Listen Close and BBQ's (2008)

Listen Closely - Feb 29, 2008

Today, unpacking boxes, I found an old little tin that [way back in Ohio days] used to sit near the dining room table.   Inside, I started looking through all the scraps of paper that had accumulated.  And it made me smile, remembering how it was when we were transitioning into a new step family, blending two sets of kids.  We would eat dinner around a huge table (a 4'x8' plywood slab!).  And we needed to come up with an idea to get the kids talking, thinking, and not grousing at each other all the time.  So we made up 3x5 cards with questions or sayings:

• "The nicest thing someone did for me this week was _____.  The nicest thing I did for someone else was _____." 
• "Name two things that make you feel happy."
• "Name something you do well."
• "If I had a million dollars... "
• "What are two things you're thankful for?"
• "If you see someone without a smile, give him one of yours."
• "A task worth doing and friends worth having make life worth living."
• "Good habits are just as hard to break as bad ones."
• "Every job has its problems.  A key consideration in choosing a career is determining what type of problems you enjoy solving."

I'm sitting here, wondering if my kids will read this, and remember the good times, the good discussions.  One of the things I truly enjoyed was the conversations that came out of a simple "starter" quote. 

If you take the time to listen to kids, you'll hear some pretty amazing things!
And it made me realize that ... its not just kids we need to listen to. 
Its adults and those around us, as well. 
So, listen hard next time, and see what comes from your next conversation!

BBQ Time! - Mar 1, 2008

Current mood:hungry

Cooking meat over a fire is surely one of mankind's earliest cooking feats. 

Tonight, as I was taking out some trash, neighbors were having a BBQ --- and with the sun down, the temps just a bit cooler, the breeze so slight, -- the aroma was heavenly! It made my mouth water as I imagined biting into a juicy burger, dripping with BBQ sauce...  So I had to look it up, see if there was any good info on Google about BBQ. 

"The mystery begins with the name. Theories abound, but certainty is a lost cause. Some think it may come from the French in Louisiana: "barbe a queue" translated as "from whiskers to tail," which is a neat description of a whole roasted beast. (And seconded by the Oxford English Dictionary, which credits the origin of the word to French-speaking Haiti). Others feel that the Spanish "barbacoa" is more likely. Yet others look to early advertisements for bar, beer, and pool establishments --bar-beer-cue. Some name a Texas ranch, with the brand --BQ on their cattle, legendary for their hospitality. Who knows?"

"Although cooking meat over an open fire in the outdoors was known to all cultures at one time, the niceties of digging a pit, to allow for concentrated heat and smokiness to develop was forgotten in Europe by the time the first colonists to Jamestown arrived. Following the lead of the local Indians, pit barbecue was quickly rediscovered, and has remained popular. "

If you look up any of the websites of the "History of BBQ" , no matter which version fits your own idea of BBQ, remember.... Barbecue is more than a meal. It is an event. People gather for good barbecue, whether invited or not. Barbecue is an event that gathers people around a fire to watch, smell and eat. Like the fires of prehistory, this is the place to eat, drink, and tell stories.  

Enjoy!!