Passages - notes - Fourth of July - Brief Article

Better Nutrition, July, 2003 by John Monahan

You can mark the passage of time by how you celebrated the Fourth of July. As kids, the Monahans lit sparklers and "snakes" and drank sodas with the unlikely name of Shasta.

As preteens--which basically means you're old enough for your father to coach in the Little League so he can argue and kick dirt on other fathers while you and eight other kids stand on the field wondering what the fuss is about--we lit firecrackers and mixed various Shasta flavors in the. same paper cup. As teenagers, we lit firecrackers, tossed them into mailboxes and tried to find something to drink other than Shasta.

By college, we'd found beer; the fireworks were supplied by the National Guard in the form of tear gas used on students protesting Richard Nixon, and here, we did know what the fuss was about.

Next came my first job. I made $170 a week at the newspaper, and never before or after had so much beer money to spend on women who were, I hoped, hot as firecrackers. Eventually, I settled down to watch my own daughter light sparklers and "snakes" while drinking quasi-sodas with dribs of healthful nutraceuticals in them. Now, as I gray, I worry that there's more fizzle than sizzle in the fireworks--plus I've discovered a new drink called water, which is particularly refreshing served cold.

To make your Independence Day memorable, BN has borrowed some tasty recipes from Vegetarian Times, our sister publication, and added a few more delicious ones of our own (see "Picnic Picks," p. 32). We know you will enjoy them--wherever you are in life.

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