“There’s been some disconnect between elders and the younger generations. That’s why Ganaway said it’s vital to talk to your elders and learn. That’s why it’s so easy to spread misinformation and feed into stereotypes.” People with these weird takes on soul, and Southern food are disconnected from their roots. We had fishermen and hunters in our families and communities. Even as a poor Southerner, I never grew up eating fast food or ‘junk.’ We had pecan and pear trees.
People distanced from their Southern roots are determined to reduce Black Southern food as unhealthy “slave food.” But this isn’t the experience of actual Southerners or people who have maintained those connections and knowledge.Ĭhef Amethyst Ganaway, who grew up in South Carolina, said, “Our proximity to fresh food is what fed us and kept us alive before and after being brought here - not the scraps of white people and not through overly processed foods either. And with those faded connections came a hazy idea of Black Southern food. Our families tried to hold onto the South, sending us to Alabama and Mississippi for summers, but as with any migrant community, over generations, those connections faded. The Great Migration - when millions of Black people came to the North from the South, fleeing economic oppression, Jim Crow apartheid, and the ever-present threat of lynching - was one of the most significant movements of people in U.S. Related Story Using the ritual of food to remember those we’ve lost Read now And to understand our food and to fight back against these narratives, we must realize our migrant roots are the key. The idea that Black food is unhealthy and inferior is rooted in anti-Blackness and prejudice against overweight people. Systemic racism - in the form of food deserts, stress induced by racial terror, and medical negligence - kills us, not the food made by our people’s experienced and loving hands. It does not store any personal data.Is Black Southern cuisine - often reduced to the simple term “soul food” - unhealthy or “ low-vibration“? Or is it not high blood pressure that runs in your family, but the “plate,” as actress and vegan food influencer Tabitha Brown reportedly said recently? It’s a tired debate, but it is necessary since ignorance runs deep.īut Black food is not killing Black people.īlack Southern food is seasonal, healthy, nuanced, and rich with culture and meaning. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
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