Soul Food

Sweet potato pie is one of the most highly regarded foods in all of soul food cuisine, and probably the most highly regarded dessert. Eating the dish is a tradition enjoyed by many African-Americans and southern natives during special occasions, Thanksgiving in particular. Sweet potato pie is often referred to… Read More

Some of the richest memories of my childhood are of trips to my parents’ hometown of Albany, Georgia, usually to visit my maternal grandmother, Evelyn. After stopping for fast food and bathroom breaks, the trek from central Virginia to southern Georgia took us about eleven hours. Each hour we drove further from the hustle and bustle of the lower Mid-Atlantic to the humbler sentiments of the deep south. To adolescent me, humble sentiments were things like sleeping on the couch in my grandmother’s living room and staying up until the wee hours of the morning exploring the wonders of late-night cable television. In reality, it also meant being forced to spend hours with older relatives and random people who had apparently met me when I was a rambunctious toddler. Admittedly, I sulked whenever I heard my mother mention that “so and so is on their way over here.” I quickly came to realize though, that Evelyn offers food to almost everyone who walks through her front door, and hardly anybody ever declines. Chances are, at any given moment, my grandmother has either candied yams, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy or some combination of them. She always has collards, and collards seem to be the most common choice among her close friends and relatives who are stopping by for afternoon visits. Read More