Talking 'Southern Discomfort': Foodcast with Michael Twitty
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Date: 2020-05-17
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Comments and reviews: 10
caffiend711
Being white and from the south I can tell you that what he is cooking is SOUTHERN food and not particular to African-Americans nor was it all invented by African slaves. Southern food is ethnogenic. Okra is from Africa. grits were made by Native Americans, but ham hocks and collards came here from North Ireland (bet you didn't know that. Smoked pulled pork is also a British thing. It is a misconception that black slaves cooked all of our food while whites sat back on our lazy butts as 98% of whites did not own slaves. He also completely leaves out, both in this video and in his blog, the leading role that Jews played in the slave trade. I am also really into geneology. So far I have only found one slave owner in my family tree. She (yes a woman) owned 3 slaves that helped around the house and in the family mercantile business. Now do I flog myself every night for the three slaves she bought from a Jewish slave trader in Charleston who bought them off of an African tribal chieftan in Gambia or some other place in West Africa? Sorry, but I don't! Also, slavery was not restricted to Africans until around 1700. Many were Irish and Scottish and were enslaved involuntarily (no not indentured as most believe) because of the English civil war and because of criminal convictions. Many of these white slaves, when freed, intermarried with freed blacks. In fact, mixed British/African ancestry from this time period is so common that if you (despite your ethnicity) have colonial American ancestry past 1700 you can pretty much bank on it! Laws against interracial marriage were instated during the late 1600's through the 1700's forcing mixed families in Virginia and colonies to the North to move south (yes people at that time were moving south to escape racism) into areas like the Cumberland Gap and the Carolina Piedmont. Not all of Mr. Twitty's 25% European comes from ancestors fathered by slave owners, I'd put money on it!
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Being white and from the south I can tell you that what he is cooking is SOUTHERN food and not particular to African-Americans nor was it all invented by African slaves. Southern food is ethnogenic. Okra is from Africa. grits were made by Native Americans, but ham hocks and collards came here from North Ireland (bet you didn't know that. Smoked pulled pork is also a British thing. It is a misconception that black slaves cooked all of our food while whites sat back on our lazy butts as 98% of whites did not own slaves. He also completely leaves out, both in this video and in his blog, the leading role that Jews played in the slave trade. I am also really into geneology. So far I have only found one slave owner in my family tree. She (yes a woman) owned 3 slaves that helped around the house and in the family mercantile business. Now do I flog myself every night for the three slaves she bought from a Jewish slave trader in Charleston who bought them off of an African tribal chieftan in Gambia or some other place in West Africa? Sorry, but I don't! Also, slavery was not restricted to Africans until around 1700. Many were Irish and Scottish and were enslaved involuntarily (no not indentured as most believe) because of the English civil war and because of criminal convictions. Many of these white slaves, when freed, intermarried with freed blacks. In fact, mixed British/African ancestry from this time period is so common that if you (despite your ethnicity) have colonial American ancestry past 1700 you can pretty much bank on it! Laws against interracial marriage were instated during the late 1600's through the 1700's forcing mixed families in Virginia and colonies to the North to move south (yes people at that time were moving south to escape racism) into areas like the Cumberland Gap and the Carolina Piedmont. Not all of Mr. Twitty's 25% European comes from ancestors fathered by slave owners, I'd put money on it!
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Black
The work of preserving our history isn't glamorous; Its not lucritive and it doesn't come easily. When you are charged with speaking for our ancestors the sobriety needed and the scholarship demanded to do the job well won't stand for anything less than your wholehearted devotion, so when you come across people like Michael Twitty you need to understand that this culinary history thing is not a game. --Looking back at history on its own is powerful and inspiring for those interested, but it isn't the only part if the equation. History is the conduit that provides the path to affect change. Michael's work is definitely rooted in food history, but what its able to do is provide this common table at which people across ethicity and background can sit and break bread and start conversations about topics from food security and agriculture to social justice and politics. --Some of these negative comments are from people who simply arent interested in the topic and are just being contrary for whatever reason and are relatively harmless, others are from folks that dont see it for this work and thats ok too because differing opinions are healthy, necessary and fair, but wow, some of these commentators are just mean spirited and racists and ultimately -aint nobody got time for that-! These are serious times and if you aren't part of the solution you're part if the problem.
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The work of preserving our history isn't glamorous; Its not lucritive and it doesn't come easily. When you are charged with speaking for our ancestors the sobriety needed and the scholarship demanded to do the job well won't stand for anything less than your wholehearted devotion, so when you come across people like Michael Twitty you need to understand that this culinary history thing is not a game. --Looking back at history on its own is powerful and inspiring for those interested, but it isn't the only part if the equation. History is the conduit that provides the path to affect change. Michael's work is definitely rooted in food history, but what its able to do is provide this common table at which people across ethicity and background can sit and break bread and start conversations about topics from food security and agriculture to social justice and politics. --Some of these negative comments are from people who simply arent interested in the topic and are just being contrary for whatever reason and are relatively harmless, others are from folks that dont see it for this work and thats ok too because differing opinions are healthy, necessary and fair, but wow, some of these commentators are just mean spirited and racists and ultimately -aint nobody got time for that-! These are serious times and if you aren't part of the solution you're part if the problem.
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smarterthenyou79
I would love to just have a real conversation with a fella such as this that really believes white people have held him back. It's 2015, sorry that 150 years ago we were assholes, problem is, now your being assholes. I love food, and I love people yet my English background makes this ass head hate me. I don't hate anyone yet I have to walk on toothpicks just to make this loser happy. Why is that? For real, why is that?
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I would love to just have a real conversation with a fella such as this that really believes white people have held him back. It's 2015, sorry that 150 years ago we were assholes, problem is, now your being assholes. I love food, and I love people yet my English background makes this ass head hate me. I don't hate anyone yet I have to walk on toothpicks just to make this loser happy. Why is that? For real, why is that?
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lovelifemd
I find it very interesting that some people never got the memo that phenotype does not equal race. The fact that you look a certain way has nothing to do with where you or others place yourself on the continuum of the social construct known as race. Because we are 99. 9 the same or so, noting ones phenotype isn't an assumption of racial categorization, it's using symbolic language to draw a distinction based on fact.
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I find it very interesting that some people never got the memo that phenotype does not equal race. The fact that you look a certain way has nothing to do with where you or others place yourself on the continuum of the social construct known as race. Because we are 99. 9 the same or so, noting ones phenotype isn't an assumption of racial categorization, it's using symbolic language to draw a distinction based on fact.
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Kimberly
I have to say I cried when I watched this cause it hits so true to what I deal with! Being of Native Black and White & don' t misunderstand I know it all to deep my ppl came from George& Martha's plantation so I have Washington's in my family! Things may be different but they are very much still the same! God help us all!
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I have to say I cried when I watched this cause it hits so true to what I deal with! Being of Native Black and White & don' t misunderstand I know it all to deep my ppl came from George& Martha's plantation so I have Washington's in my family! Things may be different but they are very much still the same! God help us all!
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Ceasar
This is the nicest and smartest person alive. He tries to understand the dirty parts of the world and our history and not only is he still nice, he's nice because of his research. He causes talks and healthy discussion. Thank you for existing Michael. I really live this.
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This is the nicest and smartest person alive. He tries to understand the dirty parts of the world and our history and not only is he still nice, he's nice because of his research. He causes talks and healthy discussion. Thank you for existing Michael. I really live this.
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MrAtaguas
the way he was talking about the tour and how people confronted their own prejudices for the first time makes me wanna go there and check it out for myself. this guy deserves a lot of praise and media attention for what he is doing.
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the way he was talking about the tour and how people confronted their own prejudices for the first time makes me wanna go there and check it out for myself. this guy deserves a lot of praise and media attention for what he is doing.
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Tom
Pretty awesome project. I bet it places yourself in that time more so than any movie or book. I'm from the south and much of my favorite food was greatly influenced from these events. Very cool to see this guy present history this way.
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Pretty awesome project. I bet it places yourself in that time more so than any movie or book. I'm from the south and much of my favorite food was greatly influenced from these events. Very cool to see this guy present history this way.
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fmlAllthetime
History is easily the most important subject in my opinion. It covers all others. It is all others. History is life. If you do not learn from history, your own especially, you will repeat it over and over again.
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History is easily the most important subject in my opinion. It covers all others. It is all others. History is life. If you do not learn from history, your own especially, you will repeat it over and over again.
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soli90291
This was a great piece Munchies/Vice. Thanks for giving Michael Twitty the time needed to at least start this dialogue. Thanks to Michael Twitty for doing what he's doing. I would enjoy taking his tour.
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This was a great piece Munchies/Vice. Thanks for giving Michael Twitty the time needed to at least start this dialogue. Thanks to Michael Twitty for doing what he's doing. I would enjoy taking his tour.
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