I am from New Orleans and many of the southern foods that Twiddy mentioned are all foods I eat quite regularly. At least once a week my school would have okra in some form either in fried, cooked or in a gumbo. However, I have never really taken the time to examine the history and culture behind the foods. Twiddy said, “The connection between and heritage of both southern and soul cuisines is hotly debated and arouses old racial stereotypes, prejudices, and cultural attitudes and intercultural misunderstandings.” He is right and when I stop to think about the many foods and products I use have racial stereotypes attached to them. I think it is somewhat unavoidable in the south.
Another thing I found quite interesting about the readings was how different they seemed. Even though they were all by the same author I thought that they sometimes sounded like they were different people’s stories. I felt like he focused more heavily on different parts of his identity in different pieces. In Hating My Soul he focused more on being gay and how that effected his childhood and relationship with his family. Whereas in No More Whistling Walk for Me, I thought he focused on his African heritage and cooking styles.
Until reading about the food, I never realized how powerful food really is. For you, you had okra all the time–that was a huge part of who you are. I am sure anytime someone mentions okra it sparks so many memories of things more than just the taste. Food is a way to remind us of who we are.