Weekend Parting Shot: Vegans Threaten Neighbor Over Barbecue

Happy Friday, everyone. Once again, it was an up-and-down news week. No sooner had Trump finished playing hacky-sack with the heads of the CNN staff than Title 42 ran out and the inaugural Arizona Illegal Alien 5K was held. Everyone was a winner, except the American people.

Now that we can finally go outside for an extended period of time without getting hit with rain or snow, it is barbecue season in my part of the country. Admittedly, for me, every season is barbecue season. I’ve grilled in the spring, summer, and fall, and have even been known to shovel the patio in January so I could have a place to stand. Everybody has their favorites when it comes to the grill, from beef to pork to fish. I’ve come up with a way to grill almost anything, but truth be told, when I cook outdoors, my meal of choice is burgers. Yeah, I’ll do chicken or steaks but for me, a grill is meant for beef patties, cooked medium, sending up that blessed smell of flames on meat. As far as I am concerned, the grill was invented for burgers. But, to each his own. Nothing can ruin a good barbecue.

Well, one thing can. Vegans. But then, Vegans pretty much ruin everything.

Dateline Perth, Australia. A vegan named Sarah was originally non-plussed that her neighbor Kylie cooked meat in her kitchen. According to the Mirror, Sarah jotted down a little neighborly note requesting that Kylie close her kitchen window. The note read in part:

My family are (sic) vegan (we eat only plant-based foods) and the smell of the meat you cook makes us feel sick and upset. We would appreciate your understanding. Thanks Sarah, Wayne and kids. (sic)

Well, Australia, like the United States, is still a semi-free country. If Sarah, Wayne, and the kids can’t get over the smell of meat, perhaps they should have closed their window. But in typical leftist fashion, it isn’t enough that they do as they please; everyone else has to do as they please. Kylie went ahead and posted the letter to Facebook, where it was roundly ridiculed. That did not sit well with Sarah, and the Vegan Empire Struck back with another letter when Kylie hosted a barbecue to celebrate King Charles’ coronation. Fox had a copy of the second missive, which was much less kind than the first:

Hello Kylie, you are taking the mickey out of me and have been downright rude. I raised my concerns of the smell of meat making my family sick and upset and you go and have a BBQ on Saturday night, inviting lots of people and you knew this would affect me and my family… Please no more BBQs and please keep that window closed when cooking otherwise I’m going to report you and go to social media to (sic)

Do you know what makes me upset and sick? Obnoxious vegans. People who believe your business is their business, and their choices must be your choices. There is an old Chinese saying that revenge is a dish best served cold. But for Kylie, here’s hoping she enjoys many weekends of revenge. Smoky, delicious revenge.

Wine Recommendation: Because spring means wine. But then again, so do summer, winter, and fall.

Speaking of barbecuing, if you are cooking outdoors, that calls for … beer. But not everyone likes beer, and dining outdoors is often the best time to enjoy a glass of vino. This week, I decided to sample a 2018 Flat Top Hills Red Blend.

I really wanted to get excited about this wine, but it was … okay. It is advertised as having hints of cinnamon and raspberry. You can certainly taste the fruit, but I couldn’t locate the cinnamon. Others have detected menthol and cedar, and after a few sips, I could taste the cedar. It’s a dry wine, but not excessively so. Overall, it’s serviceable. It might make a good wine if you are entertaining a large group and wanted something nice but don’t want to go over the top when it comes to price. At around $13-$14 a bottle and a rating of 87 points, it’s a good purchase. Some people have suggested parting it up with a portobello mushroom burger, salmon, ham, or a pasta dish heavy on the marinara. But, given the theme of this column, I honestly do think it would match up best with beef or pork barbecue, with a spicy sauce.

That’s all for me, have a good weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday when we’ll all find out about the latest thing that has gone to hell.