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A man and his grill say farewell

Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) - 5/2/2016

May 02--I never understood the Virginia Beach doctor's attachment to his dilapidated grill. Rust had gnawed a gaping hole through one side of the base. He kept right on grilling by using a rock to suspend what was left of the disintegrating grate above the coals.

The grill looked curb-ready that day last year when I interviewed Dr. Joseph Smith, a podiatrist, surfer, snowboarder, Army veteran, thrash metal band aficionado, father of five and serial griller who in 2014 manned the flames 100 times, in the snow, in the rain, in the heat and in the cold. He's the kind of guy who stockpiles charcoal like some people stockpile wood.

Surely, the doctor could afford a new grill, I thought. Instead, Smith kept patching things together for another year and a half, turning out steaks, burgers, dry-rubbed roasts, brats and more until last week when he finally gave in and pushed the old girl to the street.

"I played taps on the outdoor speakers as I rolled it to the curb," he said in a dispatch. "Then I gave it a military salute. RIP soldier. You served us well."

The grill had been in service for 10 years. "I think I could get another year out of it, but the wife has deemed it 'unsafe,'" he said in a follow-up dispatch. "I'm tearing up."

When the bulk trash collection truck passed it by, Smith attempted resuscitation. "Maybe it can still live! I patched the large hole in the bottom with a smooshed up sheet metal planter pot."

But in the end, a scrapper picked her up, and an era for the Smith family ended.

The grill saga got me thinking about my own ailing favorites -- a box grater with a missing a foot, a cracked ceramic bowl, a whetstone with a broken handle that belonged to my grandfather. My cousin has a cooking spoon that belonged to her grandmother, its bowl worn into a half-moon shape by decades of use.

It occurred to me that over the years these things acquire a soul and become trusted kitchen accomplices. So yes, RIP old grill. I get it now.

___

(c)2016 The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)

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