving. T

HE MAIN COURSE(S)

At the Fourth of July meal, you are likely to find your choice of main dish (as long as it is a grill-able item). But guess what? Because turkey has been so heartily typecast as "the Thanksgiving food," you're not likely to see it at this Summer celebration. As a meat-loving society you will find just about everything else at this great American event, and typically for two reasons: men and fire.

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