In Which...Rip Van Winkle Tries to Do 4th of July, and Ends Up Caviling

Since coming back to the United States, I've had a hard time throwing myself into the spirit of 4th of July celebrations. It's not because I'm less patriotic; quite the contrary (see point #1 below). So can you just put it down to my being a caviling, "been there, done that, seen the elephant" type? You decide.

Here are my three main gripes:

1) Loss of the "Independence Day" aspect of the holiday. Every year, there is some kind of poll showing that Americans have forgotten the origins of this event that led to the birth of our nation, and I am freshly aghast. In the 2010 version, just over a quarter of those polled didn't know from whom we declared our independence — and some actually speculated it was from Japan or China. Goodness, in 1776 Japan was in a period of self-imposed isolation, while China was in the midst of the Qing Dynasty — a time of territorial expansion, true, but not as far as North America. (That said, China probably supplied the tea that the colonists threw into the Boston harbor.)

2) Fireworks. Fireworks are for oohing and awing, not for finding fault. So I feel a bit mean in saying that I am almost always disappointed by fireworks in this country. I believe I've been spoiled by watching ohanabi over Tokyo's Sumida River, the largest fireworks festival in Japan. Every July, rival pyrotechnic groups compete, each trying to outdo the last. Now I'm far from an aficionado of pyrotechnics, but it doesn't take much knowledge to realize that these groups have taken fireworks to a whole new level. The colors and patterns are spectacular of course, but so is the sense of playfulness. This was the first time I'd ever seen fireworks forming shapes: not only smiley faces but also sad ones, hearts, mickey mouses, cats, planets, kanji characters and even manga characters (e.g., Doremon and Pikachu).

3) Barbecues. I was and remain relieved to be back in the land that invented the barbecue after living for so long in the UK, where people are fond of their "barbeys" but the weather prevents barbecuing from becoming a way of life. My only quibble is that I wish people in the U.S. could be more adventurous with ingredients. I noticed that New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman had a column this week exhorting Americans to expand their grilling repertoire. Amen to that. I much prefer English sausages to hot dogs, for example. As British cookery Delia Smith writes, "the humble British banger is quite transformed with a smoky, crispy barbecued skin." It's worth noting, too, that Brits excel at picnic food. Again, as Smith puts it: "The number one requirement for food in the open air is that it should have lots of gutsy flavor." Personally, I owe her a king's ransom for introducing me to the joys of making potato salad with new potatoes and no mayonnaise, just vinaigrette dressing — so much tastier and healthier than what passes for potato salad here.

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Question: I'd like to hear from others who have tried repatriating: have you found traditional holidays disappointing?