Retirement Community Observations

Kristen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:44:27 +0000

Spending a vacation in a South Texas retirement community brings on some interesting observations from a 34 and younger point of view.

Just because older people have bigger ears, does not mean they can hear better (keenly observed by my 4 year old).
For older men, shorts and knee-high socks seems to be the hottest trend of the season. Black socks with white tennis shoes? Even hotter!
Speeding through the retirement community, on a golf cart, at a careless speed of 15 miles per hour can bring people out of their homes to check out what all the raucous is about.
It would be a rare occasion that you would find a 20 year old male with a small dog named Pudding, Fifi or Muffin. Apparently, in this retirement community, the smaller the dog and the foofier the name, the better.
Putting little kids in front of the retirees immediately elicits ohhhh’s and ahhhh’s from their mouths and requires an immediate pat on the head to be given to the little ones. “Enjoy them while they are young… it goes by so fast”, is wistfully mentioned at some point during the conversation.
These people are so happy. Yes, there are the old biddies who have nothing better to do than complain, but for the most part living surrounded by palm trees and not having to go to work every day seems to bring out the best in people!

We are enjoying our vacation despite hurricane Dolly interfering. We had one great day at the beach… every thing about it was perfect. The rest of our week will most likely be spent indoors and inland as the skies are dark, the wind is high, and the rain is pouring down.

In the meantime, I have a beer can chicken recipe to share with you that has absolutely nothing to do with this post. Enjoy!

Beer Can Chicken

1¾ hours | 5 min prep

SERVES 4

1 (4 lb) whole chicken
1 (16 ounce) can beer (tall boy)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons dry rub seasonings (your favorite)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Set up your grill for indirect cooking.
On a charcoal grill, this means spreading the coals around the outer edges, but not directly below the food.
On a gas grill the outer burners are lit, but not the middle one.
Once the grill is covered (which it should always be for indirect grilling) the circulating heat works like a convection oven, so there is no need to turn the food.
Remove neck and giblets.
Discard.
Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry with paper towels.
Rub chicken lightly with oil, then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub.
Set aside.
Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full).
Place beer can on a solid surface.
Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can.
Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its two legs and the can like a tripod.
Cook chicken over high indirect heat, with the grill cover on for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165°F in the breast area and 180°F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife.
Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

There are a zillion different ways to do the Beer Can Chicken. Here are some great recipes from around the food blogosphere:

Beer Can Chicken, from Carrie’s Cooking Adventures
Guinness Beer Butt Chicken, from Culinary Disasters
Beer in the Butt Chicken, from A Taste of Tina
Beer Can Chicken, from Gastronomy Domine

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Retirement Community Observations