Midsummer barbecue

Syrians love to barbecue and the summers of my youth were punctuated by evenings grilling food outside. There was always someone brushing off the grill and setting up the lawn chairs. I remember barbecue meals held on farms, or on the garden lawns of family members or friends. Of course, we would have our own barbecue at home in our own backyard, too. In my memory, those evenings were always sunny; funny how memory works.

Barbecues always started at sunset – people were relaxed, the mood was leisurely and easygoing. We gathered to do more than just eat, after all. Someone would start the fire, chatting all the while, and the woman of the house would start marinating some extra meat. Aside from some halved onions, tomatoes and roasted peppers (capsicums), there were no other vegetables to be found; barbecues were not planned with vegetarians in mind.