We do a lot of entertaining at our abode off of Brady Street.  We’re one of those families that grills every weekend, and a couple of times a week, winter included.  My wife doesn’t even like grilled food, save for chicken wings.  And they have to be plain.  Which is egregious, but not a deal breaker.  It’s more about the process.  And the smell.  The atmosphere.  If you could safely light up a grill indoors, we’d have mini Weber’s in every room of the house in place of scented candles.  When you have a lot of Milwaukee, a lot of Wisconsin, in your blood the whole summer is a big backyard tailgate. Wherever you are.

As fun as it is to grill at any time, it’s always better when you have a crowd of people around you. Some of them compliment the food, the really good friends will criticize everything from the portion sizes to the temperature of the coals.  Some eat a bit of everything, some won’t eat a bite.  But all of them are there, and they all make that atmosphere a little better.  I miss the crowd.

I didn’t really notice it until the semi-nice weather kicked in.  In typical Milwaukee fashion, that didn’t happen until almost mid-May.  Atypical was that we weren’t inviting people over anymore.  We’ve been social distancing.  We’ve been staying at home as often as possible, and asking others to do the same.  It’s the antithesis of our standard approach to grilling out in the summer: Bring what you want.  Bring yourselves.  Bring others. Bring your baggage.  Even your luggage if needed. We’ve never been great with “house rules”.

Our backyard “socials” have perhaps created more arguments than they’ve solved over the last decade, but that’s just good Milwaukee discussion. It always meant there’d be new arguments and philosophies to hash out the next weekend.  And the jokes.  And the stories.  We’d definitely want to revisit those.  I mean, we’d be grilling again next weekend, right? Everyone’s invited back. Socializing around subjectively judged food with your choice of beverage in hand was a joy taken for granted. And not just around the backyard grill.

Milwaukee is a social city.  We crowd up festivals and crash our neighbor’s barbecues.  Our houses are crammed next to each other like packaged bratwurst; we’re a city that enjoys being close. We gravitate toward where the food and beer is.  After all, that’s usually where you find the best and (ahem) most interesting people.  It’s where the experiences are.  Nobody moves to, or stays in, this city to get away from everybody.  Year round, but in this weather especially, Milwaukee is a city actively and consistently trying to expand its social circles and experiences.  It’s impossible to fathom that the City of Festivals may very well not have any this season.

As the list of canceled summer activities grows, I feel more and more anxious to open my backyard.  Not just to a few friends who are six feet away, but to the crowd. Like most of us, my selfishness is in that I want to share.  These truly are some whacky times.

I keep listening to the news, checking in with neighbors. I’m trying to gauge when I can feel connected to my city again; when I can light up the Weber and get berated by my old friends & greet new ones who will, in time, feel comfortable enough to mock my grilling skills.  In the meanwhile I’m going to keep it lit as often as possible, waiting until we can have some semblance of a crowd again. Even without festivals, we can hope to do some B-movie version of a typical summer in our backyards. Times have changed here, but the atmosphere sure hasn’t.  Can’t wait to see you again, Milwaukee.  

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