Of all Fourth of July traditions, picnics and barbecue are the most popular by far. And, when I was young, my parents were busy people: my mom managed public relations for a bunch of fussy artists and family-owned businesses while raising three boys, and my dad commuted to New York City every day of the week. Getting all of us around the same dinner table was a logistical feat – an occasion that, to my dad, called for strip steak on the grill. As I saw it, the smell of seasoned beef came to mean that Dad was home, and the family was together; now, when I eat steak from a restaurant, I find it lacking something.
A culture’s cuisine is undoubtedly one of its strongest symbols; thinking of home cooking seems to always bring on sweet nostalgia. Even though America is comprised of a huge patchwork of cultures – or a melting pot, or a salad bowl, whatever term we choose – to many, American food means barbecue; that’s why, on the holiday celebrating our independence, the smell of smoke from the grill is as strong as the bang of fireworks.
Likewise, in my family, the Fourth of July means ribs, barbecued chicken and, of course, steak – it’s an extended family dinner where we gather around a grill instead of a table. But I remember celebrating a certain Fourth of July with some Chinese family friends, and instead of a grill, they gathered around a wok. In my youthful naivety, I didn’t understand why their Fourth of July barbecue, featured Chinese food; it’s an American holiday, after all. So, I asked the father of the family, a friendly man named John.
John explained that his family had come to the United States to both escape civil unrest in China and seek greater financial security. He told me they didn’t intend to stay in the USA for long, and that they didn’t truly want to leave; when they did, all they could manage to bring was their set of woks and ladles. In their days in San Francisco, stir-frying, pan-searing and deep frying became their way to remember where they came from.
After around ten years, John explained, flipping the vegetables in the wok, they had decided to call America their new home. It was a place where they could maintain their culture while enjoying freedom and security – and that was what America meant to him. The best way to celebrate the Fourth of July for his family, then, was to cook Chinese food. The Fourth can mean steak, stir fry, pizza, anything – in the end, we’re all free to create our own ways to understand this country, and that’s what makes it the place it is.
Want to start some new traditions your family will love? Check out this link for a list of delicious Fourth of July barbecue recipe ideas.
