We here at Blog To Taste are really excited about our next theme- Memorial Day BBQs! And while we are happy to celebrate the sun, the nearing of summer, and our grills, we think it is especially important to recognize what the true meaning of Memorial Day is.
Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor the men and women who have died while serving the US forces, defending our country and our liberty. Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day, which referred to the specific practice of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers in military cemeteries. So while BBQing with your friends and family is certainly a good way to spend Memorial Day, be sure to at least take a moment to think about the real reason we have this holiday. It's a good conversation to have with the older and younger generations, as younger people need to learn the history and reason for the holiday, and older people enjoy sharing stories related to military service.
If you live near a military cemetery, we encourage you to decorate some military graves. Flowers and flags can be bought very inexpensively, and this good deed doesn't take a lot of time. However, if you do not live near a military cemetery there are still things you can do! At 3PM on Memorial Day, there is a national "Moment of Remembrance" that you can observe in your own home, with your own family. All you have to do is take a moment out from what you are doing to pause, in remembrance and respect. Not into silence? Download the Taps song, and play that for your moment.
Another easy thing you can do is make a bouquet of Poppies to put out at your BBQ, or buy some of those poppies that are handmade by veterans to pin on your lapel (and the lapels of your guests). Poppies are symbolic and widely associated with veterans, and fallen soldiers. (Check out the Poppies in our menu above, they are there for more than looking pretty!).
For more ideas on what you can do to honor this day, and those who have died while serving, check out this article Repair The World: 7 Things You Can Do To Honor Our Fallen Soldiers.
