There is perhaps no activity is more indigenous to summertime in America than the backyard barbecue. A Weber grill, well-stoked with charcoal and emitting fragrant, smoky aromas of, say, some grilled, 1-1/2 inch-thick New York strips, or a grill-roasted beer-can chicken, or maybe a couple of racks of baby backs slowly smoking all afternoon, is as American as surrogate moms, sugar-free, low-fat apple pie, and a pre-bankruptcy General Motors product.

For many years, famed food writer Calvin Trillin has maintained that the "single finest restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant's BBQ in Kansas City." Sadly, Trillin is badly misinformed and is, in the words of W. C. Fields, a "moon-calf and a jabbernowl."

My perfectly portly pal and fellow gratuitous garrulous glutton, Lucky Pierre, is a self-proclaimed "burger beast."

This summer the Alameda Unified School District will provide free lunches to children at eligible sites. Ruby Bridges Elementary School and Island High School are the two local sites that have been approved.

Looking for a low cost, high-quality breakfast or lunch in Alameda? Check these places out for some great deals around five bucks.