The Poppy And The BBQ

Have you ever wondered about the red poppy that we see people wearing to commemorate Memorial Day? Have you ever wondered why backyard BBQ’s are often associated with Memorial Day or many American Holidays? I wondered those things myself because in this world we often take things for granted and do them without knowing the reasons behind them.

America has been remembering its fallen soldiers since the Civil War. Back then it was called Decoration Day and May 30th was chosen because it wasn’t the date of any particular battle. The graves of the fallen had flowers and other decorations placed upon them in remembrance. As America entered other wars the name slowly changed to Memorial Day and the date was moved to the last Monday of May to give federal workers a three day holiday. Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968 and the change became an official holiday in 1971.

The origin of the Poppy comes from World War I. In the region of Flanders Belgium a fierce battle took place with artillery and trench warfare , thousands were killed. The land itself was torn open and trees and forest were destroyed. In the second year of the battle soldiers began to see red flowers popping up all over the killing fields. The little poppy is known as Papaver rhoes and it can lay dormant for 80 years. The lime from the destroyed buildings and the nitrogen from bombs coupled with the torn open fields created the perfect conditions for the poppies to thrive. It must have looked amazing to see the flowers amongst decimated landscape. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae a Canadian who served as a brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit, was inspired by a patch of red poppies as he surveyed the land. He took pen to paper and wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields“. The poem became famous and was seen in “The Ladies Home Journal” by a Professor at the University of Georgia named Moina Michael, who had taken a leave of absence to volunteer at the YWCA’s New York’s headquarters. She lobbied for the poppy to become the symbol of Memorial day and she was obviously very successful.

The BBQ dates way back in America’s political history, starting with George Washington. It was a way for large gatherings to be fed while listening to speeches and as a way for candidates to get votes. It became so popular if you didn’t throw a bbq of some type while running for office you probably didn’t get elected! The backyard BBQ didn’t really take off until after WWII when soldiers returned to America and found housing built in suburbs like Long Island NY. These houses took a departure from the old styles of having front porches for people to gather and moved the focus to the backyard. Charcoal was invented years before in 1897 by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer, but Henry Ford and Edward G. Kingsford are often credited with its invention. They did however manage to mass produce it using the byproducts from Ford’s factories and Kingsford charcoal was even sold in the dealerships. The grills of the day were horrible open metal boxes that usually burned the outside of the meat and left the inside raw! It wasn’t until after WWII that George Stephen, a welder decided to cut a metal buoy in half creating a top and a bottom. He fitted both halves with vents for air flow control and revolutionized the backyard BBQ. I’ll give you one guess where he worked. You got it, Weber Brothers Metal Works. I hope George got some money for his invention!

As we get ready for Memorial Day, it’s always a good thing to slow down and take a moment to remember those who have passed in the service of our country. Many of our relatives , friends and neighbors have all lost someone in a war. So take that pause and remember. There’s a history behind many of the things we do and I feel it’s important to know why we do the things we do. If you didn’t do it already, scroll up and click on the link to the poem “In Flanders Field”. Enjoy your Memorial Day, try not to burn your food and until next time, Boone Appétit!