At Last, A Grill

After some procrastination, I finally decided to get a grill. With the official start of summer just around the corner, I felt it was necessary to get in the action and enjoy the season. And what better way to it is by cooking and eating al fresco at my very own backyard. I have the space to set up dining for up to 14 people, seated comfortably at a long table. Maybe more.

It's been a while since I last enjoyed the art of grilling. Maybe 3 years? Since we moved from Union City, I never bothered to replace the grill I had disposed. It was old and was beginning to rust anyway. A new one was in order.

I missed grilling. Aside from it being a much healthier cooking alternative, it also gives me the opportunity to cook outdoors and host a casual get-together as well. Somehow, "BBQ-ing" (grilling is the more appropriate term) has been a good excuse to gather friends for a relaxing day of good conversation, excellent food (and drinks), and great company. And I just plan on doing that.

Since I have been out of touch on the latest and greatest in grilling equipment, I did a little research. From what I've seen, nothing much has changed from the last time I looked at any of these. There are great, tried-and-tested equipment out there, and there are the so-so, mediocre ones. Knowing that I wouldn't be grilling 300 days of the year, I wanted something that would do the job when I need it, without breaking the bank. We are in the Bay Area after all, and once that sun sets, it gets a little bit chilly and cooking outdoors is probably not going to be enticing at all.

I finally settled for a Kenmore gas grill (do I hear boos?), which looks sturdy and decent on print. In person, it's actually not bad at all. For a few hundred bucks, I think I can live with it. Why not a Weber? It was my first choice and no doubt probably one of the best and most reliable grills out there. But again, I don't think I will give justice to it, knowing that it will probably be under a cover more times that it is used. It's like having a Porsche 911, but only using it every other Sunday to go to church.

This grill was purchased online, and you already know the story about how we brought it home.

This afternoon, I put it together. I had asked my assistant (my son, James) to help me out because, at this age right now, I want him to be exposed to putting stuff together. I wanted him to experience building something from scratch because, sooner or later, he will have to do something similar. Unfortunately, his mind was somewhere else. His body was telling him that he needed to follow, but the brain was not cooperating. So I excused him. The next thing I know, we was asleep.

For the next hour or so, I built the darn thing. And when he woke up, it was done, and he helped me move it to the backyard. He then tidied up the place, and discarded all the card board, plastic wrappings, and styrofoam.

Now, it's ready.

Author wishes to acknowledge Kenmore for the photograph used in this post.