This time of year, it seems as though everyone is selling grills for the Father's Day crowd. Most of them are elaborate gas grills complete with warming burners, built in starters and counter space larger than what we had in our first house! Resembling the controls in a Boeing 747, they take up more patio space than the chaise lounge and require that you schlep half the kitchen to the great outdoors.
What happened to a good old fashioned charcoal grill? If I close my eyes I can hear the rotisserie mechanism slowly turning but speeding up a bit when the heavy part of the chicken got to the top. Barbeque chicken cooked on a gas grill simply doesn't taste as good as a chicken cooked over charcoal.
This photo was taken in the mid to late 60's; when the patio was simply that....a patio. There was no need for an "outdoor room" as portrayed at the home and garden shows of today. There was always potato salad, baked beans and macaroni and tuna salad at our outdoor suppers. Corn on the cob from the local farm was a must and my siblings and I always argued over who would shuck the corn!
When I look a bit closer at the photo, I notice the cigar perched on top of the grill. I smile. My dad's signature companion. All of these smells combine to bring back fond memories of family cookouts as a child.
Happy Father's Day! My suggestion....buy the charcoal grill.
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