Watermelon by the slice is one of the flavors of summer. (Dreamstime/TNS)
By Daniel Neman
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
These are the foods and the flavors of summer:
Watermelon by the slice, pulled from a platter with ice.
Slices of apple smeared with swirls of peanut butter.
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Mint chocolate chip ice cream covered with hot fudge and a cherry on top.
Peaches, soft and yielding, with a juicy, sweet and tender flesh.
A tall glass of iced tea, wet with condensation, a slice of lemon, bursting with juice, and a crushed sprig of mint fresh from the garden.
Pie á la mode, a cherry filling in a golden crust, still warm from the oven, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting gently across the top.
A cold can of beer in one hand, a hot dog in the other, with one out and runners on second and third base.
Tomatoes sliced thick and stacked between two slices of white bread, slathered with creamy mayonnaise.
Delicate roasted Cornish game hen, lacquered with a sweet orange glaze.
So much zucchini you don’t know what to do with it except make zucchini bread.
Chicken fresh off the grill, painted red with a zesty barbecue sauce.
Chilled shrimp salad with a sprinkling of tarragon and tossed lightly with mayonnaise.
Guacamole, bright and verdant, with a never-ending supply of salty tortilla chips.
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Hot spaghetti flavored with nothing more than olive oil, garlic and chopped fresh tomatoes.
An elegant salad of cold poached lobster and sections of grapefruit over arugula with a bright citrus vinaigrette.
A tart and salty margarita, filled to the brim.
Rich avocado smashed onto a crisp slice of whole wheat toast, with salt and pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil.
A light and delicate omelet cooked in butter and filled with nothing but the freshest herbs.
Creamsicles and fudgesicles and any frozen treat on a stick.
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Root beer floats with an ethereal foam on top.
Three-bean salad, the dish upon which all picnics depend.
Hamburgers that still taste of flames and the grill.
Triangles of pita dipped into savory hummus.
Potato salad with plenty of egg and a bright punch of paprika, the other dish upon which all picnics depend.
Vegetable-filled gazpacho, rich with tomatoes and enlivened with a dash of vinegar and a splash of olive oil.
Sliced, succulent figs served with crumbles of sweet and pungent dolce gorgonzola and a generous drizzle of honey.
Simple pears, poached in Port wine with orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon and clove.
Grilled salmon on rice, topped with a thin slice of lime.
A bowl of lemon sorbet with blueberries on top.
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