Barbecuing and the Fourth of July.   The Fourth of July is this country's Independence Day--the day that the original thirteen American colonies declared that they were "free and Independent" from the British Crown--that we were a new country, "conceived in liberty" and no longer under the rule of George the Third--or any other monarch--nor part of the British Empire.

As expected, this didn't go over too well in England and they promptly sent a retinue--several retinues actually, a whole bunch of 'em--of British soldiers to remonstrate with us.   However, they quickly learned what we ourselves have not yet learned--you cannot beat an enemy engaged in guerrilla warfare on its own territory.

(they didn't really learn the lesson either.  Nobody seems to have, yet.)

In any case, five years later we signed a peace agreement that essentially granted America its independence from Great Britain.   At that point, the people who declared independence thought we ought to have some sort of founding document or set of overarching laws or legal principles that would distinguish us from other nations.

So, for instance they came up with the idea that you cannot be put in gaol for criticizing a politician.   Politicians used to love to cut opposition off at the knees by throwing their critics in prison and at times executing them.   The framers of the American Constitution decided that that was unacceptable. 

The American Constitution also guarantees the freedom of the press--reporters cannot be jailed for printing things that American politicians don't like or don't want to hear.

The American Constitution also allows us the free exercise of religion--that whatever religion you are, as long as you aren't hurting anyone, you have the right to engage in religious practice as you please.  (or not, if you please.)

Mind you, these were all concepts that were new-ish in the world at that time.  Or if not "new" per se (they were derived from the Greek democracy of classical Antiquity and the Roman Republic and other sources) they had fallen out of favor with humanity for a long, long time.   The framers of the Constitution felt that America was a kind of "experiment"--they set it in motion and let it go.

July 4th means many different things to many different people in America, but to Americans it is a kind of microcosm of America.   That's why we barbecue.   We get together with our neighbors and our communities, because in the end America *is* the small towns and the neighbors and all of us.   And while we all have our own feelings about things, beer, grilled chicken, steak, Italian sausage and things like that, hot on the grill, tend to evoke feelings of conviviality and togetherness.  Neighborliness if you will.  How can we be Americans if we do not know our neighbors?   How could we have *become* an independent nation if we hadn't known our neighbors?

if you are not from here, or if you are a New American, and you are invited to a barbecue--if you can eat meat and are not vegetarian, you want to go with a dish like biryani or something similar--hot, spicy, and kind of heavy.   If you are vegetarian--try fried, spiced chickpeas or naan and a yogurt dip.  If you are Polish or German, go with Bratwurst.   If you are Russian, a bottle of cold vodka would not be out of line unless you know that the people around you are not drinkers.  If Japanese, you cannot go wrong with a six pack of delicious, cold Sapporo beer.   If Chinese, make homemade egg rolls if you know how. 

But aren't these not American foods?  "American food" is a mishmash--a combination of the cuisines of a thousand different nations through time--all the people who have come here, passed through here, made friends here and been neighbors here.

All right? All right.  Happy Fourth!  Oh--the fireworks.  Kids may like them but the crowds are big and the noise is loud.   They may not be like fireworks you've experienced in your native land, and in New Jersey anything heavier than sparklers are not legal.  But other things are legal in other states.  Check the laws in your state to see what is legal and what is not regarding fireworks.

All right?  All right.  And remember if you are interested in American Idioms and American slang, check out my American Idiom of the Day Twitter Feed.  For information about ESL and accent reduction lessons, either by Skype or in person, take a look at David Berlin's ESL and Accent Reduction Training website.   For more tricks and tips (FREE!) on ESL and accent reduction, check out my David Berlin ESL YouTube Channel.   All right?  All right!  Happy 4th of July!