The Souls Of Hungry Folk
I've been incredibly busy trying to test recipes for my next two cooking classes, write material for this blog, a potential local freelance endeavor and for a food blog I'm trying to start at my place of employment. I haven't heard anything back from anyone and I am chomping at the bit. Money and patience are wearing thin. I gave myself a goal last summer to have done something with my life by summer 2008. Summer is here and it's waning. I know I have a little over a month of summer left, but I will be so happy when my ship (preferably a BMW 3 Series convertible...) rolls in
So below you'll find a sample post I submitted for a newspaper food blog. Feel free to comment. I really want to know: What do you think?
An article in NYTimes last week discussed the fact that Harlem's face is changing and so are its restaurants. Commenters on this topic at Serious Eats talk of their regional "soul food" establishments and how the food is good. Most mention fried chicken, collard greens, fried okra and African-American communities.
What exactly is soul food? Is it really just as simple as fried chicken and biscuits (with gravy, black eyed-peas and collard greens, too)? Or is it comfort food? Food that takes you back to a time and place where food, people, and life was simple?
Can soul food be a bowl of borscht? An egg roll? A plate of fries?
What do you think?
So below you'll find a sample post I submitted for a newspaper food blog. Feel free to comment. I really want to know: What do you think?
An article in NYTimes last week discussed the fact that Harlem's face is changing and so are its restaurants. Commenters on this topic at Serious Eats talk of their regional "soul food" establishments and how the food is good. Most mention fried chicken, collard greens, fried okra and African-American communities.
What exactly is soul food? Is it really just as simple as fried chicken and biscuits (with gravy, black eyed-peas and collard greens, too)? Or is it comfort food? Food that takes you back to a time and place where food, people, and life was simple?
Can soul food be a bowl of borscht? An egg roll? A plate of fries?
What do you think?
Like this post?
About the author
Nikki Miller-Ka
Ms. Miller-Ka is a classically trained chef with a BA in English from East Carolina University and a Culinary Arts Associate Degree from Le Cordon Bleu-Miami.
Formerly, she’s worked as a researcher, an editorial assistant, reporter and guest blogger for various publications and outlets in the Southeast. She has also worked as a catering chef, a pastry chef, a butcher, a baker, and a biscuit-maker. Presently, she is a food editor, freelance food writer, and a tour guide for Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours.
hmmm, I always think of soul food as food from a specific culture. where as comfort food i think of as the foods that make you feel best whatever they are.
ReplyDeleteI think the encompassing term is Comfort Food, and all cultures have it.
ReplyDeleteI am African-American but soul food to my nuclear family is Beef Stroganoff with lots of Sour Cream...I guess it depends on what your parents fed you in times of comfort? To my foodie parents (even though we were in the deep south), comfort foods were peiorigies (sic), beef stroganoff, or goulash with a ton of smoked paprika. My kids view fried chicken as picnic food.
ReplyDeleteMrssaditty: That is so incredibly interesting. I still don't think my mom knows what a pierogie is.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely comfort food. I agree with Kat's definition. Whatever makes you feel the most at home, that's your comfort zone.
ReplyDelete