15 Burst results for "Michael Twitty"
The Gargle
"michael twitty" Discussed on The Gargle
"A cast powers the world's best podcast. Here's a show that we recommend. Hi, I'm Christopher Kimball, a host of milk street radio. If you'd like to change the way you cook and also think about food, please check out the milk street podcast. We travel around the world to find pizza in Tokyo, Egyptian food in Berlin and Bhutanese farmers in Vermont. We speak to Jamie Oliver, Rachel Ray, Al Roker, and a garden, as well as Michael twitty, Marcus Samuelson, and Alice waters. And we'll introduce you to recipes that will change the way you cook from bright pink Tottenham cake to Afghan dumplings to show you sugar steak, and that one is direct from Hawaii. It's a whole new world of food right here on milk street radio. Please check us out on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts, or go to one 7 7 milk street dot com. Hey cast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere. AKS dot com. This is a podcast from the bugle. Hello, you've reached the gyms gym and
WNYC 93.9 FM
"michael twitty" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"The supply chains people depend on. On the next all of it, in the new film tar Cate Blanchett is a brilliant audacious world famous conductor who undergoes a me too induced fall from grace. Hollywood reporter calls the film breathtaking. On the next solid blanchette and brought a director Todd field joined me to discuss tar. And chef writer and historian Michael twitty will be with us to talk about his book, push your soul. I'm Alison Stewart, join me for all of it. Weekdays at noon, on WNYC. It's morning edition from NPR news. I'm Steve inskeep in Washington, D.C.. In a Martinez in Culver City, California. Russian president Vladimir Putin has once again raised the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in his war with Ukraine. He says he's not bluffing, but what are the chances he'll really do it. For more we're joined by NPR national security correspondent Greg my Riggs, not the first time in this war that Vladimir Putin has talked about using nuclear weapons. Why is he talking about it again now? Well, Ukraine is still gaining ground with these offensives in the east and the south of the country. This is putting pressure on Putin, especially from the hard line pro war camp in Russia. So all this is likely contributed to his recent escalation, the mobilization of more troops, the annexing of Ukrainian territory and this nuclear threat. That's one thing to threaten using a nuclear weapon. It's another thing to actually use it. Can you give us some sense of the likelihood of him doing it? Yeah, Vladimir Putin is probably the only one that knows the exact possibility here. Most nuclear experts have been talking to, say, the likelihood of Russia actually using such a weapon is still relatively low. And I spoke with Matthew bun at the Harvard Kennedy school and I asked him to sort of put a number on it. He studied nuclear issues throughout his career and served as a White House adviser. His best estimate is it's a ten to 20% likelihood that Russia might use a new. Now, most things in life, that's a pretty low probability, but he says when it comes to nukes, this is intolerably high. Ten to 20%. Did he say how a strike could help Russia though? Well, he pointed out Russia has all of these small low yield tactical nukes that can be designed for a specific target, a concentration of troops of military base, perhaps a port or an airfield. But he noted that Russia can attack these targets with just a large number of conventional weapons. And he says, just look at the Ukrainian cities that have already been flattened. So bun thinks a nuclear strike, if it is used, maybe intended more to intimidate as much to gain military advantage. I think the biggest factor in the U.S. use of nuclear weapons is the fear they provoked, Putin might hope that he could coerce the Ukrainians into accepting his terms that it could coerce the west and to backing off. So how have the west and Ukraine reacted to this? Well, a senior U.S. defense official said the U.S. isn't seeing any Russian moves that would compel the U.S. to change its own nuclear posture. But if Russia does go nuclear, President Biden and his team have already warned Moscow that they will be on the end of a powerful though unspecified U.S. response. Now, Bond says U.S. could very well target Russian military forces, which would be a big deal, bring added risk, but he thinks it's very unlikely the U.S. would respond with nukes. People have talked about things like conventional attacks on Russian forces in Ukraine, a variety of things that would be extremely unpleasant for the Russians and make the cost of using nuclear weapons higher than the plausible benefits. So aside aside from the battlefield, what kind of a political and moral opposition could Russia expect to encounter? Well, its international isolation would almost certainly deepen to important countries to watch would be China and India. China has strong ties with Russia, but is uncomfortable with the war and India has tried to remain neutral. So by using a new Russia could lose the support or neutrality of these countries and become an even greater pariah. That's NPR's Greg myrie Greg, thanks a lot. My pleasure. President Biden stopped in Puerto Rico yesterday in the aftermath of a hurricane. NPR's Adrian Florida was still there, and as an update on the recovery. Good morning. Good morning, Steve. How's it coming? Well, I'll start with the island wide power outage, which resulted from hurricane Fiona a couple of weeks ago. A lot of the island now does have electricity. The government and the power companies say they're working to restore power to the last 7 to 10% of customers. The government is also working on wrapping up an initial assessment of the damage, which is expected in the next few days. The number of damage roofs flooded homes washed out roads and bridges as well as other infrastructure that's going to need long-term repairs. And meanwhile, in many communities, in the countryside and in parts of some cities, including bonsai or the president spoke yesterday, people are still in the dark though. A lot of people don't have running water still. And a lot of older people are having to live through cycling heat without fans or electricity. I'm glad to hear about this not happy to hear the news, but glad to be informed given that there's been hurricane Ian and all these other events that could just wash this from our attention, so it's good that you're there. But how satisfied our Puerto Ricans with the help they're getting so far. It's a mixed bag. Governor nippy at louisi, Petro Pierre luisi, grateful for much of what the federal government has done so far. And he expressed that sentiment yesterday when President Biden arrived on the island. But he also made several requests of the president. He asked President Biden to authorize an additional 6 months during which the federal government will cover the cost of a lot of the emergency recovery work happening here. He also asked fema to open up its emergency supply warehouses to local officials because a lot of supplies are still being delivered to communities that don't have power or water. The governor also asked the federal government to speed up the completion of flood control projects, projects that would help prevent the kind of flooding that devastated so many communities during this hurricane. In short, my asks to you, mister president, are straightforward. We want to be treated in the same way as our fellow Americans in the states in times of need. So the governor yesterday was clearly taking the opportunity to apply some pressure on President Biden while the world was watching and listening. I'm thinking of that phrase you used speed up. Why do Puerto Ricans feel the time is of the essence here? I mean, they need repairs to the infrastructure to happen quickly. What one of the vital lessons that officials on the island and residents of Puerto Rico have learned is that you've got to act fast after these disasters to repair infrastructure. The infrastructure from hurricane Maria as damage in 2017, the repairs to that infrastructure has
WNYC 93.9 FM
"michael twitty" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"Rabbis You want to come up from Burlington and Freddy's burg Virginia overnight You know I don't know how you know flying on the backs of angels Y'all are welcome to come and you'll have plenty of vegan and veggie food to eat That sounds amazing At the end of our savior we say next year in Jerusalem I'm going to say next year at Michael twitty's house That sounds like a good plan Well Michael twitty and rabbi Sandra Lawson thank you both so much for talking with us today and sharing these traditions and just sort of beautiful celebrations with us and next year hopefully people will be able to celebrate and whichever way they wish without fear of COVID Yes yes Michael twitty is a food historian and James beard award winning author of the cooking gene and the forthcoming kosher soul Rabbi Sandra Lawson is the director of racial diversity equity and inclusion at reconstructing Judaism Thank you both so much Thank you Thank you And finally today you know we must have our poetry April is national poetry month and to celebrate we invite you to submit your original poems via Twitter and TikTok using the NPR poetry hashtag Of course we love to read them but we also invite an accomplished poet to come and select a few entries that stood out to them Today we have called on Raquel Salas with Rivera He is the former poet laureate of Philadelphia He writes and performs in English and Spanish his latest collection is entitled before island is volcano and he is with us now to tell us more Welcome thank you so much for joining us Thank you so much for having me So before we jump into listener submissions I would love to learn more about you you've been writing for some years now You've published a few collections Could you just tell us when did you first start writing And do you remember why Yes I was 12 I lived in Houston Texas and I read Langston Hughes and fell in love with poetry but my mother was also a poet and my grandfather was also a poet Well that's a wonderful legacy to have And also a lot of pressure I might think a little bit You know Linus collection is called before island is volcano It's first of all I love the title Thank you It is bilingual The first step is in Spanish the second half in English How did the decision come to you to share your work in this way Well I actually wrote my first books in Spanish only and published them in Puerto Rico and then I moved to the United States in particular to Philadelphia And in moving here I maybe like a year or two after living here realized that it would be interesting into my benefit to have at least some translations for my work And I after a lot of consideration to start decided to begin self translating Do you find yourself struggling more over the Spanish or as I understand it you write first in Spanish and then you translate to English correct Yes yes I'd say it's hard in different ways right In Spanish it's hard because writing poetry is hard in the morning you read you think it gets easier but it actually doesn't But yes the translating into English is also very difficult because you have to think about not just meaning right but also what sounds good in another language So let's get into some of the submissions and you picked a few poems So thank you for that Let's start with one from Twitter Do you want to read it Sure I chose by William D Davies junior The necklace Like costume jewelry left on the dead daffodils clasp their sunny economy around the ruins of a farmhouse Tell me what struck you I was very struck by the imagery and sort of the core metaphor I really like poems that are able to carry a metaphor all the way through right Of a sort of the economy the rural economy then sort of being something in ruins but also like this beautiful thing right That then sort of frames it you know And just I feel like every part of the poem works towards the end And then there's one from TikTok we can play that here it is The end of my life like a piece of chocolate cake clutched in a tiny chubby fist I'll give myself over to the delicious chaos of my children I can relate to that To you About this point I think I really just sort of I really like the idea but I also felt something was interesting in the poet's sort of choice to I don't know talk about something very daily and very commonplace I think a lot of my poetry goes for that so I enjoyed it And it also made me laugh Me too There's one more here I think from ash Evan do you see that Do you have that one You want to read that Yeah Stars in the tire tracks paths we took barefoot when we were kids Tell me why you like this one I really just I like the fact that it's not telling us what the image is right It's not saying okay these are stars reflected in the puddle the made by a footprint but it sort of leads us there And I just really like that idea Well thanks for reading these And one of the things I've always appreciated about this this is something that we try to do every year to celebrate poetry and what I like is that people tell us that many of the people who send poems aren't writers by training or trade they this is just something that they like to do And I just appreciate that And I also appreciate that people have different forms some people embrace like these very classical forms and people just try different things Did you have fun reading the different submissions Absolutely And I also think that poet doesn't have to be a professionalized thing to be a poet can also be you know anyone could call themselves a poet and I'm very I'm very broad in my definition of what that is So it was beautiful to read these poems Do you have any advice for people who want to write but maybe you don't know where to start I mean gosh you've been writing for so long Maybe you don't even remember what it's like not to but what do you think I think that poetry is about desire you know if you love if you love any aspect of poetry read and write it and don't be afraid to write it you know I think it shouldn't belong to one person It's a very much about I don't know What works for you So my advice is read and just do it don't hold back That is Raquel His latest collection of poetry before island is volcano is bilingual and it is out now Raquel solicitor thank you so much for joining us Thank you so much for having me If you'd like to participate in our celebration of poetry month you.
WNYC 93.9 FM
"michael twitty" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"And friends will gather for the second night of Passover Many will hold a satyr a ritual meal where the story of the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from bondage in Egypt is retold For Jews around the world it's a time to honor their faith and make the celebration their own by bringing their own cultural and food traditions to the table And that's also true of African American Jews for whom the Passover story resonates on multiple levels To hear more about this we called Michael twitty he is a James beard award winning author and food historian and rabbi Sandra Lawson director of racial diversity equity and inclusion at reconstructing Judaism Michael twitty and rabbi Lawson welcome and thank you so much for joining us Yeah thanks for having us And I want to mention that we are having this conversation in advance of the holiday because I don't want people to think that we are interfering with your celebrations and practice Michael you write so powerfully as a food historian about what food tells us about history and culture and our lives And you've written about the intersection of foods in the Jewish and African Diaspora So would you just talk as briefly as you can because obviously you've written books about this and done marvelous television shows about this about why food is so important in understanding culture I think that when you're oppressed or marginalized whether that's queried any Jewish Danny black and daily and so many others I think food plays a very special role in caretaking Self care community care it's a way that we express love for each other But there's also this element of satire and humor and inside think ingenious behind African American in particular African Atlantic African Diaspora and Jewish dance but food waste You know I've often made the joke that we're the only people who when we sit down to eat we're already talking about the next meal we're going to eat or the meal we had before the meal we had And it's like all in I grew up in a multicultural community outside of Washington And of course you know there were people from some of the most ancient food cultures Greek Italian Chinese They never had these conversations But if you went to a black or Jewish household that's what that was the conversation And the other thing is that we love to eat our oppression I mean for God's sakes Passover is about some really awful bread that we had 3500 plus years ago and we're still complaining about it And I mean part of soul food is chitlins and this kind of other Why we gotta eat that Now part of Jewish food is get filter fish Why do we gotta eat that And it's always the same thing It's like you just gotta eat it And so I asked my mother one time do we have to eat our oppression Do we have to eat our pain and the answer was yes So there's a seamless line of just like connection between the two cultures I have never heard it expressed that way before but that makes complete sense And so where I wanted to ask about Passover is such a special holiday because I think that people whether they're Jewish or not understand it on an intuitive level But I think that it particularly resonates with people who connect with the African American experience So I wanted to ask you about that Is there a way in which Passover combines More than one strain of your identity You know we have all these stories of liberation We have like black liberation theology and other forms of liberation And as far as I'm concerned the exodus from meteorite which is the Hebrew word for Egypt and also I think the Hebrew word is better because it also translates to the place of pain I mean it's Ryan was the place that causes pain And it was also a place of constriction where we felt like we couldn't be ourselves We weren't free And so with that in mind definitely the story of exodus from Israeli is a very powerful story that definitely resonates with both black and Jewish communities And when I sit at my Passover Seder with my friends I can't help but draw the connection from the freeing me trying freeing the place that enslaved us and the American slavery experience you know bringing in Harriet Tubman bringing in Frederick Douglass and not just that The Jim Crow period of my grandparents and my parents and one of the things about Passover is that it is about family traditions And it's celebrated in the home and probably the most celebrated Jewish holiday because it's celebrated at home and there's a lot of flexibility about how we remember that experience of enslavement Can I ask each of you how what are your satyrs like Are they are they big Are they intimate What are they like So yeah Go ahead rabbi Please No I was just saying I was wondering like I really want to know what Michael Sanders was like Yeah me too But Michael I bet there's a lot of pressure on you But what's Passover like for you I am an extrovert I love big satyrs I love entertaining people Of course the past years have not been able to do that as much So it's been we had a four person say there last year and it seemed like really grand And now this year I have 15 people one night and 17 people the next night Oh boy it sounds amazing Yeah we have the tambourines We got everything It's hard It both traditions you cook for a crowd And it's not easy to scale down I mean you could do it but you have to go into this knowing it's going to be intimate and very purposeful and very defined Or it's going to or it has to be orchestrated I mean a satyr isn't just a meal It's like hey I got to I got cash in the kitchen I got to do this I got to do that Right The plan and then you have to also if you're leading a Seder you know figure out what parts are we going to we're going to do the whole thing for the sake of doing the whole thing We're going to skip certain parts How is the meal going to look How can I make sure everybody is happy But I mean it's all those different elements I'm sure you're going to ask the question what do you serve it And you know I am Okay thank you Yes sir So we're going to do a brisket with berbere The traditional Ethiopian spice mixture We're also doing chicken that's like DB style from Senegal I'm doing coach and Barry which is a Indian influence wahi Salad Of course they'll be collard greens They'll be this African American state of play when people can look up online with the sweet potato for the past the collard greens from the war that hot chili for the hazard the horseradish the chicken bone for immigration All those symbols will be there And so we'll have all the basics A blend of sephardic mizrahi ashkenazi African African Atlantic African American So I called my cooking style Afro ashika farting All that all that stuff is going to be on the plate I got vegans I got omnivores I have like a whole menu.
Native America Calling
"michael twitty" Discussed on Native America Calling
"It's still relevant. But you got to go easy on me this close to the lunch hour because all these different barbecue styles and answer your question, brother. Go ahead. Well, you answered it. That's for sure. So these regional differences, it has to do with the sauce, but also the types of meats that are being cooked as well as the actual cooking processes. So it's really fascinating. How deep it really goes and these differences. And you know another thing that I've learned about barbecue myself is that it can mean very different things to different people. And an example I'm going to give earlier I mentioned that my wife is eastern Cherokee from North Carolina. And a few years ago, she had this coworker there in Cherokee, and he was from a northern plains tribe, and he was getting ready to retire. And the office asked him what kind of food he wanted because they were going to throw him this retirement party. And he said, oh, I want barbecue. I want barbecue. So a couple days later, day of the party, he was really surprised. He was happy, but he was surprised when one of his coworkers rolls up and he's pulling this giant smoker on a flat red trailer and he's like, you know, where I come from. This is cool, but where I come from. Barbecue is burgers and hot dogs. So it was like it's totally different perspective. But where do those things like that fit in with the whole barbecue culture, burgers and hot dogs and some of these bratwurst and things like that. Yeah, see, that's where I think the definition of barbecue gets floppy because all of these other ways of cooking meat have been put under the barbecue definitional umbrella. So to me, those are grilling, right? That's specifically cooking directly oversee. So that's a different thing to me. To being barbecue is cooking for a longer period of time. And it could be indirect or direct cookie, but it's really larger cuts cooked over a longer period of time just to make sure it's infused with spoon. But now, for a long time, people have added other things to the barbecue term. And so, yeah. But I think that's more like drilling. Backyard cooking. Okay, so set the record straight. Thank you for that. 'cause I think a lot of our listeners might be a little bit confused sometimes with regards to what really means barbecue or grilling and vice versa. So Adrian, you've been doing this a long time and how have you seen southern food and barbecue evolve and just continue to influence American cuisine? Yeah, so the interesting thing is that southern food is one of the strongest regional food identities we have in this country. I mean, there are certainly other regions in the country, but they don't get as much shine as southern food. And I think it's one thing I love southern food. I think it's delicious. And there's been a lot of interesting interest in regional cuisines, really since the early 2000s. And so southern food has been on a winning streak for a long time. And I think barbecue has been along for that ride. What's been interesting to me is to see southern food and barbecue show up in other parts of the country. I mean, even where I live in Denver, Colorado, we have a lot more barbecue joints. And southern inspired its last themed restaurant than we had say 20 years ago. So one of the things then is as with the spread of this cuisine and its popularity is just making sure that indigenous and African influences are celebrated because unfortunately, a lot of times when chefs restaurateurs and other people are featured with barbecue or southern food, it's usually white dudes. And the cuisine has a much more complex culinary heritage and a number of diverse coex a bit in the mix for centuries to make southern food and barbecue what it is today. Okay. Now what about somebody listening on the show today and maybe they've played around with a grid a little bit, cooked a few things, but they're definitely not any kind of an expert or a pro. What's the best way to for somebody to learn how to make really good barbecue at home? So here's the really good news. There are so many videos now on YouTube for barbecue. It's really easy. So as long as you have enough time and you're willing to invest in the equipment and everything you need to, there's a lot of information out there. The key to good barbecue is fire management. So you have to understand how to work with fire. And when you're cooking meat, you don't want to be the kind of person who's opening up your grill or whatever frequently to look at it because you're going to lose a lot of heat. So it's really about fire management and also knowing how to season meat and just giving me the time it needs to do what it does when it's cooked over heat. So there's a quite a few good videos out there. I like stuff by there's a guy named Steven Rachel in who's done a lot. There's another website called amazing ribs dot com, which has a ton of information. In terms of recent cookbooks, I'm a big fan of Rodney Scott's world of barbecue. He's an African American barbecue guy out of Charleston, South Carolina. He's a great cookbook. So those are great places to start. Okay. Well, you heard here folks. Fire management. That's pretty much the key, according to a pro, Adrian Miller. And with this, I'd like to ask you as well for our listeners interested in learning more about soul food, maybe wanting to try a few recipes out. What's your advice? Oh, man. Oh. Get into it. I mean, there are so many resources out there to dive into. I guess I would start with, you know, what's your favorite thing to eat? What do you want to learn? And then keep cooking and keep trying so you get what you want. That's really what soul food is about. Don't think that you got to be precise and exact and like somebody on MasterChef or something like that, you know, it's about cooking with feeling. It cooks and what makes you feel good. But if you are looking for specific resources, I mean, Adrian Miller. The guys on this on this call right now, as well as I mean, you know, you have Michael twitty, you have doctor Jessica Harris, I could literally list so many people. But I think the biggest thing is, you know, if there's something that you like and you want to learn how to cook it, then just go out there and try and cook with feeling. Okay, cook with feeling. And Harold, how about for our listeners that are interested in learning more about some of this history in this intersection, if you will between African American foods and Native American foods, where can we learn more about that? Well, you just know that emesis has mentioned our microtubule. He's a good resource. For me because of my job and what I do here at colonial Williamsburg. For me, I go to the actual diagnosis of primary documents. They are a wealth of information. Particularly if we're looking at native food stuffs and a lot of food stuff that might be missing from native groups, I know the English wrote a bit about describing a native food and some of the little bit about actually writing down from the recipes, the descriptions of the food, what they use. Those actual documents like documents written by William bird, he was a slaveholder, but he also wrote a book about Virginia, the history of Virginia. People as dead who have or let's say, even some early folks like John Smith writes about descriptions of our native food, the primary documents are very, really important to get folks connected particularly with our data food and what some of those traditional foods were because they wrote them down as they were seeing them as they were interacting with native people. So for me, the primary documents are really, really important to give you some give you insight. Okay, so the historical record documents a lot of this stuff was detailed, way, way back in history. So really, really fascinating conversation. I want to thank our guests, amethyst getaway, Adrian Miller, and Harold cadwell for sharing their passion for food, while guiding us through the confluence of African American and Native American cuisines. Folks, joining us again tomorrow for a discussion about the start of the United Nations international decade of indigenous languages. We've got another live show planned for you. It's gonna be a great one, so please tune in. I'm.
Native America Calling
"michael twitty" Discussed on Native America Calling
"And transient transplant of barbecue style. Okay. Well, Adrian, you just took us on this whirlwind tour of the U.S. and it's still relevant. But you got to go easy on me this close to the lunch hour because all these different barbecue styles and answer your question, brother. Go ahead. Well, you answered it. That's for sure. So these regional differences, it has to do with the sauce, but also the types of meats that are being cooked as well as the actual cooking processes. So it's really fascinating. How deep it really goes and these differences. And you know another thing that I've learned about barbecue myself is that it can mean very different things to different people. And an example I'm going to give earlier I mentioned that my wife is eastern Cherokee from North Carolina. And a few years ago, she had this coworker there in Cherokee, and he was from a northern plains tribe, and he was getting ready to retire. And the office asked him what kind of food he wanted because they were going to throw him this retirement party. And he said, oh, I want barbecue. I want barbecue. So a couple days later, day of the party, he was really surprised. He was happy, but he was surprised when one of his coworkers rolls up and he's pulling this giant smoker on a flat red trailer and he's like, you know, where I come from. This is cool, but where I come from. Barbecue is burgers and hot dogs. So it was like it's totally different perspective. But where do those things like that fit in with the whole barbecue culture, burgers and hot dogs and some of these bratwurst and things like that. Yeah, see, that's where I think the definition of barbecue gets floppy because all of these other ways of cooking meat have been put under the barbecue definitional umbrella. So to me, those are grilling, right? That's specifically cooking directly oversee. So that's a different thing to me. To being barbecue is cooking for a longer period of time. And it could be indirect or direct cookie, but it's really larger cuts cooked over a longer period of time just to make sure it's infused with spoon. But now, for a long time, people have added other things to the barbecue term. And so, yeah. But I think that's more like drilling. Backyard cooking. Okay, so set the record straight. Thank you for that. 'cause I think a lot of our listeners might be a little bit confused sometimes with regards to what really means barbecue or grilling and vice versa. So Adrian, you've been doing this a long time and how have you seen southern food and barbecue evolve and just continue to influence American cuisine? Yeah, so the interesting thing is that southern food is one of the strongest regional food identities we have in this country. I mean, there are certainly other regions in the country, but they don't get as much shine as southern food. And I think it's one thing I love southern food. I think it's delicious. And there's been a lot of interesting interest in regional cuisines, really since the early 2000s. And so southern food has been on a winning streak for a long time. And I think barbecue has been along for that ride. What's been interesting to me is to see southern food and barbecue show up in other parts of the country. I mean, even where I live in Denver, Colorado, we have a lot more barbecue joints. And southern inspired its last themed restaurant than we had say 20 years ago. So one of the things then is as with the spread of this cuisine and its popularity is just making sure that indigenous and African influences are celebrated because unfortunately, a lot of times when chefs restaurateurs and other people are featured with barbecue or southern food, it's usually white dudes. And the cuisine has a much more complex culinary heritage and a number of diverse coex a bit in the mix for centuries to make southern food and barbecue what it is today. Okay. Now what about somebody listening on the show today and maybe they've played around with a grid a little bit, cooked a few things, but they're definitely not any kind of an expert or a pro. What's the best way to for somebody to learn how to make really good barbecue at home? So here's the really good news. There are so many videos now on YouTube for barbecue. It's really easy. So as long as you have enough time and you're willing to invest in the equipment and everything you need to, there's a lot of information out there. The key to good barbecue is fire management. So you have to understand how to work with fire. And when you're cooking meat, you don't want to be the kind of person who's opening up your grill or whatever frequently to look at it because you're going to lose a lot of heat. So it's really about fire management and also knowing how to season meat and just giving me the time it needs to do what it does when it's cooked over heat. So there's a quite a few good videos out there. I like stuff by there's a guy named Steven Rachel in who's done a lot. There's another website called amazing ribs dot com, which has a ton of information. In terms of recent cookbooks, I'm a big fan of Rodney Scott's world of barbecue. He's an African American barbecue guy out of Charleston, South Carolina. He's a great cookbook. So those are great places to start. Okay. Well, you heard here folks. Fire management. That's pretty much the key, according to a pro, Adrian Miller. And with this, I'd like to ask you as well for our listeners interested in learning more about soul food, maybe wanting to try a few recipes out. What's your advice? Oh, man. Oh. Get into it. I mean, there are so many resources out there to dive into. I guess I would start with, you know, what's your favorite thing to eat? What do you want to learn? And then keep cooking and keep trying so you get what you want. That's really what soul food is about. Don't think that you got to be precise and exact and like somebody on MasterChef or something like that, you know, it's about cooking with feeling. It cooks and what makes you feel good. But if you are looking for specific resources, I mean, Adrian Miller. The guys on this on this call right now, as well as I mean, you know, you have Michael twitty, you have doctor Jessica Harris, I could literally list so many people. But I think the biggest thing is, you know, if there's something that you like and you want to learn how to cook it, then just go out there and try and cook with feeling. Okay, cook with feeling. And Harold, how about for our listeners that are interested in learning more about some of this history in this intersection, if you will between African American foods and Native American foods, where can we learn more about that? Well, you just know that emesis has mentioned our microtubule. He's a good resource. For me because of my job and what I do here at colonial Williamsburg. For me, I go to the actual diagnosis of primary documents. They are a wealth of information. Particularly if we're looking at native food.
WABE 90.1 FM
"michael twitty" Discussed on WABE 90.1 FM
"Quickly people realized there was this nothing to be done and it was just this kind of scene of total devastation By around 1950 an estimated 4 billion American chestnuts were killed by the blight and environmental disaster Nowadays the only chestnut trees growing in the wild are these small sprouts from old root systems still clinging to life underground The loss of the chestnut wasn't only a hit for wildlife that depended on it This was one of the most bountiful foods that America has ever known Michael twitty is a culinary historian and author of the book the cooking gene he says his black ancestors in the south most likely cooked chestnuts enslaved people and free people of color use them in soups sauces stuffings and sweets 20 says Chestnuts were tasty nutritious and free for the taking often collected by children who couldn't do as much work in the fields It really does take you into the heart of the different strategies that enslaved people use and free people of color at the time used to extract a living despite all the oppressive and marginalizing forces used against them Native Americans were also well aware of the nutritional value of the chestnut author Charles Mann wrote the book 1491 about the Americas before Columbus He says Native Americans deserve some of the credit for why the American chestnut was so widespread What they do is they would burn areas and then plant chestnuts where they would manage succession until enormous parts of the eastern United States were covered with chestnuts Later on farmers relied on chestnuts as a backstop and a bad year when crops failed The common claim back then was it a single large chestnut tree provided enough calories when people didn't talk about it in terms of calories but that was the idea for a family for a year So that if you had a chestnut tree you weren't going to go hungry In fact some have argued that the demise of the American chestnut led to the end of a way of life subsistence farming and Appalachia was no longer tenable without the chestnut's bounty The chestnut could make a comeback though both in forests and.
One Great Book
"michael twitty" Discussed on One Great Book
"For more great book contents. Check out our sister show. What should i read next and our patriot community at patriots dot com slash. What should i read next where we share. Patron only bonus episodes on fridays. Today story begins back in twenty fourteen with the publication of natalie. Brazil's novel queen shuker queens sugar. A widow has left. An eight hundred acre sugarcane field in her native louisiana with strict instructions that it must be restored or donated to charity of that novel. brazil rights. I wanted to tell the story of a black farming family like the one from which i descended. The novel was my attempt to stop the clock to remind readers that black people have always had a deep connection to the land. I wanted to celebrate farming as a noble endeavor and encourage readers to continue to pass their families land down through generations. queen sugar is a declaration. That black land matters. It reminds us that if we can remember our history we can reclaim the legacy that our ancestors fought and sacrificed for here in twenty twenty one. The story continues in. We are each other's harvest this time. Brazil has traveled the country the interview black farmers winemakers and culinary experts to tell true stories of the african american landowning and farming experience. Both past and present these wide ranging and richly varied stories make for life giving and community changing reading. Her resulting. Work is a stunning anthology. That embodies the collaborative spirit. It celebrates with a thoughtful assortment of formats gorgeous color photography throughout and coffee table. Heft we are. Each other's harvest is designed to be savored just as the harvest to which it bears witness and it's is one great readers to keep track of your great books. I have a new reading journal coming out in september and it's perfect for collecting your thoughts about what you have read keeping up with the books you want to read browsing seasonal booklets for inspiration and reflecting on your reading life right now preorder the journal and get a sneak peek at some of those reading lists and a bookmark. That doubles is a reading tracker. You can use to capture titles until your journal shows up. Order your copy of my reading life wherever you buy books. And then head to modern. Mrs darcy dot com slash journal declaim your bonuses which include an opportunity to win five books picked out by me for you based on your own reading tastes. That's modern mrs darcy dot com slash journal. Don't miss our recently added option by yourself or a favorite reader or special. My reading life gift box that includes the new reading journal a personalized library stamp and other goodies that ordering info is at modern. Mrs darcy dot com slash journal. We are each other's harvest. We are each other's business. We are each other's magnitude and bond this line from gwendolyn brooks poem serves as the epigraph and guiding spirit of this magnificent collection. The heart of the book is profiles of black farmers. Throughout the american south although several of the featured farmers live and work in other parts of the united states but the scope is as deep as it is wide highlighting historical contributions of black thinkers to agriculture the renaissance of black farming and the resilience of the black community to preserve their connection to the land as well as addressing issues such as food justice the ramifications of slavery and share cropping to share this rich history bazil shares a kaleidoscope of essays poems photographs and conversations from notable contributors like michael twitty joy. Harjo elizabeth alexander margaret wilkerson sexton and rosca it is story history memoir poetry agriculture social justice. And if you are an american it is the story of our land a story. You may find as i did. You don't know as well as you thought you did but you sure enjoy learning about now. I actually included. We are each other's harvest in the you didn't know you wanted to know. Category of the expanded summer reading guide. My knowledge of farming comes almost exclusively from a college roommate who married an illinois soybean farmer many years ago. A few books. I've read over the years and occasional conversations at the farmer's market and while i love to read foodie memoirs and have even been known to sit down and read a cookbook cover to cover. I didn't know. I was missing a book like this in my reading life. I am glad it's here now. Brazil's initial interest in food. Justice began back in college when she was a student at berkeley and she'd bring groceries to her great uncle in oakland. Normally she shop for the groceries in the affluent and predominantly white berkeley where the produce was fresh and lush. But one day. She shopped closer to her uncle's house. In a predominantly black neighborhood the produce was shriveled. Bruised 'em limp. Despite shopping the same chain of grocery stores as she didn't berkeley the store was dimly lit and unkempt a side note. I live a long way. From brazil's california but i really connected with a story because of similar disparities. I've noticed here in my own community in kentucky i shop at two different kroger's located a few miles apart from each other and the difference between the two stores is market the northern california stores brazil visited. Then sit in one of the richest lands for produce and that fresh produce overflowed in her own. Mark it down the road but the black grocery store and its offerings were abysmal. She was enraged and rightfully so that pitiful produce is the end of the line but food injustices go way back up it. Bazil lays out the numbers shares reasons. Why in the book including the striking fact that it's estimated. The black farmers cultivate less than half of one percent of the country's farmlands today. Brazil wants to share the stories of those remaining farmers and how they are striving to change the future for black farmers in america through the stories of these farmers who call themselves. The returning generation..
Good Life Project
"michael twitty" Discussed on Good Life Project
"Lucille clifton. Or robert hayden people who aren't necessarily writing about farming. Some were but but who were writing about the land or about food right. I wanted to bring in culinary historian. Spike michael twitty who has his own Experience and and kind of expertise about the long story of black people and food and you know the seeds that that came across on those slave ships and what that means to black people. Because that's all part of this larger question. I wanted there to be photographs and portrait's in the book so that you can see these farmers for them for yourself right. I wanted there to be articles that i came across both the one about the air's property right so that people could have this kind of multidisciplinary experience of this story. I was trying to tell. And i knew that if i was inspired by so many different disciplines i just hoped that i could somehow pull all of these kinds of things into the book and have this be a dynamic experience for the reader and and really. That's that's just. What i was trying to do is kind of. Follow my gut you know and it landed at least for me. I was so drawn in And i think as you as you mentioned it was unexpected. Sort of like have these moments of of poetry and then like deep dives into history and then the really rich conversations from writers and yes and Yeah it made it I didn't necessarily see what was coming in the best of. Yeah that's what i. Yeah i really loved. It feels a good place for us to come full circle in our conversation as well so sitting here in this container of the good life project. If i offer up the phrase to live a good life what comes up. Why oh to live a good life. First of all to be healthy to be at peace. I think i have a a a new appreciation for you know to be able to just move through your days with a.
Good Life Project
"michael twitty" Discussed on Good Life Project
"Lucille clifton. Or robert hayden people who aren't necessarily writing about farming. Some were but but who were writing about the land or about food right. I wanted to bring in culinary historian. Spike michael twitty who has his own Experience and and kind of expertise about the long story of black people and food and you know the seeds that that came across on those slave ships and what that means to black people. Because that's all part of this larger question. I wanted to be photographs in portrait's in the book so that you can see these farmers for them for yourself right. I wanted there to be articles that i came across both the one about the air's property right so that people could have this kind of multidisciplinary experience of this story. I was trying to tell. And i knew that if i was inspired by so many different disciplines i just hoped that i could somehow pull all of these kinds of things into the book and have this be a dynamic experience for the reader and and really. That's that's what i was trying to do is kind of. Follow my gut you know and it landed at least for me. I was so drawn in And i think as you as you mentioned it was unexpected. Have these moments of of poetry and then like deep dives into history and then the really rich conversations from writers and yes and Yeah it made it I didn't necessarily see what was coming in the best of ways. Yeah that's what i. Yeah i really loved. It feels a good place for us to come full circle in our conversation as well so sitting here in this container of the good life project. If i offer up the phrase to live a good life what comes up. Why oh to live a good life. First of all to be healthy to be at peace. I think i have a a new appreciation for you know to be able to just move through your days with a sense of wonder and curiosity that to me is a good life. You know to have somehow some way an opportunity to be a student of life and to be able to ask questions and seek answers and to always be learning so yeah that's a good life is for me. Thank.
The Dave Chang Show
"michael twitty" Discussed on The Dave Chang Show
"This may not even require an answer. It may seem try to some people. But as an asian american kid that never had any representation except in a handful of people or someone like short round on goonies and stuff like that like you never see it and i remember being account. Every time i saw an asian person in a commercial or any movies always just like one thing or one person. It's like the token asian thing in the butt of all the jokes and for me of all the things. I love the one thing that i kept on. Actually making the most detailed like mental note was there's almost no white people in. There's there's like no people other than black people in this. And i was like that's amazing and i i would assume that was probably also i know i know the great director roger williams clearly black but almost everybody is from a black perspective when we were shooting some of those. In she's like dave like one of the most important things about the shows. It's like the black ash show. That's ever been made one of the black shows that's ever been made on tv and that cannot be underestimated and the significance of not just the message but just the actual people can't jump to the conclusion like oh it's this ratio but it was like just the mere fact that the producers and all of these things that happened like this is why having the ability to tell these stories matter because you have the control to say it the way you want to say totally that. Yeah know. that's a very good point. I'm really glad that you brought that up and shout to Yeah i mean that to me is where the power lies in this show. And what makes the show actually special when we talk about like not having seen anything like these scenes before part of that is because the director is black. Show runners black. The producers black host is black source materials. Black even our our league camera our camera one guy is black dude so it's like and why that matters is because up until this point when we have made media that helps us understand or seeks to help us understand how it came to be where these traditions have come from the folks who are making that media. I have never been apart of the ethnic or racial background of the subjects themselves. And so what ends up happening. Is that the media has a filter and whether or not the filter is intentional. Whether or not even people. The material is being filtered. It is because there's a translator. There's a synthesizer. There's someone there in the production funnel that says. Oh i think. I get what you mean or i know my audience and let's say it like this. Let's shoot it like this. Let's do it like that and why ends up happening in that translation is the same thing that happens in real life when you play telephone like by the time you get to the other side of the room. I have no idea what the messages i have. No idea what was said from the person who originated this message. And i think as the same thing in media and actually because it's always ever seen we haven't really understood that's what we're watching and so when you see something that isn't that it feels so striking and it's hard to articulate. Why's it feels so. Different is because of a level of care of the subjects and the material it is a level of engagement that is rooted in a shared lived experience so that we really do know our people we really do know the material and so when we're making a love letter to the subjects into the material like of course is gonna hit differently and i think that this is true for stories that we see all the time editorially like the stories that are coming from descendants of the diaspora especially in conversation with the diaspora. Like that's not a thing that you can really get without having someone that has that that cultural connection and that lived experience so that when we see you move around the world dave like obviously seeing you host show in west africa versus like korea. That's gonna land much differently. First and foremost is gonna land differently for you and we're all gonna pick up on that and now imagine the same thing but the production staff all are sharing in that kind of ethnic background and cultural understanding like the material that y'all will put out in no hated simply cannot be compared to what the material of In this instance a non asian or non black crew would have been able to produce. And so i think the distinction and that singularity that people sometimes are struggling to articulate or identify and trying to say like why is the show different I actually think that it is the inherent blackness of of the show and its creators of the source material and of course the person delivering the message and the story. I think that is what makes it different for people. I think it really matters. And i would love to see a kind of pity or adaptation and food media that seeks to do more exploration. That is in conversation with diaspora and descendant for those. That are listening. You know this is just from my perspective from what stephen said as someone is chris and i make tv. There's a scene. Where you're with the great michael twitty and i've seen him talk about okra and make rice for fire before. But the one thing that. I'd never seen which i thought was crucially important for me because i was i was thinking like. Oh if this wasn't maybe an all black ensemble. Maybe this scene would get caught out because it wouldn't be seen as potentially it was when you guys were like tasting the spoon tasting it from the spoon. But you were able to share. This is how i grew up tasting it and that was a to me as one of my favorite bits of the whole show because in some ways almost like a throwaway scene but a tie so much together for me. And i was like that to me. Are these little moments. That is someone else wasn't potentially black again. I'm using my perspective. My imagination that that has maybe a lower probability of making the final edit that is so real that is so real and i it is especially resonant coming from you because i know that you know this you know and and you know how like those decisions get made and it feels like very benign. You know. it's not like it's a malicious thing. It is rooted in what these folks feel is in service to the story however those omissions are actually the things that make the magic happen. You know that's what we've been missing from this kind of storytelling That was also one of my favorite moments again. Another moment that is of course unscripted and just not plan for but it really was a moment of us like kind of convening.
WNYC 93.9 FM
"michael twitty" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"The only people Who named our cuisine after something invisible. But you could feel like love and God for more on the importance of a show like high on the hog. We're joined now by Jose Enderlin, a James Beard award winning writer and co author of the Rise Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food. Say Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me Melissa. So let's just dig right in. Why does this show have such as you wrote in The New York Times profound significance. Now that significance occurs on many levels, but that significance happens. Um, first just in the existence of this narrative itself. This history is not new, as viewers of the show have come to realize of readers of Dr Harris's work have known for quite some time. But we haven't seen it presented in this way. And that begs the question. Why is that? And that starts to, uh, you know, turn our attention toward the decision makers and the gatekeepers in the realm of media and entertainment, who get to decide just who it is that gets to be on planes and boats traveling to far off lands explaining to American audiences. What food is important or interesting or curious and what cultures are worthy of closer looks, And that hasn't really ever been a privilege extended to black people or black creators, not necessarily with the kinds of budgets that we're accustomed to seeing another travel logs. So I felt that it was important to articulate that the timing of this story is important, not just because of what is happening in African American history right now, but because of how long it has taken for us to get such a core element of our history, portrayed in such a clear and artistic and beautiful way. Really is beautiful, and I have to say there with there's this one portion one storytelling that just had me screaming and hollering and jumping in. My, um in my living room was I was watching it and it's It's really the story of James Hemings. And I've taught that for a lot of years as part of kind of, you know my courses in, um in American politics. But can you tell us a little bit about the story of James Hemings? Yes, And you know, I have to say the one of the best people to consult for that. Adrian Miller, who wrote a beautiful book called the President's Kitchen cabinet, the details the experiences And the history of black people in, uh, in and around the White House throughout our nation's history. He's in two episodes of high on the hog, but, uh, you know, James Hemings was A south who was trained in France, and he wasn't enslaved. Uh, sap who worked for Thomas Jefferson, and it is through the training that he received in France and his own innovations and creativity. And craftsmanship that he brought back to the United States that he helped established the fine dining culture that we have come to understand as being uniquely, um, Eurocentric and, uh, you know, aspirational e. American. Um it is, In fact, many black people who have been the um part and parcel of forming that legacy for us, and that in itself is surprising to many people. But not to folks who perhaps been closely watching the restaurant industry over over the last couple of centuries. And for me, it also it's It's part of connecting back to your point around. Sort of who has the budget to travel log, right? Was also thinking if you go to mount Rushmore, you know, there's like a little plaque that will tell you, Um Thomas Jefferson created ice cream. No. Uh Nope. Not Jefferson. Right? Right. We need to to go to Hemmings. Right? So it's always about asking that question. Behind, and I think that's part of what I find fascinating about high on the hog is that it actually doesn't start with enslavement here in the US, it begins in West Africa in Benin, and for those who haven't watched the series yet. Why does it matter to begin there in West Africa? It matters because that's where our ancestors originated from. And when you understand, uh, that these human beings brought with them traditions and practices and cultures that were already well. In existence. You understand that they took what they already had, and made the best that they could with what they were offered, which wasn't very much you know, upon arrival to what eventually became the United States. Um and that's the That's the point that gets missed. Uh, the continent of Africa lost something, too in the transatlantic slave trade. Um, you know, in modern times, we might call that a brain drain. You know if you work for a tech company, but there's an incredible loss of Resources of of of Yeah, Intergenerational, um President that that happened on that side, too. And, of course, the colonial impact in Africa still incredibly harmful and damaging. Um, one of the things I really like about high on the hardest that it also articulates that the culture and Benin and the neighboring, um Countries, as you might survive is not static and that those culinary Uh, those culinary voices are changing and adapting as well. So as much as you have people still trying to make the food of their Grandparents and their great grandparents. They're also taking the experiences and the other influences of, uh Different cultures and travel experiences that they're doing to affect their cuisine and what they want to put on the table. Just as people here are saying, you know, I'm not only going to cook with ingredients that are available in my backyard I wanted I want to incorporate the experiences that I hadn't Japan there the experiences that I had In in Brazil in the food that you're having here, which, if you're of African descent, Becomes a lot easier to do and connect those dots. Once you understand the movement of black people throughout the diaspora, because where we go, our food went to My one advice for folks who are watching this series is be sure you've got some food in the house to cook because it is going to make you hungry. Moving from, uh, all the way from James Hemings to Michael Twitty. It gives us that intergenerational look, Thank you so much, Oh, say, and Ellen James Beard Award winning writer and co author of the Rise Black cooks in the soul of American food. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me, Melissa. All right. Y'all appreciate you being with.
The Takeaway
"michael twitty" Discussed on The Takeaway
"The fine dining culture that we have come to understand as being uniquely Eurocentric and You know aspirational <hes> it is in fact many black people who have been Part and parcel of forming that legacy for us and that in itself is surprising many people but not to have perhaps been closely watching. The restaurant industry Over over the last couple of centuries and for me it. Also it's part of connecting back to your point around sort of who has the budget to travel log. Right was also thinking if you go to mount rushmore. There's a little plaque that will tell you. Thomas jefferson created ice cream. No nope jefferson right. We need to go to hemmings right so it's always about asking that question behind. I think that's part of what i find fascinating about high on the hog is. It actually doesn't start with enslavement here in the us. It begins in west africa and benin and for those who haven't watched the series yet. Why does it matter to begin their in west africa because that's where our ancestors originated from and when you understand That these human beings brought with them traditions and practices and cultures that were already in existence. You understand that. They took what they already had and made the best that they could with what they were offered. Which wasn't very muchly no pun arrival to what eventually became the united states. And that's a that's a point that gets missed. A per in the way that i think is so prohibitive to all students of this history because it robs us both and understanding that the continent of africa to lost something too in the transatlantic slave trade You know in modern times you might call that a brain drain you know if you work for a tech company. But there's an incredible loss of resources of of of intra-generational Present that that happened on that site to and of course the colonial impacts in africa still incredibly harmful damaging I really like about high on the hog is that it also articulates that the culture benin and a neighboring countries you might. Surmise is not static in that those culinary Those culinary voices are changing and adapting as well so as much as you have. People still trying to make the food of their grandparents. Their great grandparents. They're also taking the experiences and the influences of different cultures and travel experiences that they're doing to to affect their cuisine and what they wanted to put on the table. Just as people here are saying you know not only finder cook with the ingredients that are available in my backyard. I want to. I want to incorporate the experiences that i hadn't supplanter experiences that i had in brazil in the food that you're having here which if you are of african descent becomes a lot easier to do And connect those dots once you understand the movement of black people throughout the diaspora because where we go. Our food went to my. My one advised for. Folks who are watching this series is be sure. You've got some food in the house to cook because it is going to make you hungry moving from All the way from james hemmings to michael twitty. It gives us that intergenerational. Look thank you so much. Asai and eleven james beard award winning writer and co author of the rise black cooks in the soul of american food. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me of all right. Y'all appreciate you being with us on this special farming our on the takeaway and if you want to listen to the entire episode it's in podcast form at the takeaway dot org or anywhere. You get audio. And hey we're back live next week with all sorts of new stories conversations news that you need to know we appreciate having you along for the ride as always. Thanks so much for listening. I'm melissa harris. Perry in dancing vega and this is the takeaway.
The Takeaway
"michael twitty" Discussed on The Takeaway
"Now. In the new netflix series. High on the hog host and food writer steven satterfield traces. The history and significance of african american food ways. The show was based on book of the same name by the renowned historian and cookbook author. Dr jessica be paris. Are you familiar with phrase high on the hog. Oh yeah going back to back. In the slavery days hogg was a big deal. Folks on the plantation would kill it for a master but all they got was the parts of the hall like the feed tail in the intestine park. Culinary show part travelogue the four episode docu series follows satterfield as he travels to west africa and across the us to bring audiences. The stories of the black people who've shaped us food culture past and present the chefs historians preservationists activists. And more when you understand your history and understand where you come from that understanding gives you purpose. We call our foods soul food. We are the only people who named are cuisine after something invisible but you could feel like love and god for more on the importance of a show like high on the hog. We're joined now by. Oh cy endelman a james beard award winning writer and co author of the rise. Black cooks and the soul of american food aside. Welcome to the show. You saw us for having melissa. So let's just dig right and why does this show have such as you wrote in the new york times profound significance that significance occurs on many levels. But that significance happens I just in the existence of this narrative. Sal this history is not new as yours of the show have come to realize of readers of dr harris. Work have known for quite some time but we haven't seen it presented in this way that begs the question. Why is that and that starts to You know turn our attention toward the decision makers the gatekeepers in the realm of media and entertainment who get to decide just who it is that gets beyond planes and boats. Traveling to far off lands explaining to american audiences. What food is important or interesting or curious on what cultures are worthy of closer looks and that hasn't really ever been a privilege extended to black people or black creators not necessarily with the kinds of budgets that we're accustomed to seeing in other travelogues so i felt that it was important to articulate that the timing of this story is important not just because of what is happening in african american history right now but because of how long it is taken for us to get such a a core element of our history portrayed in such a clear and artistic in beautiful. A really is beautiful and i have to say there. There's this one portion one storytelling that just had me screaming and hollering and jumping in my in. My living room was. I was watching it. And it's it's really the story of james hemmings and i've taught that for a lot of years as part of kind of you know my courses in in american politics. But can you tell us a little. Bit about the story of james hemmings. Yes you know how to say. The one of the best people to consult for that adrienne miller who wrote a beautiful book called the presence kitchen cabinet the details experiences And the history of black people in The in and around the white house Throughout our nation's history he's in two episodes of high on the hog but You know james hemmings was South who was trained in france and he was an slaved Saps who worked for thomas jefferson and is through the training that he received in france and his own innovations and creativity and craftsmanship that he brought back to the united states that he helped establish the fine dining culture that we have come to understand as being uniquely eurocentric and You know aspirational it is in fact many black people who have been Part and parcel of forming that legacy for us and that in itself is surprising many people but not to have perhaps been closely watching. The restaurant industry Over over the last couple of centuries and for me it. Also it's part of connecting back to your point around sort of who has the budget to travel log. Right was also thinking if you go to mount rushmore. There's a little plaque that will tell you. Thomas jefferson created ice cream. No nope jefferson right. We need to go to hemmings right so it's always about asking that question behind. I think that's part of what i find fascinating about high on the hog is. It actually doesn't start with enslavement here in the us. It begins in west africa and benin and for those who haven't watched the series yet. Why does it matter to begin their in west africa where our ancestors originated from and when you understand That these human beings brought with them traditions and practices and cultures that were already in existence. You understand that. They took what they already had and made the best that they could with what they were offered. Which wasn't very muchly no pun arrival to what eventually became the united states. And that's a that's a point that gets missed. A per in the way that i think is so prohibitive to all students of this history because it robs us both and understanding that the continental africa to lost something too in the transatlantic slave trade You know in modern times you might call that a brain drain you know if you work for a tech company. But there's an incredible loss of resources of of of intra-generational Present that that happened on that site to and of course the colonial impacts in africa still incredibly harmful damaging One of the things. I really like about high on the hog is that it also articulates that the culture benin an a neighboring countries you might. Surmise is not static in that those culinary Those culinary voices are changing and adapting as well so as much as you have. People still trying to make the food of their grandparents. Their great grandparents. They're also taking the experiences and the influences of different cultures and travel experiences that they're doing to to affect their cuisine and what they wanted to put on the table. Just as people here are saying you know not only finder cook with the ingredients that are available in my backyard. I want to. I want to incorporate the experiences that i hadn't supplanter experiences that i had in brazil in the food that you're having here which if you are of african descent becomes a lot easier to do And connect those dots once you understand the movement of black people throughout the diaspora because where we go. Our food went to my. My one advised for. Folks who are watching this series is be sure. You've got some food in the house to cook because it is going to make you hungry moving from All the way from james hemmings to michael twitty. It gives us that intergenerational. Look thank you so much. Asai and eleven james beard award winning writer and co author of the rise black cooks in the soul of american food. Thank you so much for joining.
NEWS 88.7
"michael twitty" Discussed on NEWS 88.7
"Coming up, we find a fix for flavorless tomatoes. And later, Dan Passman explains why he thinks grilling has gotten gimmick. But first it's my interview with poet and chef Omar Tate. Omar. Welcome to Mill Street. Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's great to have you let's talk about your pop up dinners called Honeysuckle. Could you just describe what you serve and what the pop ups are like Honeysuckle? It's It's a concept that uses food as the nucleus to explore various ideas of the nuances of of blackness in America, specifically And I say America specifically because Black people in this country have quite quite quite hurdle. In our third for identity and that many of us can't trace respect our heritage. More than two grandparents ago. And what what tends to happen? At least in my experience as a black person in this country is that people will ask me. Hey, where are you from? What is your nationality? But if I tell them that I'm just a black person from Philadelphia? And then I'm American. That's kind of where the conversation stops. Africans and West Indians have a heritage. They have a flag. Michael Twitty talks a lot about having a flag and his book, The Cooking Gene. And having a flag like if you point towards the flag of Jamaica. What do you think of food wise? You think of oxtail you think of rice and peace. When you tell someone that you're an African American, most people only ever associate that with pain and then stereotypes. Under the American flag. So honeysuckle to me is me. Generating a flag for myself. It's not. It's not just pain. Pain is pain is always there, but there were plenty of choice as well. You write poetry, and you wrote a poem called Folders, which I have read 15. Times Society. Oh, sorry. Could you just read that? Because I I'm not going to read your poem. You're going to have to retrain Sure, um, Being soldiers soldiers is it's one of my favorite ones that I don't write love for, Uh, problems often, but, um Can we have coffee? I mean, like, really have it. Can we put down our words and swaddle our breaths and hints of cocoa, cinnamon and clove. Can I stare into your brown eyes while the do of God washes over your face by our window next to the eucalyptus. Disturbed spoons coursing in our hearts. Just black don't need no sugar. Neither. Only you and silk from mid drift, two toes, phrased baby hairs and a T shirt that now belongs to us. Can we have it till it's done? Can we fill our empty cans of coffee bean, but the grease double fryer chicken forever. Fabulous. I'm really I'm really glad that you like that phone. Could you just explain a little bit about it? Yeah. Um I'm not sure if you remember the commercial of the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup. Um And for people who are in a relationship, the person that you love Is the best part of waking up when you when you wake up and you you see that person next to you. Um And so in this in this poem, the car the coffee to stimuli is my partner. You've had a very successful career. You ended up doing these pop ups something he really believed in. Now you're essentially back home in Philadelphia. You say there isn't much in my room, but a mattress, a leaning bookshelf in the eucalyptus plant that I found in a public flowerpot. It's blue gray and brings me joy when the days are down. So, uh, what happens next, you know, Wrote that and I know it sounds really somber. Um Okay? I think the the somberness comes from everything coming to a screeching halt. There was a huge full stop when when I moved back to Philadelphia. But all the Things that I was doing prior to this pandemic. It was all leading me back to Philadelphia. And so I'm I'm in the place where I'm supposed to be. What's next is what I want to do is open honeysuckle here. The art that I do create Speaks to the African American community, and I would like to spread that over several different Avenues, such as like a grocer, a coffee space, um, and still do dinners. But have it be a community center? The idea in the past was to open honeysuckle downtown, but, uh, What I want to do now is bring downtown to the hood like that's I would love to see the economy spread outward into the hands into the pockets of those who need it. If you look forward five or 10 years and take a best case scenario, what would you like to see happen as a result of what we're going through now? What would be the best case for you in terms of community or the way people think about food and culture? Um Restaurants were never About food. And I think that people Don't understand that restaurants were always about people, people first that needed food. So if we can Start looking at that again. Everything else will fall into place. I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who owns the restaurant here safely. Barbacoa. And We were talking about how Most restaurants. Exist in the way the restaurants are existing. Now during the pandemic, they've already existed like that if you go to a small mom and pop restaurant In most cases, there are only a few tables, not many tables and are far apart. This counter service. People are already wearing gloves. There is a sneeze guards..