Dedicated to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and all of the ancestors of the Lewis, Gipe, Moody, and Murphy families. I miss you, love you, and will never forget!
Memorial Dai is the American National Holiday to honor soldiers and veterans of the United States Armed Services. It more commonly is observed on the last Mondai of the month of May, making a 3-day weekend for many workers and students. Memorial Dai is used as a National BBQ dai and the official start of summer at most households. Many families have picnics, cookouts, and travel to visit family along with the grave sites of those honored fallen soldiers.
Living in Japan and unaffiliated with American services, I can easily forget American Holidais. Many of my friends won’t have off when I’m observing Japanese holidais, and I don’t get the long weekends when they do. It just so happens this year I had off on the observed Memorial Dai.
I was blessed to be able to attend a BBQ and inhale one of the most delicious scents on Earth: char-grilled meat and barbeque sauce. I sat right next to the grill while my homie CJ hooked up the chicken just right with the good brunt on it. The Japanese don’t like the burnt and think it’s cooked wrong. Little do they know that is a part of the recipe.
I ate the sweetest watermelon slices ever. We might as well consider watermelon a delicacy being that they can cost $10-$20 each, just for the small ones. We drank and ate ourselves full under a warm Japan sun and cool breeze. In true Black American BBQ fashion, we broke out a deck of cards and played Spades. You’d be amazed that most of us hadn’t played in 2 to 4 years. No African American BBQ is complete without some sort of games like Uno, Dominoes, Badminton, or Horseshoes.
Being in Japan really makes me miss and appreciate my culture more. Things we consider stereotypes with negative connotations, I realize are really a true factor and positively embraceable. Japan gives our chicken and watermelon love a tough tie. There is nothing wrong with that. Besides, like Dave Chappelle said, “show me all these people who hate chicken and watermelon!” No matter where we go, that’s where we at! Some things still feel like home. I had a happy Memorial Dai!
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