Fried green tomatoes, sweet potato pie.......hush your mouth!!!
Jul 31 '01
The Bottom Line Southern cuisine doesn't have to be unhealthy, since the basics are homegrown vegetables.
The main thing that you should know about southern cuisine, is the fact that every dish most likely comes from someone's grandmother that goes back generations. It isn't necessarily true that all southern cuisine is bad for you, that can be questionable if you ate at my grandmothers table.
My grandparents, Claude and Elsie Gibson came from very humble backgrounds, such as living through The Great Depression. If you were born in the early 1900's, there was no way to avoid the harshness of the hard times. Most of the food was grown in the garden, and I must say that after traveling all over the world, eating in the finest to the greasiest spoons----my favorite place to eat was at Elsie's.
Most women of my generation don't have a clue about the way alot of our grandmothers went through to put a meal on the table. Yes, it was hard work, but work that I hope Elsie felt some sense of pride in doing. Albeit to her, it was just what she was supposed to do without knowing that one day I would have all of the modern luxuries such as the microwave and takeout. God bless you Grandmama, I sure do miss you. We've come a long way baby!!
Since I spent every weekend with her from the time that I was born, I can tell you her routine by heart. Every morning water had to be drawn from the well, did I not mention there was no running water? Then she would proceed to make her mouth watering biscuits from scratch, taking her flour from the bin built into the cabinet, and letting me cut them out. (There is a good possibility this is the reason why Skygirl has such a hard time refusing bread to this day). Most likely, if you were to have meat, it was at breakfast. Country ham or bacon would be on the menu. No table would be complete without the molasses and butter. No breakfast was complete without grits, I say with butter and sugar---some say with salt and pepper!
By the time the breakfast dishes were washed and the table re-set, it was time for dinner....yes, the meal that we call lunch is called "dinner" in the true south. This is where I must argue with most that think our food is unhealthy.
The giant deep freeze on the shabby back porch held the wonderful culinary delights that bring back so many good memories, along with the guilt that I can't perform as she did in the kitchen------and I DO have it so easy compared to what she had to work with.
I will brag about the fact that perhaps there wasn't alot of money and social stature in the house, there was alot of love and good food. I promise, nobody ever walked away hungry!! You would sit down to a table that had at least ten dishes to pick from. All homegrown vegetables such as green beans, black eyed peas, fried corn, okra, homegrown tomatoes, squash, butter beans, greens, and of course, homemade cornbread. The list could go on and on. The point here is, these are the foods that have been recommended since the beginning of time--right? Now you ask, the difference in her food and eating at a modern country buffet----lots. The green beans were canned with her special recipe and I am sure that restaurants don't shuck the corn, cut it off the cob, and fry it in a black iron skillet with butter and flour, they simply open the cans and serve!! Oh yea, my grandmothers wern't filled with preservatives either!!
The desserts that I have seen bakeries charge an arm and a leg for can't even BEGIN to compete with the sweets she would create. The most simple sweet in the world is just as simple to prepare. Chocolate oatmeal cookies were my favorite and I could barely wait for them to harden on the wax paper! Pie crusts to her, no big deal.......for me--disaster!! Ah, those chocolate pies and coconut cakes.....perhaps this aspect of it won't help your waistline, but you have to live a little......
When "dinner" was over, Elsie would just cover the table with a large tablecloth, and it would be unveiled again at "supper", along with fresh bread of course. When the dishes were washed one last time for the day, (Elsie would always leave me a little saucer of cornbread to nibble on), she would sit and relax a bit before going to bed and preparing to do it all again the next day!! Have I mentioned how very much I loved my Grandmother?
Not all meals were vegetarian, so to say. (Not that they were truly vegetarian, there would be a little bit of bacon grease added here and there for flavor---I hope you don't think that salt and pepper is the magic to homecooking!) I know you want me to speak on the dish that has made the south famous----fried chicken. It is an art to make a good batch, and I will have to admit that I am ashamed that I come nowhere near making it like my mom's. It's all in the black iron skillet, the right temperature for the oil, (yes, you can be healthy and fry it in peanut oil), and holding your mouth right......that's what my mama says. Getting the flour to stick and making that crispy chicken is not so easy. Shake and Bake----what a joke!!!
Like I said, the times have dramatically changed and there are still some people that love gardening and eating the rewards, but in general our society goes for the easy way. I CAN whip up a mean potato salad and homemade coleslaw.....ask Sparko. I am going to try and master my favorite dish that Mom makes for me, fried salmon patties. Very simple, as in opening the can, adding bread or cracker crumbs, and egg, but you get to that part that I referred to in preparing the chicken---holding that mouth right!! In the south, salmon patties are ALWAYS eaten on biscuits and is debatable whether you put mustard or ketchup on it!! I say mustard-----
Say the word "picnic", and we love it!! There is nothing better than good barbeque---in that I mean pulled white pork, not that beef with BBQ sauce....a true southerner wouldn't touch that stuff!!!
I just happen to be writing this review on the second day of my Hollywood Diet!! I must like torture.......I just hope that I have cleared up some of those "misconceptions" about some southern cuisine. I mean, we all know that mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese will do you in. In my opinion, the secret to the distinctive southern dish is the fact that it is made from scratch---and that makes all the difference in the world!! (along with someone's dear grandmother's recipe!)
For those of you reading this and have never experienced what I am talking of------go and grab up a southern gal as fast as you can!!! You don't know what you are missing!!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
skygirl
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: tina mosier
Reviews written: 174
Trusted by: 182 members
About Me:
MARRY ME----FLY FREE!!!!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.