By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Independence Day weekend is sometimes viewed as the zenith of summer grilling season, a season that begins around Memorial Day and continues through Labor Day.

As such, last week L’Observateur asked visitors to its website to vote on their favorite thing to throw on the grill.

Whether they be still bloody or burned to a crisp, steaks topped readers’ favorites with nearly one-third of the votes.

With the support of one-quarter of respondents, ribs also fared well among readers as did burgers, which trailed not far behind.

Chick seems to have slipped in popularity, at least locally, as less than 10 percent of voters chose the bird as their favorite grilled feast. Fish and seafood, which are usually eaten boiled or fried in south Louisiana, picked up even fewer votes.

Lastly, vegetables, a relative newcomer to the grilling scene, trailed far behind the other choices garnering just 3 percent of the vote.

A full breakdown of results follows:

• 31 percent of respondents chose “Steaks.”

• 23 percent of respondents chose “Burgers.”

• 7 percent of respondents chose “Fish/seafood.”

• 25 percent of respondents chose “Ribs.”

• 3 percent of respondents chose “Veggies.”

• 9 percent of respondents chose “Chicken.”

• 3 percent of respondents chose “Other.”