TAWNYA MANION

ALL POSTS /  READ TAWNYA’S BLOG – SPICY BANANAS

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The claim that aphrodisiac foods and spirits increase desire, intensify the capacity for sexual enjoyment, and expand ones appetite for lust lacks proof from dietitians and scientists. Yet, romantic meals repeatedly procure love into people’s lives. Is it the awakening of the sensory faculty that helps people relax and open up to the idea of love? In this month’s Pleasing Aphrodite, I want to explore how creating a romantic atmosphere coupled with a healthy lifestyle initiates love at an amorous gathering.
An aphrodisiac spread includes all of the senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Each sensation works with the others to create the perfect atmosphere to inspire romantic love. The act of putting together a meal for the one you desire lets that person know volumes about your feelings for him or her. Therefore, it is important when preparing food for an enchanting get-together to entice each of the senses in order to ensure that everyone that sits at your table experiences the aphrodisiac power intended when each food is served.
There are no rules when creating a meal to entice your lover. The experience is subjective and completely dependent on where you are in your relationship. At first, you might want to actually impress the person you intend to seduce, by fixing a number of ambitious courses served at the dining room table with soft music and lighting, but as time passes you might just want to share time flirting over the stove while you sauté the chicken and he stirs the sauce. Either way, there are countless foods that possess folkloric history in their aphrodisiacal properties. If you combine those foods with the power to promote seductions with those that promote health, any meal can lead to bonding.

By Eric Hunt [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5), via Wikimedia Commons"

Each person has his or her own relationship with particular foods. Some woman cannot go a day without chocolate while others delight in figs. Preferences vary from person to person, but its the association and the emotional effects that form the relationship with that particular food item, and whether it has aphrodisiacal effects on that individual depends on the memories they associate with that particular edible. But everyone appreciates a home-cooked meal, so keep cooking – it’s bound to work.

Photo by Tawnya Manion

Halibut with Provençal Sauce

• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, made into a paste
• ¼ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
• 1 pound of tomatoes, peeled and deseeded (or a 1/2 jar of crushed tomatoes)
• 8 black olives, pitted
• 2 halibut steaks
• pinch of sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh sage, cut into fine pieces

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick ovenproof skillet over medium heat.

Add the yellow onion and fennel to the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes.

Simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the fennel is tender and the liquid is slightly reduced.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the olives.

Season the halibut with salt and pepper. Arrange the steaks over the red sauce.

Bake the fish and tomatoes for about 17 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the fish is cooked to your liking.

Sprinkle sage over the dish just before serving.

MIREILLE BLACKE

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Autumn Red peaches. Photo by Jack Dykinga, USDA [Public domain, via Wikimedia Common

“An apple is an excellent thing — until you have tried a peach.”
-George du Maurier

“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it.”
- Alice Walker

I have always been what one would consider a “healthy eater,” particularly as a child; though, luckily at that time I was mostly drawn to fruits and vegetables (later was another story). I really loved my “yellows and oranges,” according to my mother, but if I was given the choice between a peach and a nectarine, I was firmly on Team Nectarine. This preference has remained with me to this day. Little did I know that nectarines were actually fuzzless peaches, and I was merely deluding myself.

The cultivation of peaches began in China over 3000 years ago and roughly 45% of the world’s peaches are still produced there. By comparison, the United States produces about 5% of the world’s total. Within the United States, California, Georgia and South Carolina are the largest peach producers. Depending on location, peach season may begin as early as May and run through September, but typically peaks in July or August.

Peaches have been popular in the South since Spanish missionaries brought them to North America (specifically, Georgia) in 1571. Since then peaches have been proudly associated with Georgia, and more recently, South Carolina. Though Georgia is known as “The Peach State,” South Carolina declared the peach its state fruit in 1984, while Georgia did not make the claim until 1995. Also, South Carolina currently exceeds Georgia in terms of annual peach production. Peach crops remain vital to the economies of both states.

Peaches are categorized as drupes, also known as “stone fruits,” due to the inner presence of a single hard stone (or pit) enclosing a seed. Other drupes include cherries, plums, olives, and mangoes.

Peaches are one of those very popular fruits that I feel get taken for granted. We are all familiar with peach pies and cobblers and most of us, particularly Southerners, do love and appreciate such glorious creations. But the media buzz is usually focused on the “next big thing” in the world of nutrition, and with the greater focus on the more exotic pomegranate or acai berry, something as simple as the peach or apple becomes easily overshadowed. (And for the record, there is no nutritional “magic bullet.”) That’s one of the reasons I wanted to write about the peach this month: I felt it was long overdue for some attention.

Of course, peaches can be used in pies, cobblers, and traditional desserts like Peach Melba, tarts, and pound cakes, as well as simply eaten raw. But peaches can also be chopped and tossed into salads with greens, chicken, or pork. Mix them into salsa, create a spectacular fruit salad, or use them in a chilled tea or sangria recipe . Use peaches for grilling in beef or chicken kabobs. For dessert, serve grilled peaches over ice cream or frozen yogurt drizzled with honey. You have limitless options with this common, but versatile, fruit.

Sangria with fresh peaches. Photo courtesy of Louisiana Cookin' Magazine.

Peaches are low in calories, a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, and the mineral potassium. Peaches are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. One large raw peach (2 ¾” in diameter) provides 68 calories and 3 g of fiber, making it a filling, low-calorie snack.  Put another way, one large peach is calorically equal to 3 restaurant tortilla chips (not including dip or salsa) or 9 regular potato chips (I don’t know many people that stop at 9). The fiber content in a large peach exceeds that of one slice of many whole wheat breads.

There is more to the peach payoff than low calories and fiber. Vitamins A and C act as antioxidants in the body, helping to boost immunity, prevent heart disease and protect against cancer. Peaches also contain phytochemicals called carotenoids that promote healthy vision.

The average adult requires 1 ½ – 2 cups of fruit per day, according to the USDA’s MyPlate guidelines (which replaced the more familiar Food Pyramid in June of 2011). One cup of peaches equals “one large (2 ¾” diameter), 1 cup sliced or diced, raw, cooked, or canned, drained, or 2 halves, canned,” (1) according to the USDA’s MyPlate website.

Recommendations from this Registered Dietitian (RD):

1)    Blossom with versatility. Stretch your creativity and incorporate new uses for peaches in your diet, both as a whole fruit and as an ingredient. Be sure to eat whole peaches unpeeled (as in smoothies) since most of the vitamin C content is contained beneath the skin. (But see #6 below for an important caveat.)

2)    The eyes have it. The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin in peaches help to protect eyes from macular degeneration, which is a major cause of blindness. It is especially important to add foods like peaches to your diet that contain these types of phytochemicals to help prevent eye diseases, particularly if you are at high risk for them. Try a Peach Chutney recipe to enjoy peaches when they are no longer in season.

3)    Go frigid for fertility. Frozen peach slices contain more vitamin C than fresh peaches and may result in higher sperm counts, due to the prevention of sperm agglutination (clumping).

4)    Run from the fuzz.  Named after the “nectar of the gods,” a nectarine is a peach that has naturally mutated to the point where trichomes are not produced by the skin, and fuzz does not grow.  Like regular peaches, nectarines are great baked or raw and you can easily substitute nectarines for peaches in most recipes if you prefer.

5)    Create a colorful plate. Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables at each meal: the more colorful the better. Including peaches (or nectarines) in salsa or salads can really make things festive. In 2011, the USDA replaced the well-known Food Pyramid with the more easily managed MyPlate. Serving size and food group needs vary by the individual, and you can determine your own needs by visiting the MyPlate site.

6)    Take a stand for organic. According to the Environmental Working Group, peaches are the fourth highest of pesticide-laden of fruits and vegetables, which means it makes sense in the case of peaches to splurge for organic. I encourage visits to farmers markets and local fruit/peach stands. To find a farmers market near you, visit the USDA website.

Even though summer is nearing its end, there is no reason you can’t toss in some juicy peaches and let those bursts of flavor and color extend the season, enjoying some health benefits along the way. And if you’re like me and choose to remain on Team Nectarine, I won’t have any problems with it whatsoever.

Citation:

1.    US Department of Agriculture. MyPlate: What Counts as a Cup of Fruit? Available at: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/fruits-amount.html. Accessed August 11, 2012.

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Bread pudding with Sauteed Peaches

Gisele Perez adds a summery side to this Louisiana classic.

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WARREN BOBROW

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Photo by Warren Bobrow

I cannot think of a more refreshing afternoon drink than  Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer and Baker’s Bourbon poured into a tall, ice-filled glass.  But why would I choose such a venerable brand of bourbon if I wanted a mixed drink?

Baker’s comes from the fine folks who make Booker’s, Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s and the Jim Beam Bourbons.  I feel that if any bourbon deserves my written hand, then it must be Baker’s Bourbon. And, Baker’s Bourbon certainly does deserve to be enjoyed in a glass alone.  I love the heat and the vanilla notes that give way to cornbread on the tongue and candy apples in the finish.  This is not your “augmented by ethyl” alcohol, vodka-esque spirit.  It is the real thing folks, made by craftsmen who care about each sip that comes out of the bottle.

But, one must remember that 107 proof is not 80 proof.  Baker’s has a magical way of slipping it’s fingers around your brain and twisting it.  So, pouring a healthy slurp of Cock n’ Bull Ginger Beer into my Baker’s really can’t hurt.

Cock ‘n Bull is a historic brand of ginger beer from the Los Angeles restaurant of the same name, which dates back to the 1940s. This soda is not a sickly sweet ginger beer.  It cuts the heat of the Baker’s Bourbon and gives each sip a lift.  There is spice in the bottle, which I suspect comes from hot chili or pepper.  You can taste the sweet- yet-subtle burn as it goes down your throat.  Baker’s, its fire flickering at 107 proof, does the same thing.

Cork finishing says something to me about the care it takes to bottle this spirit.  The Cock n’ Bull Ginger Beer is in a handsome bottle with bold graphics and a black label.  The pictures of the Rooster and the Bull stand out against a black background with blood red lettering.  I’m quite fond of this soda.

And with bourbon, it’s something else entirely!

The Morristown Mule

The original Mule Cocktail was made in a hand hammered, copper cup. I’ve twisted it up a bit to fit my rules, which means there aren’t any rules.

2 oz. Baker’s 107 Proof Bourbon

Rock Ice (Hand Cut)

Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters

A splash of Cock n’ Bull Ginger Beer

Pour bourbon over cracked, hand-cut ice.

Add a splash of ginger beer.

Add 4 drops of the Bitter End Mexican Mole’ Bitters over the top to finish.

Garnish with a mint sprig.

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TAWNYA MANION

ALL POSTS /  READ TAWNYA’S BLOG – SPICY BANANAS

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Pleasing Aphrodite: A column about food as aphrodisiac throughout history.

Spanish Fly. Photo by H. Zell, via Wikimedia Commons.

Classically, exotic and rare aphrodisiacs were expected to possess qualities that could stimulate the libido or entice a lover. One only has to look at the popularity of the rhinoceros horn or Spanish Fly in historical aphrodisiac medicinal blends to recognize the emphasis the herbalists, witches, and patrons put on the edibles local and scarcity. The 16th and 17th centuries were times of great exploration, and the discovery of new lands meant that a flood of unfamiliar fruits, vegetables, and spices with healing properties became available for Europeans to experiment with in their kitchens and pharmacopoeias. During this time, the tomato, potato, quince, and artichoke were at the height of their aphrodisiac lore. However, the love potion myth still occurs today in our rapid transportation society. Even with the invention of clinical drugs that can recreate sexual functions in men, people still turn to foods and potions that possess the reputation of assisting love between two people.

The belief that the rhinoceros horn was not simply an aphrodisiac, but a cure-all for the body, derived in China and Korea. The most obvious interpretation of this particular aphrodisiac materialized due to the aesthetic of the horn. But did the ancients observe results from the horn due to some of its active ingredients? An animal’s horn is made up of fibrous tissue similar to hair and contains large amounts of keratin. Also, it consists of a large quantity of calcium and phosphorus, two minerals that if not consumed in adequate amounts produce muscle weakness and general lassitude. If the muscles can not contract due to feebleness and mental and physical weariness, a climax is impossible to reach. Therefore, we can conclude that the reputation of a rhinoceros horn though a phallic connotation actually contains minerals that help a man or woman lacking the proper diet to consume the vitamins they need to maintain a healthy sex life.

Rhinoceros; drawing by Albrecht Dürer, 1515; via Wikimedia Commons

The Spanish Fly was usually consumed as the dried beetle concentrated in a tea or pill. This particular species of beetle, when dried and ground, produces one percent of the active principle, cantharidins. According to the British Formulary, the toxin is poisonous. The chemical is injurious at 3 mg, and fatal at 32 mg. Victims begin to experience burning in the month, and eventually die due to kidney failure and shock. But how did Spanish Fly gain a reputation as a sexual stimulate? The symptoms of a toxic overdose on cantharidins are burning, sweating, swelling, fainting, and shock, and according to our English poetic comparisons, passion produces similar side effects.  And in a less technological age it was probable that the symptoms of cantharidins’ toxin, and physiological effects it has on the body are behind the Spanish Fly’s aphrodisiac notion. However, according to Aphrodisiacs: The Science and the Myths, Spanish Fly produced an irritation in the genital area. The book states, “The urinogenital tract produced by cantharides could lead to an urge for relief that might be achieved through sexual intercourse. Therefore, the toxin produces not only feelings of desire, but a sense of wanting to release that longing. Cantharidins reputation in creating lust in our bodies seems logical due to its side effects, but in actuality, it is a dangerous toxin, which abused can cause serious side effects.” Plus, in modern medicine, we know that such physical side effects equal disease, not love.

Today’s understanding of exotic consist of subjective experiences. A banana to a man from Ecuador does not equate exotic (though no one can repudiate its phallic shape). However, there is no denying the importance of a balanced diet high in minerals and vitamins A and C in producing a vigorous sex drive and healthy body.  So, even though a food possesses qualities that can enhance your love life, if you do not possess a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet you will not reap in the effects of eating such an aphrodisiac.

Southern Sides is available from UNC Press.

In Southern Sides: 250 Dishes That Really Make the Plate, Fred Thompson remarks that he is “here to celebrate, glorify, and teach you the beauty of [Southern] recipes as they have been telegraphed through my life, my cooking experience, and my joy of eating.” Indeed, Thompson’s cookbook is much more than a simple manual that tells hungry automatons how to combine ingredients in an edible manner. Thompson is able to reproduce the true spirit of southern cooking, not only in his recipe selection, but also in his content and authorial style. Thompson notes that his “southern side dishes and vegetables are more than one-dimensional. They illustrate region, style, and heritage.” The same could be said of his cookbook; it explores many dimensions of its recipes, including historical importance, cultural significance, aesthetic preferences, and practical preparation. The exploration of these dimensions shows that southern cooking is a hodgepodge of culinary styles and difficult to classify using any kind of set formula. Southern Sides successfully duplicates this multidimensionality of southern culture because Thompson’s style also unapologetically refuses to adhere to maxims. He is not afraid to pair fresh, locally produced ingredients with Miracle Whip or Jell-O. Sometimes he prefers certain products for sentimental reasons, and other times he is purely practical. Such contradictions highlight fact that meals are extensions of the people that cook them; as such, meals have the ability to both interact with and intimately connect those that partake in them.

Thompson’s laid-back attitude is immediately apparent in the table of contents, which lists chapters with names like “A Little Something to Get the Hospitality Started” and “Glorious Grains – The Way a Yankee Becomes a Southerner.” The chapters are sometimes grouped according to dish type (appetizer, cold sides, sauces) and sometimes grouped by the vegetable type (nightshades, root vegetables, beans). Though these groupings are not entirely standardized, the categorization is intuitive, and a listing of recipes included in each chapter follows its heading. In keeping with Thompson’s unique style, some of the recipe titles are whimsical, but none so much so that they obscure the dish they describe. For instance, “Fred’s Opinion on Pimento Cheese” is not more difficult to understand than “Stuffed Peppers” or “Flaky Butter Biscuits.” The book neither has an index nor needs one; the table of contents is so well organized that it can stand on its own.

After the table of contents, Thompson includes a brief introduction that is both an entertaining read and a crucial tool. As he describes his motivations and goals for this cookbook, his thoughts are passionate, personal, and knowledgeable. These three threads will continue even through the recipe sections. They transform the recipes from instructions into experiences. Also in the introduction, Thompson gives his recommendations on important ingredients and tools. He explains where substitutions are allowed, where they are encouraged, and where they are forbidden. He derives his reasons from several sources: what looks good, what feels good, what is good for the local community, what is good for one’s health, and what tastes good.

The next part of the book is the recipes. Each section begins with about a page of Thompson discussing the personal significance and practical matters for the following group of recipes. Each individual recipe also begins head notes along these same lines. This commentary ranges from serious tips to personal anecdotes, so it mirrors the casual, easygoing attitude of the South. The recipes are formatted in a concise manner, with in-margin ingredient lists and numbered steps. The instructions are easy to follow and specific enough to avoid any confusion. Additionally, Thompson provides advice on which brands or ingredients can be store-bought to save time. Such simplicity and practical considerations make this book perfect for inexperienced or busy people. Yet, Thompson’s advice usually leaves room for veterans to customize the recipes according to personal tastes, preferences, or health considerations. Speaking of health considerations, Southern Sides contains a nice range of healthy and less healthy options. Not everything is deep-fried or overloaded with butter, and though many recipes are vegetable-heavy, they do not necessarily shy away from fats.

Photo by Pingouperrios was adapted from Wikimedia Commons

The first recipe that I tried was “Jean’s Potato Salad.” The title of this recipe both intimidated and soothed me – my cooking skills are such that the only time that my name has ever prefaced a type of food is when it was showing possession of leftovers from a restaurant. Yet, I took a strange and irrational comfort in the fact that if I messed this up, I could always just blame this “Jean” character. As it turns out, no such scapegoating was necessary because the recipe is very simple and straightforward. I simply boiled the potatoes and mixed together four ingredients to make a dressing (which can be adjusted to taste). The result tasted amazing, and the salad has a sweetness that I have never experienced in potato salad before. This sweetness is at least partially because of Miracle Whip, which Thompson warns not to substitute with mayonnaise. The recipe also contains a brief anecdote about its background, which really sets the stage for a meal as homey as potato salad.

Buoyed up by my potato salad success, I chose a more complex recipe to try out next. I was immediately drawn to the “Good Fried Green Tomatoes” recipe because it has always been a personal favorite of mine. From Thompson’s commentary I learned that these tomatoes taste even better with pimento cheese or breakfast foods, and that they taste better towards the end of the season. These are definitely the best fried green tomatoes I have ever had, and I am not just saying this because I created them and have a mother’s bias. I believe Thompson is correct when he says that bacon fat makes a huge difference in this recipe. I also like that the recipe’s bacon grease and cornmeal compliment the flavor of the tomato rather than overshadowing it.

In conclusion, Southern Sides is a worthwhile cookbook that brings so much more to the table than recipe listings. Readers can learn new things about a broad range of topics. I now know that okra came to the South from Africa and how to blanche vegetables. I believe that southerners will get a nice dose of nostalgia and comfort from these recipes, and non-southerners will get a great glimpse into a culture that cannot be explained, only experienced. All readers will also continue the rich traditions of these meals by creating new memories through them. Southern Sides is due out in September, 2012.

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Miners' children playing. U.S. Coal and Coke Company, Gary Mines, Gary, McDowell County, West Virginia; 1946, photographed by Russell Lee; via Wikimedia Commons.

Mountain Mama Mia

When one thinks about the hardscrabble coalfields of southern West Virginia, the first thought that comes to mind is usually not Italian food. Unless one is eating Italian food while reading an article, such as this one, about the hardscrabble coalfields of southern West Virginia.  Because why wouldn’t you? Everyone likes Italian food, and many people enjoy articles about folks who generally have it worse than they do. It’s like a double dose of comfort.

What I’m saying is this…

When West Virginia asserted its independence from Virginia in 1863, mostly because  it was tired of being known as Virginia’s rustic backyard, it remained one of the most homogeneous^[1] states in the Union throughout the rest of the 19th century. While most of Appalachia had been populated by Scot-Irish settlers, various other groups had managed to find their way through the region by the dawn of the 20th century. Germans and Welsh immigrants settled to the north in Pennsylvania , while German-speaking Swiss found their way to Kentucky and Tennessee to the south. But the rough and seemingly useless mountains of the southern part of West Virginia were largely unaffected by outside influence, until the discovery of vast amounts of exceptionally useful coal. This brought the railroads into the hills and hollers to take that coal to the marketplace and thus opened up one of the last places in America where people still had sixteen or so kids just out of sheer boredom.

The problem was that mining and moving large amounts of coal required manpower, which was not abundant in the rough and sparsely populated hills. Everyone who wanted to live there was already there, and they tended to be both self-sufficient and well-armed. And at the turn of the 20th century, most otherwise untethered Americans were heading to the still-somewhat-wild West, to wait patiently for the motion picture industry that everyone was certain would spring up in the wake of Thomas Edison’s invention of the $8 tub of popcorn.

Young people walking on the railroad ties in Fireco, WV (near Beckley). In old coal mining communities, the railroads went through the center of towns. It was the railroads which made it possible to ship out the coal, the reason the towns were built. Fireco declined as the mines gave out. Photograph by Jack Corn, 1974.

The answer, then, was to look abroad. Europe was staggering towards a period of cataclysmic social and economic upheaval that would result in two World Wars and a seemingly endless succession of oddly-mustachioed dictators^[2]. Immigrants from Italy, many already experienced miners, found their way to the Mountain State to escape the disintegrating conditions of their homeland. (Luck for them, they also avoided the future embarrassment of having to ride around on ridiculous little Vespas^[3].)

Most of the influx into the coalfields came from southern provinces in Italy; predominantly Calabria, Campania, and Sicily. Campania is the province from which comes the most familiar red sauce Italian dishes, the ones most Americans associate with Italian food. Southern Italians brought a love of pork and fresh vegetables, which fit in perfectly with the native diet. Despite the initial culture shock, they found more familiar than foreign about their new home. Cornbread is not all that different from polenta. Guanciale and lardo bear more than a passing resemblance to hog jowl and fatback.

Italians and “hillbillies” were, in a sense, made for each other. Both cultures place a high value on family. Rural West Virginians place as much value on the quantity of food as they do the quality; Italians like to feed people until they say “basta.”  And both view food as the currency of emotion. A happy occasion? Calls for a feast! A sad occasion? Better make some food to take over to the house^[4].

Also, both cultures placed a premium on self-reliance. Coal mining, for the man actually doing the work, was not a get-rich-quick scheme. And there were no Walmarts back in the hills in those days^[5]. So both the hillbilly and his Italian co-worker fell back on age-old skills like keeping a garden and raising their own pigs and chickens where they could. Abundant wild game augmented the protein component of the diet. Calabrians had long been practiced at preserving their own foods, and the people of Appalachia had all but perfected canning and salt-curing as means of preservation. When all other things were scarce, a full pantry was looked upon as a mark of prosperity.

Cooking of Polenta on a Fogolar, a traditional fire oven (hearth) in Friuli, Italy. Photo by A. Brisighetti, 1930, via Wikimedia Commons.

As Italian immigrants distinguished themselves in all areas of American culture, beginning with the widespread appeal of Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra in the thirties, the general American attitude towards Italians became more accepting (as it had with the previous influx of Irish immigrants in the 19th century). Soldiers who had fought in Sicily during World War II brought back a love for the local cuisines they’d sampled there, and sought out Italian restaurants. That Neapolitan invention, pizza, which had thus far mostly been confined to ethnic enclaves in the industrial Northeast, began to spread out all over this great land and become as American as apple pie^[6].

My mother grew up in the 40’s and 50’s in a coal camp called Tams, in Raleigh County, West Virginia. The town no longer exists, it was wholly and solely owned by the coal company and disappeared with the local mine played out. The town was somewhat segregated, both by race and ethnicity, but my mother’s scrapbook from her high school years shows that most of her friends’ last names ended in a vowel, even if she called them “eye-talians” her whole life. Her home cooking, and her general philosophy on food, was a unique amalgam of Italian and Appalachian influence. While there was the familiar red sauce component, she also adhered to the shared ideal of making the most out of whatever you had at hand.

This philosophy was in evidence in the cross-cultural improvisation that she developed out of necessity, growing up in a town where the company store would be put to shame by a modern 7-Eleven. The large, juice-heavy locally available tomatoes were no comparison to the dryer, meatier Campanian San Marzanos her neighbors knew from the Old Country. My mother’s spaghetti sauce, ostensibly an approximation of a Bolognese sauce, was nearer in execution to an Italian-seasoned Cincinnati chili. Her lasagna was made with cottage cheese instead of hard-to-find ricotta. I will admit, I still occasionally make it that way just for the warm memory it provides, and to tick off pretentious foodies who refuse to eat even a wafer-thin slice of prosciutto unless provided with notarized documentation and an actual photograph of the acorn-fed hog from Parma that gave his life for it^[7].

Growing up, Mom’s homemade pizza was a Saturday night ritual. Spaghetti and lasagna were favorites in the weeknight dinner rotation, as were meatballs (served, as they should be, by themselves in an approximation of a marinara sauce). My aunt, who grew up in New Mexico, couldn’t understand why the only thing my hillbilly coal miner uncle would order in a restaurant was spaghetti. When I was still small enough to sit in the shopping cart, my mother would take me to the grocery store with her and as soon as we got to the cold cuts, would take a twin pack of Hormel pepperoni and give me a chunk to chew on as we shopped^[8]. I literally cut my teeth on pepperoni, which may go a long way towards explaining my lifelong loves of cured meats and spicy foods, and why I still experience a reflexive Pavlovian response whenever I pass the cold cuts section in my local Kroger. It may also explain why I occasionally like to put on a sleeveless T-shirt and talk like James Caan as Sonny in The Godfather, but it probably doesn’t.

Richard Hughes, miner, and his family eating. Panther Red Ash Coal Corporation, Douglas Mine, Panther, McDowell County, West Virginia. Photo by Russell Lee (NARA record: 2489414), 1946, via Wikimedia Commons.

By the early seventies, which is as far back as I can remember, little touches of Italian influence were outwardly visible in Beckley, by now my mother’s de facto hometown, to those looking for them. Calacino’s continued quietly serving pizza and Italian food as they had since 1934. King Tut Drive-In served a marinara and mozzarella topped pizza burger decades before hamburgers became culinary Mad Libs. The first “store-bought” pizza I ever had, a wonderfully thick and greasy bathmat of a heavily Americanized pie, came from a little joint called Capri Pizza. But there were no “Little Italys” to be found, even in a town that was surely big enough for a decent Columbus Day parade or at least a modest shrine to Dean Martin^[9].  And certainly not in tiny hamlets like Pineville, Matewan, Coalwood or Boomer, the combined populations of which would not be sufficient to account for everyone who got “clipped” during all six seasons of The Sopranos.

The melding of complementary cultures in the southern coalfields of West Virginia may not have produced as visible an imprint on the landscape as it did other places, but the effects continue to resonate through the lives of those who trace their heritage to that region. I feel it every time I cut up raw garlic on my bowl of brown beans, or instinctively scrutinize the gluten structure of a pizza crust to determine whether or not it’s going to be a decent pie. I feel it when I deliberately bypass my hoard of canned San Marzano tomatoes in favor of a can of Del Monte diced tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce Mom’s way.

Perhaps the most lasting product of the influence of Italian culture in West Virginia is the pepperoni roll, which is widely considered to be the state food. Theoretically a variation of the stromboli, it is in its simplest form nothing but pepperoni wrapped in soft, yeasty dough and baked. It represents a confluence of both the Italian appreciation of simplicity and their artistry with bread and cured meats, and the hillbilly’s deep and abiding love of double-barreled loads of grease and carbs. A match made in (almost) Heaven.

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http://southernfood.org/okra/?p=1539

[2] Don’t forget Franco.

[3] No one looks cool on a scooter. No one.

[4] But for God’s sake, no more potato salad.

[5] Though, oddly enough, there was a Starbucks. And several Subways.

[6] Which is actually British.

[7] His name was Primo. He enjoyed springtime.

[8] This would probably be considered child abuse by today’s standards, but I turned out fine. More or less.

MIREILLE BLACKE

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Photo by André Karwath aka Aka, via Wikimedia Commons

“In the fall of 1807, I was in Newburyport, and saw a bottle of pepper-sauce.  On my way home, I was taken unwell, and was quite cold. I took a swallow from the bottle, which caused violent pain for a few minutes, when it produced perspiration, and I soon grew easy. I afterwards tried it and found that after it had expelled the cold it would not cause pain. From these experiments I became convinced that this kind of pepper was much stronger and would be better for medical use than the common red pepper. Soon after this I was again in Newburyport, and made inquiry and found some Cayenne, but it was prepared with salt for table use which injured it for medical purposes. I afterwards made use of this article and found it to answer all the purposes wished and was the very thing I had long been in search of.”
-Samuel Thomson, “New Guide to Health” (1822)

Though I am completely in love with the food and culture of New Orleans and many other cities of the South, I freely admit I am a culinary coward when it comes to spicy food, and generally will not indulge in some of the more popular dishes found in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana. I always ask my server or host about the strength of the spice in a particular dish, and am usually told “Oh, it’s mild.” I clarify myself with “I’m a Yankee…from Connecticut. So, really, how spicy is it?” And then, with a slow grin, I am usually advised to order something else.

Fresh cayenne peppers (Capsicum frutescens) are the preferred hot capsicum (a type of pepper plant in the nightshade family) in the South and a key ingredient in hot and spicy dishes. The thin, long, hot pepper in its ground form is a common ingredient in Cajun dishes in particular. The ground powder adds reddish-brown color and fiery heat to sauces, soups, and stews. Cayenne peppers are remarkably diverse in cooking, eaten as readily as a spice or condiment with seafood (scallops, crab, oysters, sardines, smoked salmon and trout, fried mussels, lobster, and crawfish), egg dishes (omelettes and soufflés), meats (roasted, grilled, stewed, or fried), chicken, fish, or in vegetable dishes, soups, casseroles, hors d’oeuvres, and a variety of sauces (barbecue, shellfish, curries, cheese, Worcestershire and tartar sauces) and dips (salsa, avocado, and vegetable).

Photo by H. Zell, via Wikimedia Commons

Cayenne and other chili peppers were grown for thousands of years in the West Indies and Central and South America. Spanish explorers (who were clearly very busy) introduced them to the rest of the world in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. Christopher Columbus is credited with introducing cayenne pepper to Europe (as a substitute for very expensive black pepper) after finding the capsicum on the Caribbean Islands, and Ferdinand Magellan is historically noted as introducing it to Asia and Africa. Today, cayenne peppers are grown on all continents.

One of the most popular bottled sauce versions of capsicum frutescens is Tabasco sauce. This sauce uses a Tabasco pepper, which was named for the Tabasco region of Mexico. While all the peppers used in Tabasco  were originally grown on Avery Island, many now come from Central or South America. However, all the seeds for those plants come from Avery Island. Recipes will note use of Tabasco or cayenne specifically because, even though both add heat to a dish, each reacts differently in the cooking process and different quantities are required. Moreover, the kind of heat each provides is different. Tabasco is, of course, has more salt and vinegar in its flavor profile.  The Tabasco company recipe search is worth a web visit for some great suggested uses of cayenne and Tabasco, such as this recipe for Cajun Blackening Rub.

Two teaspoons of finely ground cayenne pepper provides 11 calories. Cayenne is an excellent source of vitamin A (vital to vision, immune function, bone metabolism, skin and cellular health) and beta-carotene (an antioxidant that combats atherosclerosis, colon cancer, and diabetic complications). It is also a good source of vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, manganese and dietary fiber. However, the greatest health benefits of cayenne stem from its high concentration of capsaicin, a substance which creates its characteristic heat. You know the sweating that happens from eating certain peppers? That’s from capsaicin, which stimulates drainage of the sinuses, relieving congestion, and inducing sweating in the process. Capsaicin inhibits substance P, a neuropeptide associated with inflammatory processes and the transport of pain messages to the brain. Studies have shown capsaicin to be effective in treating cluster headaches, osteoarthritis pain, and diabetic neuropathy, and research continues into its effects on pain related to arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy. Additional research has supported claims that cayenne and capsaicin are helpful in fighting inflammation, promoting cardiovascular benefits, boosting immunity, preventing stomach ulcers, and aiding in weight loss.

Despite their reputation to the contrary, chili peppers like cayenne are associated with a reduced risk of stomach ulcers, and may help to prevent them by killing ingested bacteria and stimulating protective gastric juices which prevent ulcers from forming. Cayenne may also relieve stomach aches, gas, and cramps, but excessive amounts may induce frequent bowel movements and stomach irritation.

Though cayenne has a thermogenic effect, which leads to increased body temperature and probable metabolic boost, weight loss is a complicated process. Thermogenic substances can aid in weight loss, but keep in mind that people who often “inhale” their food would have a decreased eating speed when consuming cayenne or peppers like it. The capsicum family of food will also change saliva flow and this will impact eating behavior and appetite as well. All of these factors (in addition to thermogenesis) can impact weight loss.

Photo by Ben Frank, http://iatethat.com/. Copyright Ben Frank.

Because of its effects on metabolism, many supplement manufacturers tout capsaicin as a magic bullet for weight loss. Be skeptical about any claims about “miracle” foods or supplements, and always consult a medical professional before ingesting something that might interact with current medications or impact existing medical conditions.

Luckily, there seems to be no debate about cayenne’s seasoning powers.

Recommendations from this Registered Dietitian (RD):

1) Show your true colors. Cayenne peppers are green initially, and turn red gradually as they ripen. The greater the redness, the hotter the pepper. Inner membranes and seeds add to the heat. Bright red color indicates high vitamin A and beta-carotene levels.

2) Enjoy “hot” chocolate this summer. Cayenne is more commonly used in chocolate confections and baked goods, with great success. Choose a more healthful combination involving dark chocolate. Click here for a cayenne-spiced chocolate cupcake recipe. Keep in mind that while dark chocolate has healthy properties (such as antioxidants), it also has significant sugar, fat, and calories; enjoy in moderation.

3) Entice with spice. Cayenne pepper is one of the most frequently used spices in dishes from Louisiana, and it is part of the foundation of Cajun cooking. A recipe I have used frequently in recent years for Cajun deviled eggs can be found here.

Sinfully hot: Cajun style deviled eggs. Photo by Rock Gumbo.

4) Fire it up. Add a pinch of cayenne to existing recipes to enhance many of your basic meals. Introduce some kick to your standard salad dressings, soups or meats, by slicing, chopping or frying whole peppers. Try drying and soaking them in oil for a spicy infusion. Check out OKRA’s own New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp recipe here to see what I mean.

5) It works both ways. The capsicum’s heat can be used to mask strong flavors in other foods that some may find unappealing, particularly bitter flavors in collards, kale, and mustard greens. As I have stated in previous articles, I have no problem with culinary sneakiness when it comes to getting healthier foods into your kids or picky eaters. Try this recipe for Quick Collards with Prosciutto.

6) Turn up the heat. Though cayenne does have a thermogenic (heat-producing) effect and can boost metabolism, weight loss efforts require long-term and reasonable lifestyle changes. Maple syrup diets (which feature cayenne as an ingredient) do not qualify!

7) Feel the burn. Tolerance for spice and heat varies, and cayenne is no exception. Add cayenne to your recipes gradually when cooking (a pinch at a time) to avoid excessively hot (and painful) results. Adding potatoes or noodles will cool down a hot dish by spice absorption/neutralization. Milk or yogurt will also help to cool a burning mouth. When cooking with cayenne, avoid touching your skin, particularly your face, lips and eyes.

When I completed my Dietetic Internship, I rewarded myself by adopting a hybrid rescue cat (a marbled Bengal to be exact) with vibrant green eyes and ginger coloring, somewhat improbably (but aptly) named Cayenne. His name partly drew me to him. In addition to the typical Bengal hyperactivity and intelligence, Cayenne has much of the fire and spicy qualities associated with the pepper for which he is named. Appropriately, he has also been for me, at times, a pain reliever, a stomach irritant, a metabolic booster (Bengals need exercise!!), and an appetite suppressant/weight loss agent. Like a Bengal cat, a spice like cayenne is not well tolerated by every person. Now, after some time with my Bengal Cayenne (and more recently his brother Cajun), I do occasionally get adventurous with spicier foods in my Southern travels. To locals, my choices are still relatively timid. But after many years of enjoying Southern food, I now view the role of cayenne pepper a little differently, and maybe someday I can make a Bengal-like leap to the next level.

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Driskill Hotel Exterior. Photo courtesy of The Driskill Hotel.

My first night in Austin, I arrived in the city frazzled and hungry. I had flown down for a job interview and my flight had been delayed. Twice. A friend picked me up at the airport and seeing the exhausted, slightly crazed look in my eyes, he pronounced, “We’re going to the Driskill.” Twenty minutes later I was nestled into a leather couch, a Tiffany lamp gently shining on my Manhattan. I was at peace.

The Driskill Bar has that magical effect. It’s the place to take a weary traveler or a disgruntled colleague. Crowded around its bar are businessmen in suits, musicians – those who are famous now, those who were famous 20 years ago and those who will be famous next year – and visitors from Amarillo wearing flip-flops. The Driskill welcomes them all with a warm ambiance and an impeccably stirred martini.

The inside of the Driskill Hotel. Photo by Madeline Ross.

In recent decades Austin has grown from a sleepy state capital to a booming tech center, housing offices for Dell, IBM, Facebook and Google.  The hotel that was the site of Lyndon B. Johnson’s first date with Lady Bird is now surrounded by bars offering jello shots and mechanical bull contests. As Coyote Ugly and skyscrapers spring up around it, the Driskill’s Romanesque Revival facade has become a symbol for a bygone, more leisurely era.

The bar’s ambiance is characterized by gilded ceilings and cowhide, a style I’ve christened “Texan Opulence.” Jesse Driskill made his fortune selling livestock to the Confederate Army and cows are found everywhere from the leather sofas to the heads and paintings lining the walls. Driskill began construction on the hotel in 1884 but an unexpected freeze wiped out his herd only two years after the building’s completion. Bankrupt, Driskill was forced to sell.

Throughout the 1900s the Driskill Hotel changed ownership repeatedly. “I’ve worked here 31 years and I’ve seen six renovations under three owners,” explains David, the dapper daytime bartender. “Everyone has come through: Jerry Garcia, Robert Duvall, Davy Jones, Roy Orbison.” As the music being piped in changes from The Band to Elvis Costello, David adds, “Hear that? I’ve met both of them.”

The bronze statue "Widow Maker" by Barvo Walker in the Driskill Bar. Photo by Madeline Ross.

Austin bills itself as the Live Music Capital of the World and the annual festivals of Austin City Limits and South by Southwest still bring headlining musicians. But it’s not just musicians who come to the bar: “Politicians, hitmen, professional burglars, I’ve served them all,”  says David. The Driskill Bar clientele has changed since he first put on his bowtie and poured a whiskey in 1982, “I can remember the days of the two martini lunch in the 1980s. We had regulars, businessmen who came here every week for their liquid lunch. Now people just don’t have the time.”

When asked what drinks are most popular now, David sighs. “It’s fads, always the fads. It was mojitos, then cosmopolitans, now who knows.” He prefers a Jameson in the evenings and smiled his approval when the man next to me ordered a Macallan.

The next time you’re in Texas, drop in the Driskill Bar one evening to hear a local musician play classic Hank Williams and Willie Nelson songs. Bypass the tawdry allure of cosmopolitans and order something befitting the atmosphere. A martini straight up, perhaps, or a sidecar. Sip your drink knowing that you have just joined a legacy of presidents, movie stars, musicians and criminals who have enjoyed the Driskill Bar. Welcome to Austin.

Hotel Monteleone, where many TOTC activities take place. Photo courtesy NewOrleansOnline.com

Whether it’s your first time to New Orleans or your thirtieth, you might be looking for something a little different to do than stick to the French Quarter this Tales of the Cocktail. Not to say that you couldn’t spend your entire time in the Quarter and do something different every day, but there’s a whole city out there! Obviously, you’ll want to get in as many seminars and free cocktails as possible, but when you have a bit of down time, here are a few suggestions from a girl who has spent her formative drinking years exploring New Orleans.

First of all, yes, the food in New Orleans can be amazing. You should be eating too, since something needs to be in your stomach to deal with all that alcohol. On the map, I have pointed out all sorts of places, from the more traditional New Orleans-y style of food to the high-end “New American” restaurants that might hew close to today’s trends but turn out really amazing food.  If you’re up for an adventure on the other side of the Mississippi River, you simply must try one of the many Vietnamese restaurants that populate the West Bank. Of course there are all the standard restaurants like Galatoire’s and Antoine’s and Arnaud’s in the Quarter, but those are already covered in every other tourist guide. I’ll let you peruse those sorts of things at your own discretion.

Ms. Mae's Club. Photo by Infrogmation, via Wikimedia Commons

As for drinking, there’s also plenty of that to do here. You’ve probably heard that you can drink on the streets in New Orleans. That’s true. Just stick to cans and to-go cups, and don’t get caught taking a pint glass out of a bar—they don’t appreciate that. If there’s not a stack of plastic cups by the door, just ask the bartenders for one (or grab one yourself, they’re usually quite accessible). The streetcars don’t let you on with any drinks, and cabbies don’t take too kindly to them either; but if you’re walking, it’s all good. There are so many bars in this city; I can only point you to a few of my favorites. Don’t expect every bar to serve complicated cocktails, but you’ve probably had enough of those anyway! For a cheat sheet covering more than my preferences on the map, definitely bookmark the Gambit’s super helpful Best Bars of 2012 here.

If you can sneak away on Friday afternoon, you should head to the NOLA Brewery on 7^th and Tchoupitoulas. Free brewery tours and beer at 2 PM. NOLA is available in a lot of bars around town, but some other beers to try while in New Orleans include all the Abitas, especially the Restoration Pale Ale, and LA 31 Bierre Pale.

One of New Orleans’ charms is the refined art of drinking cheap drinks in special places. I’ve marked quite a few on the map, including Ms. Mae’s – that college stand-by is still serving ridiculously cheap drinks all day every day, although they have raised their well price from $1 to $2.

As for music, the city is also, obviously, full of live music. Bourbon Street usually has at least one brass band playing outside (usually right at Canal), but otherwise stay away from Bourbon if you’re looking for anything close to an authentic experience. Frenchman Street is usually a good bet, with live bands at most bars on the stretch between Esplanade and Royal. Just saunter along and see what sounds good! If you’re willing to travel a little more, Tipitina’s Uptown is a great place to catch music, especially during the summer on Fridays when they offer free shows. Pre-game at Mae’s or 45 Tchoup, or in the Rouse’s parking lot. Le Bon Temps is also a great place for cheap drinks and free music, and its right up the street. Beyond that, you can check the WWOZ Livewire Calendar for most of the city’s music schedule.

The Sculpture Garden at City Park. Photo by Jean-Paul Gisclair, courtesy NewOrleansOnline.com

And here’s a surprise addition: outdoor activities! Although it can be ridiculously hot and sticky, there are other things to do outside besides drinking and dancing. Check out Audubon Park uptown for a peaceful place to exercise or relax, the Fly for a great view of the Mississippi River, City Park for museums, sculpture, games and exploring, and the Jean Lafitte Preserve for a little adventure in the swamp. Lake Pontchartrain has a lot of waterfront parks and spots to watch the water, but if you want to get a little more active, you can try and get yourself on a sailboat for Wednesday Night Racing through the New Orleans Yacht Club. If you get too hot, stop by the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, which also houses the Museum of the American Cocktail. You’ll learn about the history of all the foods and drinks you’ve been consuming, and you’ll really appreciate the air conditioning!

Getting around can be a little complicated. If you rent a car, that’s great, but it may not always be the best way to transport yourself when you’re going to a drinking convention. New Orleans public transportation isn’t always the most reliable or efficient, but it’s definitely cheap. You need $1.25 (exact change) to ride the busses and streetcars. Check the maps and not always accurate schedules here. To get to the Uptown places on the map, the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar is your best bet. It also offers you a little sight-seeing tour of all the gorgeous old mansions and houses on the Avenue.  To get downtown to the Bywater/Marigny, there are only buses and they’re not always on time. Taking cabs is usually pretty reliable (United Cab’s number is 504-522-9771 – they’re one of the bigger companies) and not too expensive, but most don’t have an on-board credit card system. Bikes are a really useful and practical way to get around since the city’s pretty flat, but just keep an eye out for stupid drivers and narrow/non-existent bike lanes. There are a few bike rental companies, including Joy Bike Rentals, Bicycle Michaels, and Bike Nola.

And that’s my quick and dirty version of New Orleans. I wish everyone a simply splendid time at this year’s Tales. I hope you discover new drinks and new friends to drink them with.

*Notes on the map, due to Google’s weird icons:

• The theater icon I used for music venues
• There wasn’t a beer icon, so the martini glass represents all bars
• The people hiking means you can walk around outside? I guess

View ]]> http://southernfood.org/okra/?feed=rss2&p=2302 0 http://southernfood.org/okra/?p=2228&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zora-neale-hurston-diddy-dah-widdy-and-the-wpa-federal-writers-project http://southernfood.org/okra/?p=2228#comments Sat, 14 Jul 2012 11:25:14 +0000 admin http://southernfood.org/okra/?p=2228 JULIE BOTNICK interned with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in the Summer of 2012. She is a student at Yale University.

Zora Neale Hurston; Carl Van Vechten. Silver geletin print, 1938. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Van Vechten Collection, reproduction number LC-DIG-van-5a52142.

Long before food blogging hit the scene, writers were documenting how Americans fed themselves through the never-completed America Eats! collection of the WPA Federal Writers’ Project.

What’s even less well known is that Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most celebrated literary figures of her time, went on relief when the Depression cut off sources of funding for her folklore collecting and writing projects.

One piece that has survived from her work documenting black folkways and foodways is her short story “Diddy-Wah-Diddy,” “the largest and best known of the Negro mythical places.” Hurston’s penchant for humor and the vernacular shines in the story. Diddy-Wah-Diddy “is reached by a road that curves so much that a mule pulling a wagonload of fodder can eat off the back of the wagon as he goes.” The story is a fanciful folktale, using the techniques of exaggeration she picked up as a girl listening to the men storytelling on Joe Clarke’s porch in Eatonville. “It is a place of no work and no worry for man and beast…The food is even already cooked. If a traveler gets hungry all he needs to do is to sit down on the curbstone and wait and soon he will hear something hollering ‘Eat me!’ ‘Eat me!’ ‘Eat me!’ and a big baked chicken will come along with a knife and fork stuck in its sides. He can eat all he wants and let the chicken go and it will go on to the next one that needs something to eat. By that time a big deep sweet potato pie is pushing and shoving to get in front of the traveler with a knife stuck up in the middle of it so he just cuts a piece off of the end and so on until he finishes his snack. Nobody can ever eat it all up. No matter how much you eat it grows just that much faster.”

Dip testing the gum before removal from the truck: Lake City, Florida (1948). Photographer: Muir, B. W. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/151983

What seems like a fun tale gains a new dimension when its source is examined: not Hurston, but the turpentine camps of northern Florida. Hurston collected folklore in the camps, in which the isolated workers had vast, undiluted stores of folktales. The workers were living in states of virtual slavery and peonage under unimaginably harsh and dangerous conditions. They lacked a voice; contemporary journalists’ descriptions of the camps focused more on the orderly rows of little houses or on the large numbers of blacks in the state’s workforce. The tales and songs Hurston collected are some of the only records we have of the daily lives of these men and women.

Contemporary black intellectuals reviled Hurston, though. They wished she would use her platform to emphasize blacks’ accomplishments in the arts and science instead of focusing on the folklore that made them look different, overly-emotional, and ignorant, doing nothing to combat racial stereotypes.

Her tales from the turpentine camps, on the surface, could be seen as silly, promoting these stereotypes. A sweet potato floating through the air with a knife sticking out of it? Pure fantasy. But a closer reading shows a culture of resistance and resilience. In the camp workers’ wildest dreams, all they want is unlimited access to food, a basic need that often locked them into the camp through debt racked up at the company store, or one that they were sometimes flatly denied. Food was hope and optimism. It was otherworldly. It was fun.

Gabriel Brown playing guitar as Rochelle French and Zora Neale Hurston collects music for the WPA- Eatonville, Florida. 1935. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/107444

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