This month's Food & Drink coverage focuses on snacks, entrees, meals and beverages for Independence Day, otherwise known as the 4th of July.
Idleguy.com tried using AI to come up with some ideas for 4th of July foods, but the best bing's co-pilot could muster were some pretty lame ideas like this:
Star-Spangled Drinks Station: Set up a self-serve bar with clear pitchers of white sangria, blueberry-mint infused water and sparkling rose. Add ice cubes molded with star cookie cutters and frozen berries for an instant red-white-blue garnish.
and this...
P a t r i o t i c H o t - P o t a t o B a r: B a k e s m a l l r e d - a n d w h i t e - s k i n n e d p o t a t o e s , t h e n l e t g u e s t s t o p t h e i r s p u d s w i t h b l u e - c h e e s e c r u m b l e s , s o u r c r e a m , c h i v e s a n d p a p r i k a . I t s c o m f o r t f o o d d r e s s e d u p i n f l ag c o l o r s a nd e n c o u r a g e s m i n g l i n g a s e v e r y o n e b u i l d s t h e i r o w n p o t a t o .
Seriously, who's buying into this AI hype? Go ahead and check your pantry for star-shaped cookie cutters so you can make cutesy ice cubes. Mama, please.
It got worse when AI went with our suggestion for spicy and "ultra-casual" (their terminology), which, supposedly, would mean you just throw food on yourself and see what sticks. In New York, they got your ultra casual, right here. AI trying to be cool and hip, big time fail. Even used terms like "chase the burn" and "neat finger-food vibes." WTF is a finger-food vibe? Is that when you wipe your hands on your pants? In Kentucky, they call that "proper manners."
This AI seems to have been programmed by a dweeb who needs a little more than a selfie and hasn't had a successful date since the premiere of "Toy Story 2." Yikes!
This ?Most Popular 4th of July Food" from Taste of Home caught the eye, but we're not sold on the idea that Fried Chicken is only the most popular in just Mississippi, or that New Yorkers and Idahoans agree that cole slaw is what to eat on the 4th. Really? Cole slaw, in New York. Try pizza, or even gyros.
And just what is a Red, White & Blue Fruit Pizza? Sure seems to be popular in the upper midwest. Maybe that's why nobody lives there.
Food & Drink offered this 2024 article on What Americans were buying the most of for the 4th of July in 2023, so, OK, a little dated.
However, they had some interesting take-aways.
The 10 items showing the most notable surge (or "increase in item share") during the week leading up to July 4 are as follows:
People still buy charcoal? Sure, there are grill snobs who turn their noses up on propane-powered grills, but, for ease of use and reliable heat, nothing beats propane. Spend a summer off grid and by Thanksgiving, you'll be offering up prayers of thanks for propane, as publisher Fearless Rick did back in 2016.
This article from Delicious was full of tasty ideas from every state in the union, from Montana's Rocky Mountain Oysters to Utah's Funeral Potatoes, the gallery was full of mouth-watering photos and brief descriptions.
As publishers, we liked the no-frills style of their webpage. Believe it or not, there was not a single pop-up ad or video of any kind. These people are obviously experts of form and function. We'll be back and suggest you visit. (That's not a plug and we were not paid anything to say it. We like simple and functional.) They're Australian. OK with us.
No, those are not worms. What you're looking at is Salmon Jerky. Apparently, it's quite popular in Alaska. Since summers in Alaska aren't exactly what most people in the lower 48 would call scorchers, ya gotta eat something, so salmon jerky sounds about right.
In July, Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska can expect milder temperatures ranging from 55 F to 70 F (13 C to 21 C). Fairbanks and the rest of Interior Alaska experience warmer and drier conditions, with average temperatures of 60 F to 80 F (15 C to 27 C). Southeast Alaska, including Juneau and Ketchikan, tends to be milder and wetter, with temperatures around 55 F to 65 F (13 C to 18 C) and frequent rain showers.
If extremely long daylight hours (that's why it's called the Land of the Midnight Sun) appeal to you, more information can be found at Alaska.org.
We checked with our friends at timeanddate.com, and were assured that if you want to get the most daylight out of the 4th of July, Alaska is the place. In Anchorage, which isn't even that far north, sunrise is an early 4:32 am, and sunset doesn't come until 11:34 pm. That's over 19 hours of daylight, more than enough time to cook breakfast, hunt caribou, grill bison, take multiple naps and still have enough time to enjoy some barbeque and get on a proper drunk well before sundown. And, bonus, you get to do it all over again in just five hours. Love those three-day weekends.
That sunset time works too, because you can wake the kids up with fireworks at 2:00 am!
Happy 4th. Food is good. Don't abuse it.
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