Heraldry of Summer

What Is the best summer food?

That is a great question and the answer is difficult.

Watermelon; delicious, iconic, and cultural.

Hotdogs; easy, portable, customizable, and satisfying.

Jerky; stored in backpacks for hiking trips.

Fish; caught fresh from a mountain stream.

Elote; from fairs or made at home.

S'mores; melting deliciously in our mouths.

All of these things are summer for me and many other people. However, for me the meal that screams summer is Red Beans and Rice with corn on the cob.

I am white, my wife is black, and our kids are mixed. The reason this meal is what defines summer for my family and me is Juneteenth.

While the holiday is technically late spring it heralds in the end of the school year and the beginning of summer fun.

We include corn on the cob with the meal because our daughter absolutely adores it. Definitely her favorite food.

The two of them together exemplify what summer is. Hot and satisfying. Sweet and crisp. Spicy, savory, and unifying.

Summer is the season of coming together. For cookouts, fireworks, camping, hikes, baseball, and many other activities. And like summer Red Beans and Rice is made by accumulating many different things that just work.

Of course The Trinity is there and they belong together bringing the bang to any bite they are a part of. But also there is the wonderful red beans. Perfectly seasoned to the spice that you want.

(Hint, the spice needs to be up. You want them to grab you by tongue and tell you it's time to party.) Then there is the sausage, to get it right you should do andouille but you can do others. Just make sure the flavor is bold. And all of this wonderfulness is poured atop some wonderful steamed rice. We season ours but to each their own. Topped with a beautiful garnish of sliced green onions.

Yum yum. Glad this is so close to Juneteenth and we still have some in the fridge because that's lunch tomorrow.

Which brings up another point on why this food exemplifies summer. You can make a lot of it and be busy out having fun all day long and when you come home to heat it up it's just as good or better reheated. Embracing you in the warm embrace akin to Big Mama's, Nana's, or Grandma's sweetest hugs.

Then for the corn on the cob our boys and I love hitting it with some Slap your Mama spice seasoning after drizzling it with butter and salt.

Now let me talk for a minute about the emotions of the meal. Juneteenth is sacred. Without it my family wouldn't be what it is today. And I am sorry to say that it's a day which is ignored by a large portion of society.

Juneteenth isn't a black holiday. It's as American as Jazz, football, or Independence Day. If you are reading this your life has been impacted by an African American. It's just a fact and to refuse it is close minded and short sighted. Why take something beautiful like acknowledging the end of America's worst conflict and one of biggest shames and ignore it.

We as a people are constantly growing and changing our society needs to do the same. Part of that is admitting our mistakes and moving forward. That is what Juneteenth is about. Moving forward past the shackles of slavery and creating something beautiful.

What better way to glorify that by bringing together wonderful ingredients to create a soul warming dish that satisfies every part of our palette?

I started this by sharing all the wonderful ways we eat. As I write this I have chicken on the BBQ and corn on the stove. But I also have Red Beans and Rice in the fridge from a few days ago and it rests happily in my memory growing in anticipation for lunch tomorrow.

If you haven't had the meal, especially cooked by someone from the South, do it. Any time of the year but do it at the offset of summer surrounded by friends and family and see why it is the Heraldry of Summertime food.