Pink Tea: The Red, White, and Blue

I have a confession, and I hope that it doesn't turn some of you off. You see, I have a confusing relationship with the American flag. It seems to generate conflicting emotions in me. On one hand, I am proud to be an American (or United Statesean for those of you from the non-US Americas), but I am also wary of hyper-nationalism. I enjoy the freedoms that the US offers, but I also believe there are opportunities to learn from other cultures. I define patriotism not as unquestioning following of the government, but as pushing for the best for my fellow citizens. With that said, I find myself nervous when it feels like the American flag is paraded out to garner an emotional response and is used to designate disagreement as a lack of patriotism. I warned you I was conflicted.

With all that said though, every year when summer hits, I find myself wanting flags. Perhaps it is the plethora of patriotic holidays at this time... Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July. Perhaps it is because summer seems to be filled with so many of my favorite quintessential American practices like barbeques, corn on the cob, sweet southern tea, popsicles and ice cream trucks, and even running through sprinklers. Perhaps it is the influence of growing up on and near Marine bases with all the color guard ceremonies and military parades. I'm not sure what the cause is. But this year, I have decided to embrace my craving for the red, white, and blue... via food.

BLUE [Breakfast]

I thought I'd have a little fun with it since I was at home. So, we had tea and coffee (for the adults) in our blue mug collection, paired with blue and white dishes and our blue and white "napkins" (a local french restaurant uses dish towels as napkins during lunch, and I have adopted the idea with these blue and white dishtowels).

The menu:

tea, coffee, and milk (in other words, mommy, daddy, and daughter... baby boy's too little)
homemade pop-tarts with strawberry jam or with lemon curd and blueberries
fresh blueberries

RED [Lunch]

Continuing the color theme, we went red for lunch... red Hawaiian quilt napkins with the same blue and white dishes.

The menu:

White grape and strawberry punch
Rolled ham and turkey sandwiches
Fresh peach slices
Red, white, and blue parfait (strawberries, blueberries, and freshly whipped cream)

AND ALL AMERICAN [Dinner]

And Memorial Day wouldn't be complete without a little grilling. In our case, the meal took a slight Italian twist.

The menu:

Sweet Tea and Lemonade
Burgers (with a little brushetta mix and romano cheese incorporated with the meat)
Potato Salad (Roasted Red Potatoes with Pesto and Olives)
Strawberry White Grape Jello with Fresh Fruit and Panna Cotta (recipe in the next post)

I'm realizing looking back on the day that we really need to eat some greens tomorrow. Fruit seemed to dominate today. Oh well... it was fun. I hope your meals were even more delicious.