Generally, on the 4th of July, my entire family gets dressed in red, white, and blue, grills hot dogs and hamburgers outside and, along with corn on the cob, watermelon, and potato salad, we celebrate our country’s birthday outdoors on the grass, shortly followed by fireworks sponsored by the Westhampton Beach Country Club.
This year, however, I was in Barcelona, at the end of a month-long backpacking trip. I know, who wants to feel sorry for the girl who just spent six months in Europe? Well… you should. My friend Katie and I were with our Scottish friend and my Canadian boyfriend, neither of whom seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Katie and I made an important decision… we were all going to wear red, white, and blue that day, and we were all going to go to the Hard Rock Café for cheeseburgers and Bud.
I know… cheeseburgers in Barcelona. But what do you want from us? We’re American. Katie and I even sang the American national anthem with Whitney Houston.
Our friends were not impressed.
Sometimes, food is the best way to bring back memories (an opinion that the food novel for next month refutes… but we’ll get to that in September). Sure, the beer wasn’t as cold as American and the ranch dressing was more like mayo and spices, but the burgers were tasty, the company was good, and good old American Bob Dylan was hanging from the wall. What else could a girl ask for on vacation in Spain?
