Memorial Day 2025: Of Poppies, Patriotism Made in China, Fallen Old Glory, & Memes…

We are well in the middle of Patriot Season in the US. For those of you unfamiliar with this terminology, this season begins at the beginning of May and continues through early July. During this time, we celebrate Military Appreciation month (May), as well as Memorial Day, Flag Day, and the Fourth of July. Many stores have sections dominated by red white and blue items. Hats, earrings, bakery items, plates, utensils, cups, etc. are just some of the things with a US based theme.

Over the weekend, my wife talked to me about looking at a flower arrangement for our church from Memorial Day weekend. She was looking for a red, white, and blue setting. She admitted that she might be overthinking this because the current arrangement we had up at the altar was appropriate for the Easter season we are now in, but not for Memorial Day. I told her that if you were going to do this flowers setting correctly, you needed red poppies. Poppy flowers are a global symbol that recognizes soldiers who gave their lives in war time for their country. You will see poppy flower pins especially during Memorial/Remembrance Day observances. As a matter of fact, I have several poppy pins to wear in just such times.

My wife and I agreed to go to Michael’s to look for poppy flowers to place in a floral setting up at the altar. We got to Michael’s, and found the flower section. I was disappointed to see how very little poppies were available… But it was understandable considering how we as a nation don’t really wear poppy pins on Memorial Day weekend.

As I was looking around the store, I noticed the USA section. Just out of curiosity, I took a look at several of the items. I wanted to see where many of these patriotic items were made. Sadly, I discovered that nearly all of these patriotic items were made in China. The next day, I stopped by a Walmart and found that nearly all of the patriotic items at that store were also made in China. I understand why most of our USA themed gear is made in China, but I’m still saddened by it.

This got me thinking on a couple of levels…

First, since 9/11, many Americans have put flags up in front of their houses (and in the back of their houses) to symbolize their love of country. Now I put the flag up at our house, but I only do it during national days (like Memorial Day, Flag Day, the Fourth of July, and Veterans Day). For many of the people that have the flag up daily, they never take it down. That can be a problem when storms or high winds come through the area. Last Friday was just such an occasion… And one of the flags did fall to the ground at a neighbor’s house. I noticed that the flag stayed on the ground for over 36 hours before the homeowner finally picked it up and put it back on the pole that it didn’t fallen off of. Of course, if an American flag falls to the ground, you are supposed to retire that flag and dispose of it in an honorable manner. That’s not what happened in this case.

Secondly, why is it that we buy or put up patriotic items (even those cheap ones that are made in China) to publicly show our patriotism… only to forget about it just as quickly as we put it up or use the items? Maybe that’s not the way things are, but the perception is that our patriotism is just for decorative/show purposes. It feels like at times that we go through the motions on Patriotic Days so that we don’t get called out for our “lack of patriotism“.

One of the ways that we tend to attempt to show patriotism is by posting memes on Memorial Day weekend to remind everyone to remember those who gave their lives in service to their country. I always felt like it came off cheap… Like many post the meme about honoring the troops, and then go off and do fun time after that… barbecues, going to the beach, family get togethers, etc. I’m always the kind of person that if you talk to talk, you better walk the walk.

A few years ago, I decided to put my money where my mouth was. My family and I went to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day weekend to pay our respects in person to those in particular who gave their lives in service for our country. It was a moving and incredible experience to be there. We even got to lay flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier. It was a day that my family will never forget. Maybe one Memorial Day weekend in the future, we can visit other memorials in the DC area.

One such memorial is the Vietnam Memorial wall. It is one of the most powerful and moving monuments ever created in our national tapestry. It is like looking at the name of a loved one who lost their lives during that conflict and instantly seeing the image of who they were just before they died. They were in the prime of their lives… their strongest, their fastest, their most intelligent, etc. They’re perfectly described in the “Ode of Remembrance” by Sir Laurence Binyon:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Maybe the Vietnam Memorial wall isn’t something that you would want to visit if you go to Washington DC. But I can assure you, having visited that memorial twice, it is one of the most moving and impactful memorials in our nation. Every American citizen should visit that memorial at least once in their lifetime. 

As we approach another Memorial Day weekend, I’d like to offer a little piece of advice. Before you go out posting memes of how we should honor those who have fallen, consider finding a way to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. Don’t worry about what others are or aren’t doing. Make sure you are walking the walk.

(By the way, if you do decide to complain about your church not having patriotic flowers up on the altar this weekend, just make sure I’m not within earshot. I won’t be hard to find. I’ll be the one wearing the red poppy pin. *)

“Lest we forget.”

*- If you wanna look for a red poppy pin to wear for Memorial Day, and don’t want to go through the Amazon route, might I recommend the American Legion’s website. 

The MAHA Gamble of a Declining Restaurant Chain…

Steak ‘n Shake has been a restaurant that I have frequently visited many times in my adult life. The restaurant chain, which came into existence in 1934 in Normal, Illinois, eventually expanded throughout large portions of the Midwest, and even into the Deep South… where my first experience with the chain occurred as a kid in the early 1980s just outside of Atlanta. The chain mostly disappeared from sight for a while in Atlanta, so it wasn’t until college that I came across the chain again… This time in northern Indiana. My first real adult memory of Steak ‘n Shake occurred as I was visiting my sister Sheri at her home, just east of Mishawaka, Indiana. I remembered getting a steak burger with fries and vegetable beef soup. It was like comfort food to me.

Over the years when I would visit my parents down in Georgia, I would occasionally visit the Steak ‘n Shake that had opened in my hometown around the turn of the century. My favorite sandwich was the triple steak burger. There would also be multiple Steak ‘n Shakes in route from Baltimore to Atlanta and back. As a result, there were several opportunities to enjoy the restaurant… Even though there were not any Steak ‘n Shakes within about 350 miles of Baltimore at the time.

As I got married and had a family of my own, we would occasionally drive to Georgia and I would introduce them to the restaurant. By all accounts, they loved the place. Soon work trips to North Carolina would give me additional chances to go visit Steak ‘n Shake. I also learned that the restaurant was getting closer to Baltimore as they opened up a place between Richmond and Washington DC. Then I heard the news that I was waiting for: Steak ‘n Shake was finally coming to Maryland and coming to a place near where I lived.

When Steak ‘n Shake finally opened in Maryland in 2015, the drive-thru was swamped with customers like myself who wanted to reexperience what a steak burger was like. In time the crowds died down, and that gave us an opportunity to finally eat in the restaurant. I was so happy that they were there.

But behind the growth and expansion of Steak ‘n Shake, they lurked dark problems. For one thing, their financial situation had been bad for many years. Despite growth in profits from 2008 to 2016, the restaurant had failed to keep up with the changing demands of the public. Starting in 2016, those changing demands finally hit home. Competition from places like Chipotle and Culver’s started eating away at Steak ‘n Shake’s demand. Steak ‘n Shake would make a fateful decision in 2018 making all of their restaurants franchise owned. Around that time, the owner of Maryland’s only Steak ‘n Shake ran into serious financial problems, and the restaurant was closed for about a year. Then came the pandemic… Which really hurt Steak ‘n Shake. It appeared that the restaurant would be a major casualty of the pandemic. Then Steak ‘n Shake made a number of additional fateful decisions. In 2021, they decided to go away from the fast casual restaurant model… And become a fast food restaurant. Also, Steak ‘n Shake got rid of the cashiers for dining in and went to all touchscreen kiosks for customers to place their orders. Steak ‘n Shake would also simplify their menu and got rid of several things that made the place unique. The results would further damage the restaurant chain.

I had noticed for many years going into Steak ‘n Shake that very few of them were crowded. I wondered if the restaurant could stay in business if they weren’t drawing more people to it. The answer to that thought came in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. Steak ‘n Shake franchisees began shutting down across the east coast of the United States. States like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware… and yes, even my current state of Maryland, closed up all Steak ‘n Shakes. In fact, the first Steak ‘n Shake I would run into while driving to Atlanta would be in the Charlotte Metro area… Over 450 miles away from Baltimore.

Today, Steak ‘n Shake is now only available in 22 states. And while there are still numerous locations across states like Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, and Florida, the restaurant has declined. New burger restaurants have begun to expand. Culver’s has been a continuing thorn in the side of Steak ‘n Shake. But it is another chain of steak burger restaurants called Freddy’s, that has really been a thorn in Steak ‘n Shake’s side. Freddy’s is in a lot more locations and is now going into Steak ‘n Shake’s turf.

It is clear that Steak ‘n Shake needs to do something to shake up interest in their restaurants. What they have decided to do is take a huge gamble based on the politics of the day.

With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, Robert F Kennedy Jr… a man who does not believe in the conventional ways of keeping people healthy… has become the health and human services secretary. Among the things that RFK2 opposes is using seed oil for fast food fryers. He has claimed that beef tallow is actually healthier. He has no proof of this, but that hasn’t stopped him from projecting this theory onto the American landscape. And Steak ‘n Shake has noticed. On March 1, Steak ‘n Shake became the first American chain in several years to reintroduce beef tallow grease for fryer usage across all their restaurants. In addition, Steak ‘n Shake just announced that they were switching to pure butter instead of a buttery blend for their sandwiches (which included seed oils) and intend to have that at all their restaurants by April 2. In a recent interview on Fox, RFK2 went to a Steak ‘n Shake to promote the restaurants efforts with beef tallow in what amounted to an infomercial for the chain. As a result, many allies of President Donald Trump have gone on social media to sing the praises of Steak ‘n Shake’s change. 

What does this mean for the future of Steak ‘n Shake? It could possibly mean a short-term boost in sales as allies of the president could convince his voting base in the 22 states that do have Steak ‘n Shake restaurants to go and visit. However, the long-term effects are likely unstable at best. If customers do not think the latest change makes their fries or onion rings, or chicken tenders taste better, it could be the last gasps of a dying restaurant chain that will eventually join the likes of Sambo‘s, Howard Johnson’s, Burger Chef, and many other chains. Only time will tell if Steak ‘n Shake’s latest gamble will work.

The next time that my family will have an opportunity to visit a Steak ‘n Shake will be in late June, when my family will go on a road trip to SW Ohio. Will we seek out the chance to visit Steak ‘n Shake with all these changes? We shall see.