Consuming Culture:
How southern restaurants preserve authenticity and personify southern hospitality.
An Ethnography
By Jaclyn DiGeronimo
Spring 2011
Abstract:
Southern food is an essential part of southern culture as it brings people together and
tells stories of the regions past. This research will explore the notion of hospitality, a
commonly perceived characteristic of the south and how this is incorporated in the
dining experience of authentic southern restaurants. The significance of this research is
to understand how southern food is used to represent southern culture and how in a time
where food becomes increasingly McDonalized, how do southern restaurants attempt to
keep their food traditions authentic. The data collected for this research was done over a
three-month period in Charleston, South Carolina, conducting interviews and through
participant observation. This research demonstrates the importance that authentic
southern food has to the regions identity and contributes to a larger scholarly discussion
of the relationship between food and identity.
Questions and/or Hypothesis:
I will analyze several problems in this research:
(1) In what ways has southern food been commodified and what are the manifestations of
this commodification?
(2) How has McDonaldization of food impacted regional identities and the historical
context of southern foodways?
(3) Has the restaurant industry affected the ways in which “authentic” southern food and
hospitality are represented? And how the restaurant industry present ‘authentic’ southern
food and hospitality?
(4) What impact does tourism have on these restaurants? How does tourism affect the
presentation of southern foodways and who have access to the food?
Generally, I predict that the commodification and McDonaldization of southern
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foodways threatens southern cultural and historical past. I predict as well that southern
restaurants sell the notion of southern hospitality in their establishments and that these
restaurants have become part of the settings for performing southern identity. I also
predict that there may be disparities of access and representation in terms of race and
class mainly because these restaurants are cater for tourists and certain social groups.
Purpose of the Study:
As the world becomes increasingly homogenized, the south has been perceived to
maintain its strong cultural roots. The fast-growing tourism industry claims to support
and enhance southern identity, yet through this process, much is lost in the history of the
food origins. Charleston, South Carolina has created a business out of selling their
regional identity, particularly through foodways. The study will look at how Charleston’s
restaurant industry sells southern identity through food and presents ‘southern
hospitality” as well as how it may homogenize and essentialize southern food.
nship between food and identity.
Methods:
A. Participants
Fieldwork for this study will be conducted in Charleston, South Carolina. The
restaurants that were observed and studied have been given the following pseudonyms;
The Onion House, The Kitchen of Grits, Mammies Kitchen, The Porch of the Ghost and
The Harbor Farm’s. These restaurants are some of Charleston’s better-known haunts for
“authentic” southern food, but these restaurants also tend to be expensive and are
sustained through tourism.
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The research examines how southern foodways are commodified through
restaurants and how the south is presented in the context of its cultural roots and
identities. Qualitative methods have been used to gather data by using semi-structured
interviews with owners and managers of restaurants in Charleston as well as informal
interviews with patrons of these establishments. Content analysis of promotional
materials for these restaurants was used in this study to see the ways in which the
restaurants advertise themselves to the public.
I interviewed 6 restaurant owners/managers, one from each
of the restaurant. The owners and/or managers were also the gatekeepers; I obtained
permission (letter to the manager is attached) from them to conduct observations and
interviews with their customers. For the interviews I will got oral consent (script of this
attached.
I conducted 12 informal or unstructured interviews with tourists and/or customers
of the restaurants. In addition to this, I conducted semi-structured interviews with my
friends or people I know that frequent or work in the restaurants. I also had informal
conversations with people in Charleston on the topic of southerners and/or southern food.
B. Measures
I used qualitative methods especially ethnographic research by conducting
semi-structured and informal interviews as well as observations at the restaurants. The
questions asked to the participants focused mainly on their views of southern food and
hospitality and how the eating establishments sell or present that notion to the patrons. I
asked restaurant owners and/or chefs about food preparation and presentation. Using
observations, I looked at the indicators of McDonaldization such as efficiency,
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calculability, predictability and non- human technology. Certain indications of race and
class were also observed as well as included in the question for the interviews with
managers/owners. I asked whether the restaurants tend to cater certain groups such as
tourists or locales. I also looked at the menu, the general environment of the restaurants,
and any symbols that represent southern culture, such as plantation memorabilia and
portraits of generals or officers from the civil war era. I asked participants what southern
authenticity means, and observe accents, attire and décor of these restaurants.
C. Procedures
I.
For the semi-formal interviews, I spoke with patrons at the restaurants, who were
sitting at the bar and having conversations with people waiting to be seated. I
introduced myself and described my research briefly to them and acquired verbal
consent (attached) before conducting the interview. The questions focused on
perceptions of authenticity and southern culture. These interviews took place
primarily on weekend nights when restaurant is in its busiest time; therefore I was
able to acquire an array of perspectives and answers. I also went to the restaurants
during the weekdays to get a larger sample and to examine if it changed during
weekdays. I was very careful in conducting these interviews to ensure that I did not
interfere with their privacy. There was no tape recorder used for the informal
interviews due to noise constraints and because the customer may have felt
uncomfortable (with the tape recorder). Friends of mine were also interviewed for this
study and I used the same questions for informal interviews for these cases.
The interviews involving chefs/managers of the restaurant consisted of in-depth
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and semi-structured interviews. I had 6 gatekeepers in Charleston, South Carolina who
own and/or manage some of Charleston’s best-known southern restaurants. I used
snowball sampling to expand my contacts and interviews. I met with some of my
gatekeepers a couple of times. The first interview was the most formal and then the
following meetings progressed into less formal interviews. Some follow-up interviews
were conducted with other respondents that I have contact information for such as my
friends and other managers. This was an important part in ensuring validity, where I
recieved affirmation from others and I asked them if my interpretations make sense and if
I had represented them properly.
Content analysis was useful in my study, as it gave me greater
insight into how southern restaurants market themselves and how the south sells or
represents their cultural identity. I looked at advertising and magazines dedicated to
southern lifestyles, as well as restaurant menus to find reoccurring and common patterns.
Sampling section:
This research used snowball sampling as well as purposive sampling. I
purposively chose the five restaurants because they represent (a diversity), through the
cost of the food, the presentation of food, and the location of the restaurant of southern
foodways. The participants were debriefed on the purpose of this study, and it was
explained to them that if at any time in the interview they did not feel comfortable
answering a question or being tape recorded (in the case of semi-structured interviews
participants), then they had the right to withdraw their participation from the research or
skip certain question or stop the recorder. I informed the participants about the general
purpose of the research before they participated, but I did not provide detailed
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information of the research questions so as not to influence the participant’s answers. The
informal interviews with patrons at the restaurant bar were kept brief and there was no
tape recorder in use, interviews lasted no longer than 15 minutes while the chef/manager
interviews will take up to an hour. A Camera was also used throughout this research as it
visually showed how the food is presented in these restaurants, but at no time were there
pictures taken of peoples or individuals that were involved in the study. I mentioned to
the managers of the restaurants that I intended to take some pictures and ensured that they
gave me permission to do so.
Theory:
This research examines the ways in which kitchens in Charleston, South Carolina
have preserved notions of authenticity and southern hospitality, thereby resisting the
homogenization of their foodways. Southern communities have preserved authentic
southern cuisine by resisting McDonaldization, a term coined by George Ritzer (1983:
373), which suggests that “speed convenience and standardization have replaced the flair
of design created in cooking…” by utilizing local and in season produce native to the
region and using traditional southern culinary traditions.
Drawing upon Walter Benjamin’s theory of authenticity which
states,
“…The authenticity of a thing is the essence of all that is transmissible
from its beginning, ranging from its substantive duration to its testimony
to the history which it has experienced. Since the historical testimony rests
on the authenticity, the former, too, is jeopardized by reproduction when
substantive duration ceases to matter (social theory 265).”
this theory provides a framework for the argument in favor of the new interest of
preserving and sharing southern food tradition by combating the commercialization of
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their foodways. Dishes that are prepared with prepackaged and canned products carry
little connection to heritage and tradition thereby voided the authenticity of the food.
Creating dishes using native ingredients, African American influenced culinary
techniques and classic southern dishes ensure authenticity as these practices are “based
on ritual”.
Authenticity is achieved in southern food a number of ways, firstly through
farming. The origin of the ingredients used in southern cuisine is important in the final
dish. The ways in which the food is prepared is also important in achieving authenticity,
to cook using simple culinary techniques keeping with the regions culinary heritage. To
achieve authenticity, southern food must also resemble dishes closely associated with
southern cuisine, such as shrimp and grits, fried chicken and jambalaya.
Anne Vileisis’ in her book Kitchen Literacry: How We Lost Knowledge of Where
Food Comes From and Why We Need to Get it Back (2008) informs the reader that
America depends heavily on prepackaged and canned goods,
“…that have little to no cultural attachment to them and they have no
means of carrying out our culture. In the course of only a few generations,
we went from knowing particular places and stories behind our foods’
origins to knowing very little in an enormous and anonymous food
system”
Throughout this research I observed how Southern restaurants have resisted prepackaged
and canned goods thereby adding to the dishes authenticity and carrying out the regions
history, traditions and identity through its foodways.
Southern food chains have attempted to homogenize southern culture and identity,
but the significance of southern foodways is lost in McDonaldized southern food chains.
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Dixie Emporium (Stananois 2008) expands the application of concepts of
commodification and homogenization of southern foodways by looking at the success of
Krispy Kreme Donuts, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Church’s Chicken and Bojangles. The
four of these fast food chains have their culinary roots in the south and are examples of
how southern foodways move toward a more rational and efficient process. Abbey Cain
comments on the lack of cultural roots within southern fast food chains:
“Well I don’t consider those places southern food, when I think of those
southern food chains I think of quick and easy food that are ventures for
capitalist. They are not a real southern meal. Those places lack any kind of
soul; their food is already prepared before it arrives at the store. That is not
REAL southern food. Its gross.”
Certain aspects of southern food have been commodified, but there is a lack of
authenticity at these fast food chains that appear to only be found at locally owned
southern restaurants.
By the 19th century Charleston, South Carolina had become a hub for steamboat
trade, which brought about the construction of hotels and restaurants. As a result,
Charleston became a hot spot for tourism, which led to the commodification of southern
culture. Kittler and Sucher write in Food and Culture that
“Food and self-identity is especially evident in the experience of
dining out. Researchers suggest that restaurants often serve more than
food, satisfying both emotional and physical needs. A diner may consider
menu, atmosphere, service and cost or value when selecting a restaurant;
and most establishments cater to a specific clientele.”
As capitalism arose so did the south’s ability to market their culture into a material item,
which can be seen through the commodification of their foodways.
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Charleston has developed throughout the years becoming increasingly
metropolitan and transforming itself into a mecca for authentic southern cuisine. A New
York Times article recently commented on the Charleston restaurant scene stating,
“Charleston, with fewer than 125,000 residents, is one of the great eating towns of the
American South, on par with New Orleans for quality if nowhere near it for size or
variety.” (NYT D5). Charleston has had great successes in commodifying the regions
culture through southern restaurants as well as personifying the notion of southern
hospitality.
Throughout this research I observed in what ways southern hospitality was
portrayed by southern restaurants as well as at private dinners in Southerners’ homes. A
northern participant summed up southern hospitality saying:
“You know southern hospitality is alive and well when people walking
down the same street as you smile and ask how you are as you walk past
each other, and its weird because it doesn’t seem like that big of deal but
it’s the fact that I think they actually want to know how I’m doing; its not
some rhetorical question.”
Notions of Southern hospitality in this research were measured through the kitchens
atmosphere, aesthetic, and food portions.
The notions of authenticity and southern hospitality were observed throughout my
research at kitchen in Charleston, South Carolina. Also observed was how food in the
South has deeper significance than just consuming food, rather how it has helped to shape
and preserve certain aspects of Southern culture and identity.
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A Brief History of Southern Cuisine:
Southern foodways tell stories of the regions past, with strong culinary influences
stemming from African American traditions. African Americans were at the origins of
the creation of southern food, transforming southerners diets into what we think of today.
“In the kitchen, African American cooks slipped in a pepper pod here, an okra pod there.
Indeed, some of the foodstuffs we now recognize as elemental to the southern diet owe
their presence to the slave trade (Edge12)”. African presence can be seen in every aspect
of southern food, the cuisine, method of growing, cultivation, and cooking techniques.
African American slaves were the force behind authentic southern cooking,
employing their simple culinary techniques to cook meals for their masters.
“Culinary techniques [in Africa] were limited to those that could be accomplished
on variations of the simple three- rock stove: boiling in water, toasted near the
fire, roasting in the fire, steaming in leaves, baking in ashes, and frying in deep
oil. These techniques would form the matrix for cooking that African Americans
would excel at and add to the foodways of the South (Edge 15).”
Those simple cooking techniques brought to the South through the slave trade are still
employed in kitchens throughout Charleston, South Carolina, as observed throughout my
research.
Enslaved African American’s employed their own method of farming to continue
cultivating crops that were native to their homeland in Africa. Africans brought over rice
“okra came from Africa, as did benne, also known as sesame, and watermelon (Edge
12).” Crops that were grown by the enslaved African Americans would later become
staple ingredients in southern food.
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Simple cooking techniques originally used by African Americans are still
employed in authentic southern restaurants today. These restaurants forgo any modern
machinery for simple culinary techniques. All the restaurants have gas oven stoves,
which are standard in any restaurant kitchen, since an open flame allows chefs to achieve
the kind of heat they need to cook meals in the kitchen. However it is particularly
important to cook southern food over a flame as it keeps the cooking techniques
authentic, employing African American culinary influences.
Deep-frying foods in oil is a technique closely associated with southern cooking
and was also brought over by African Americans through the slave trade. Southerners are
known for their affinity to fried foods and one woman from the North shared her first
hand experience with me:
“I had never actually seen someone fry something in their own home before I
moved to the south. The first time I saw someone fry something I was horrified, I
couldn’t believe people actually knew how to fry their own food. I thought it was
really some sort of fast food phenomena.”
Frying food is one of the south’s most treasured cooking techniques, and uses the simple
culinary practices of African Americans, exemplifying their influence.
“They [African Americans] were also tasked with the feeding of the master’s
household…Here, the line of culinary transmission becomes blurred. For, in the big
house kitchen, while the mistress and occasionally the master gave orders and recipes to
the cook (or cooks), in the cooks’ hands the recipes were transformed in ways that are
hard to define. (EDGE16)”. African American influences are ingrained in southern
dishes, using spices and ingredients native to their roots.
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During the early 1900s white southerners were determined to market southern
food as their own through restaurants and cookbooks, distancing southern food from its
beginnings. Today people are slightly aware of the history of southern food, however
when talking about the origins with friends and participants they would always appear
surprised at how much influence enslaved African Americans actually had on southern
cuisine. Prior to field research I recall reading that southern food could only be
considered authentic if an African American cooked it, however my research led to a new
definition of what authentic southern food now means to society.
A New Definition of Authentic Southern Food:
Through the commodification and marketing of southern food by whites over the
years, the cultural origins of Southern food have begun to wane, leading to a new
definition of authentic southern food. The authentic Southern restaurants that were used
in this study placed less of an emphasis on authenticity in terms of who is cooking the
meal and more focus on authenticity in terms of ingredients, the process, and the
authentic culinary techniques employed.
Authentic southern food begins with the ingredient origins of any meal, with the
raw produce. In order to create an authentic southern meal, using fresh ingredients that
are native to the area is necessary. Chefs in Charleston are celebrating the regions
agricultural roots by employing local farmers to provide their restaurants with heirloom
crops. Chef Lock, owner of Charleston’s newest southern restaurant Maize* expands on
how the importance of buying local produce from local farms is to the authenticity of the
dish:
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“Heirloom produce tastes better period. Think about the first time you ever had an
heirloom tomato, you probably thought it tasted better than what you has
originally thought about the taste of a tomato, but that’s because the heirloom is
truly what a tomato is supposed to taste like. And they bring us back to a time
when food was grown organically from the ground.”
Chef Lock’s use of heirloom crops is one aspect of authenticity seen in his kitchen. In
using heirloom crops throughout the restaurants dishes, Lock is able to bring the patron
one step closer to the origins of southern cooking.
Maize is committed to creating southern dishes using only ingredients native to
the American South; the restaurants slogan reads, “If it isn’t from the South, it doesn’t go
through the doors.” Geographically speaking, the Mason-Dixon Line is what Chef Lock
uses to divide the North from the South, which also determines where the restaurant can
and cannot buy ingredients from. Until recently, the kitchen in Maize forwent the use of
olive oil, because they could not locate a producer from a southern state. Prior to the
finding an olive oil producer in Texas, Lock took advantage of the south’s culinary roots
cooking only with butter. Using ingredients rooted in the south adds value to the
authenticity of the dish.
Lucy, the owner of Rosebud Farms Café also speaks on the importance of
employing local farmers and using fresh native produce to add to the authenticity of her
restaurant.
“Having the freshest crops is really important to southern food, because we love
flavor down here. Have you ever had a tomato when they aren’t in season? They
aren’t very good, they have this funny grainy texture and there’s no flavor to
them, but come April when my Daddy’s got them all over the farm, you could eat
one of them things like an apple they are so delicious. You have to have fresh
clean produce; if you don’t have that then you lose a lot of what it means to have
southern dishes.”
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Lucy’s family has owned one of Charleston largest produce farms for the last 60 years
and she understands the importance of using locally grown produce to maintain
authenticity in southern dishes. The use of fresh produce not only ensures these
restaurant’s authenticity, but also exemplifies how southern fodways have resisted
homogenization through encouraging farmers to grow heirloom and crops synonymous
with the south.
According to Ritzers theory of McDonaldization, restaurants are becoming
increasingly standardized establishments, which has been made possible through
technology and prepackaged foods. The availability of frozen and prepackaged foods
makes it easy for McDonaldized restaurants to maintain the same menu for consecutive
years throughout the world. Authentic southern restaurants, however, have resisted such
homogenization of their cuisine through their commitment to fresh produce. The
authentic southern restaurants ever-changing menus are reflective of their commitment to
resist the McDonaldization of their foodways.
As a result of keeping her restaurant authentic by using local and in season
produce, Chef Okee of Seed, is constantly rewriting it’s dinner menu:
“We are conscious of what is in season, and so there are times when we add fruit
flavors, like cantaloupe and watermelon to the menu. For instance in the spring
and summer when melons are in season we do honeydew and cantaloupe slices
wrapped in bacon, but in the winter we take that off the menu because melons are
not available in this region. In the winter our meals tend to be more hearty so we
utilize squashes and tomatoes and apples in that season.”
Authentic southern restaurants face the challenges of using local and in season produce
through constant readjustments to their menus, still maintaining classic southern dishes.
The kitchens observed throughout this study employ more of a ‘home cooking’ style.
‘Home cooking’ distances itself from McDonaldization, by being described as “a highly
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unpredictable enterprise, there is little assurance that dishes will taste the same time after
time.” (Ritzer 1983: 373)
Notions of ‘home cooking’ are present throughout southern kitchens. Forgoing
frozen or prepackaged food, allows cooks in southern kitchens a certain level of creativity
and freedom. Having eaten at all of the restaurants used in my study numerous times it
dawned on me that there was an inconsistency within each of the restaurants in terms of
cuts of vegetables and presentation. This type of inconsistency is another way that
southern kitchens demonstrate their resistance of McDonaldization and maintain notions
of authenticity.
Authenticity within southern foodways was also measured in this study through
the culinary techniques employed in southern kitchens. Embracing the African
Americans influence on southern food, southern kitchens continue to use simple culinary
techniques when preparing meals. With the majority of the produce coming straight from
the farm southern restaurants spend countless hours washing produce from the farm,
freeing it of chemicals, bugs and dirt and butchering livestock for its best pieces of meat.
Keeping with notions of ‘home cooking,’ [within southern food] the produce is then hand
cut and seasoned specifically for each dish. The use of new cooking technologies are not
commonly found in southern kitchens, since they are not authentic to the dishes original
creation.
Simple cooking techniques that were introduced to the south through the African
American slave trade are still employed in some of the busiest kitchens in Charleston. I
questioned whether or not technology has influenced southern cooking Lucy, owner of
Rosebud Farms, offered an explanation,
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“I mean, there’s always newer and better equipment that do all sorts of fancy
things, but they don’t serve any real purpose to our food. Nothing we do here is
fancy; we use simple cooking techniques and equipment. Sure we use things like
this giant mixer for things and it keeps my arm from hurting, but really we use
cast iron pans and simple everyday kitchen tools.”
Another participant in this research, Brian Macho’s statement about preparing southern
food further supports the importance of traditional techniques when cooking a southern
meal:
“When I think of Southern food, I think of soul food, something that took
time and effort to prepare, but not in the way that gourmet places take time
to prepare. Like, southern food isn’t fussy, it’s all about simplicity.”
The use of simple, African American inspired culinary techniques throughout southern
kitchens can be seen as a type of ritual that symbolizes the importance that traditions play
in the authenticity of southern food
Through capitalism and the rise of tourism in the early 1900s, images of African
American influence began to disappear as Southern cookbooks sold the idea of the
domesticated white housewife. However, recipes were recorded that listed the original
ingredients of meals cooked regularly by slaves, which has helped to shape a new
definition of authenticity within southern foodways. What ingredients and culinary
techniques are used, rather than who cooks the meal is commonly the measure of
authenticity within southern food today as the data collected throughout this research led
me to conclude.
Southern Hospitality:
Maize is located in a quiet neighborhood of downtown Charleston, in a restored
mansion, originally constructed in the early 1800s. There is little from the outside that
reminds me that I am going to dinner at a restaurant and not a friend’s home. The only
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indication of the establishment is a modest black sign that hangs from an iron cast pole in
front of the mansion that reads in gold lettering “MAIZE.” The walkway is made of
cobblestone, a ground that is synonymous with historic downtown Charleston.
Customers waiting for their tables relax on the porch, enjoying the restaurants
comfortable patio furniture. Most everyone outside takes pleasure in sipping on some
type of alcoholic beverage. The choice in beverage gave me some insight as to who was a
native to the region and who were tourists. Through conversations with patrons on the
porch, I deducted that customers who were native to the south typically had a drink made
with bourbon. Tourists rather, enjoyed drinks associated with the region, such as mint
juleps, trying to experience southern culture through its foodways. Patrons on the porch
feel at home, leaning back in their chairs and partaking in conversations.
The interior of Maize looks more like a private home than a restaurant. The floors
are made of heart pinewood, which can be found in many old homes throughout the
Charleston area and there is a staircase leading upstairs, creating the feeling that I am in a
home rather than a restaurant. The restaurant is not an open floor plan; the walls that once
created an entryway, living room, dining room and kitchen remain. The original walls
may have been retained out of structural necessity, but with the amount of time invested
in creating Maize’s concept it seems more appropriate to conclude that Chef Lock kept
the original aesthetic to provoke a sense of southern hospitality to the restaurants
customers.
When having discussions with participants about ideas of southern hospitality, the
notion of ‘homes’ was a recurring theme. Kye Hamilton comments on the importance of
home within southern hospitality,
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“Southern hospitality is all about people inviting you into their homes and
cooking you a home cooked meal and making you feel welcomed. Southerners
are always welcoming people into their homes for something good to eat.”
The ‘homey’ aesthetic that Chef Lock has created at Maize, exemplifies how aspects of
southern hospitality are personified and marketed through southern restaurants.
Something unique to Southern restaurants is the community table that allows
total strangers to experience a meal together. This table draws the connection between
food and notions of southern hospitality, sharing meals can make new introductions and
create new relationships. These Southern restaurants use food as a way to bring strangers
together, creating a closer tight knit community.
Abundance is another aspect of southern hospitality that is directly linked to the
portion sizes of southern dishes. Powers Price, a native South Carolinian, makes the
statement,
“Southern hospitality is interwoven with our food. We [southerners] use food to
make people feel welcome so we are always trying to feed people. When I go to
my boyfriends house his Mom is always asking me ‘what can I get for you’ or
‘are you sure you’re full because there’s plenty more to eat.’ Or my absolute
favorite ‘I don’t have this, but I can make it.’”
Powers assessment of her experience with her boyfriend’s mother, who is also a native
southerner, is an example of how abundance is seen as an aspect of southern hospitality.
I had my own experience dealing with the abundance of food that southern restaurants
offer, at a local barbeque joint.
Pulling off the busy back road on Johns Island, into a small dirt parking lot I see
the building that is home to one of locals best-kept secrets. The building is more like a
shack and looks like it was in need of repair some 30 years ago. The low-key and simple
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aesthetic reminds me of the no fuss ways of the rural south. Walking inside, an older
heavyset woman sits behind the counter. There you can either place an order for one of
their 4 menu items that reads:
#1- Regular BBQ or chicken (smoked or fried)
#2- Small BBQ or Chicken (smoked or fried)
#3- Regular Combo Plate
Choice of 3 meats- BBQ-Ribs-Chicken-Brisket
#4 Small Combo Plate
Choice of 2 Meats-BBQ-Ribs-Chicken-Brisket
Or if you’re cash concious though you’ll order there all you can eat buffet for $10.95. I
did not bring my appetite along for the ride, so I filled my plate with small portion sizes
of the buffet items. As I set my plate next to my friends it was evident that I had not taken
enough food.
Their plates overflowed with mounds of pork, rice, cornbread, hash, and collard
making it impossible to see the actual plates, whereas the white of my plate was clearly
visible. A friend scolded me for taking so little, saying ‘that’s all you grabbed; you ain’t
taking JD’s seriously. You gotta fill that plate up!” I ate what I put on my plate and went
back for seconds, but people throughout the restaurant did not stop at seconds rather they
went up for thirds, and some brave souls went back for a final fourth time.
JD’s encourages the large quantities of food that people consume by telling the
customer things like ‘that cornbread is really good if I were you I’d take two.”
The constant offering of food and beverages to guests is a part of southern hospitality,
creating a sense of welcome and warmth in others homes.
When discussing notions of southern hospitality, participants frequently brought
up the ‘Southern gentleman.’ When I asked participant, Brian Macho who is a northern
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transplant what he thinks of when he hears the phrase southern hospitality he blurted out
“bowtie”. I began to think about clothing as a form of expression, which led me to the
uniforms of the waiters and hosts at a pre-prohibition themed bar, The Speak Easy. The
bars reputation expands beyond their unique and hand crafted cocktails to the uniforms
worn by the employees, which personify the idea of the ‘Southern gentleman”.
The bar has embraced its cultural heritage, personifying ideas of the southern
gentleman through the waiters and bartenders dress. Employees of The Speak Easy must
adhere to certain dress code, one that resembles classic images of a young southern
gentleman during the 1940’s. The uniforms of these young men receive just as much
buzz as the bars drinks.
The bowtie is the first thing I see when I am greeted at the door by the host. The
bowtie is colorful, making it hard to miss. I had numerous conversations previous to
coming to The Speak Easy to have already known that the employee’s uniforms alone
were worth the trip. The waiter and bartenders, who are all men, have their bowties
attached to an oxford button down. Everyone’s uniforms vary slightly, in terms of color
and personal preference, but the employees proudly wear suspenders that hold up their
pinstriped suit pant. Although the outfit draws upon stylistic influences from the earlier
part of the 1900s, men old and young can be seen walking through the streets of
Charleston in similar outfits today.
After leaving the bar my friend Brit, who is originally from Connecticut but has
lived in Charleston for 7 years, get into a conversation about the employees uniforms at
The Speak Easy. We discuss how the employees utilize their southern location to sell the
idea of the southern gentleman through good manners; the host opens the door for
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customers and their employees dress. Brit comments on the unique style of a southern
gentleman,
“There is something about southern men, they just have a certain way of
dressing about them. You would never go to the north and see men
wearing bow ties. I mean I understand that at this bar [The Speak Easy] it
is part of their uniform, to portray something to the public, but still you
can walk down the streets of Charleston most nights and find men who are
wearing bow ties, it is something that is unique to southern men.”
Selling the idea of the Southern gentleman has created a reputation for the bar, one girl
describing it as “that bar with really cute southern boys’ and while there is no guarantee
that all the employees at The Speak Easy are from the South, they have succeeded in
selling an aspect of southern hospitality through dress.
Manners, another theme explored within Southern hospitality are
prevelentthroughout southern foodways. Due to waiters’ motives to show off their
manners in hopes for a big gratuity to measure authentic manners was difficult within the
restaurant setting. Manners were measured at small social gatherings and dinner parties
at private homes in Charleston. Friends gathered at the Hunters home for dinner one night
bringing not only good company, but good manners as well.
Showing up empty handed to a dinner party in the South suggests a certain lack
of southern hospitality and cultural knowledge. Native Southerners typically bring
something when going over to a guest’s house for dinner, ranging from food items to
libations. I, being aware of this Southern custom, swing by the local liquor store and pick
up a bottle of wine. I walk into the house and there are old rock and roll tunes coming
through the speakers, but the music is drowned out by the vibrant conversations going on
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in the kitchen. Mrs. Hunter is busy cooking, some of the ladies are helping with kitchen
duties, while others partake in the conversations.
Mr. Hunter spots me and is quick to offer me a beverage, which exemplifies
aspects of southern culture. Good manners are exhibited by Mr. Hunter through the
offering of libations and are also perpetuated by the notion that southerners take joy in
the relaxing pleasures of cocktails. The conversations consist of light carefree topics,
such as how the fishing is and the upcoming events going on around Charleston. Keeping
conversations free of politics avoids offending anyone at the party, which is another
display of southern hospitality, creating a welcoming environment.
The kitchen smells of bacon, because the collards and shrimp were both fried in
the best kind of oil known to southerners, bacon oil. The dishes are displayed along a
kitchen counter, and the amount of food surpasses the number of people. Mr. Hunter calls
out the name of one of the female guests to get the first plate of food, all the ladies
follow, while the men stay off to the side, serving themselves last which displays their
gentlemanly behavior.
The ladies are the first to sit at the table; they set their plates down and wait
patiently as the men finish serving themselves. The act of waiting for everyone to be
served before eating is a display of good manners. Mrs. Hunter asks a guest to bless the
food, the blessing isn’t religious, rather it is one that gives thanks to the land for
providing the ingredients. After the blessing everyone begins to eat, all enjoying the meal
while continuing conversations, symbolizing that meals in the South are an event, where
people gather to socialize and enjoy each others company- not just to eat food and leave.
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I overhear younger guests addressing older adults as Ma’am and Sir, a sign of
respect in the South. Having spent a significant time in the South, I have adopted certain
aspects of their native dialect, incorporating phrases such as ‘y’all’ and ‘I’ll tell you
what’, in my vocabulary. However, I have not been able to address older adults using
Ma’am and Sir, and neither have many of my northern transplant friends, leading me to
believe that these phrases only come off as genuine from native southerners. As it is the
way they grew up addressing people their whole lives, including their own parents, as a
sign of good manners and their southern identity.
We sit at the dinner table for nearly two hours before a guest begins to bring
plates into the kitchen, a signal that it is perhaps time to wrap things up as the clock is
reading close to midnight. The lateness is indicative of the regions agricultural roots.
People would work in the fields of the farm, until the sun went down, which at certain
times in the year would not be until almost 9 at night, resulting in late dinners.
Southerners today still carry out this tradition by dining later.
Guests attempt to clean up showing their appreciation for the delicious food and
good company; however, Mrs. Hunter resists the help, not willing to allow her guests to
clean up. By the time I leave, it is nearly 1 in the morning, the small dinner party I
thought I was attending turned out to be a 6 hour event, which I would later discover is
how long most dinner parties last in Charleston. Dinner parties in the South remind us
that meals are more than just a feeding to southerners rather, they are events that display
ideas of Southern hospitality such as good manners, welcoming company, and a home
cooked meal
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Traditions:
Southern foodways help to carry out traditions that are important to southern
culture. Traditional dishes, such as Hoppin’ Johns have been celebrated by southerners
for decades every New Years Dayand Sundays are a day dedicated to religion and the
feast that follows. These traditions have helped to form ideas of southern culture such as
generosity and community. I had my first experience with Hoppin’ Johns while
conducting this research and it was brought to my attention how important this tradition
is to southerners.
Walking into the Hillocks house on New Years Day there is an overwhelming
aroma of fried bacon and my stomach begins to grumble. I enter the kitchen, where Mrs.
Hillock is busy preparing collards greens and frying up bits of thick bacon. She busies
herself around the kitchen for a few moments before asking me and her son, my good
friend Elliot, “Are y’all staying for the Hoppin’ Johns party tonight?” She trails off
informing me of all the people that she has invited over to the house for the party and the
list seems quite impressive.
I respond, “I don’t know what that means, what is Hoppin’ Johns?” At that
moment it becomes apparent that I have reminded Mrs. Hillock of the fact that I am not a
born and bred southerner, and she exclaims, “You’ve never had Hoppin’ Johns?” Hoppin
Johns is a dish served every New Years Day in the south to ensure good health and
prosperity throughout the next year. The name, Hoppin’ Johns is southerners name for
the American South’s version of rice and beans. The origins of the dish are debatable, but
most believe that slaves on plantations in South Carolina originally cooked it. (CITE)
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The ingredients that make up this traditional dish are crops that during the 1800’s
were famously cultivated throughout the region. During the 1800’s the south was
growing massive amounts of rice, dried black eye peas, and collard greens. Hoppin’
Johns has remained a tradition in southern food culture because of the superstitious belief
that the dish brings good luck through the next year to whoever eats it. Each ingredient in
the dish has its own symbolic meaning: the peas represent coins or pennies, wealth is
represented through the collard greens and corn bread, due to the color of each item.
By evening the house was packed with friends and family who had come together
to share this southern tradition and to ensure that their loved ones will have luck and
prosperity through the next year. Hoppin’ Johns isn’t the only yearly tradition carried out
through the regions foodways. Oyster roasts occur through all of the south during the
winter months to help with the ‘January doldrums”, bringing family and friends from the
indoors to the outdoors through offerings of food.
I had the pleasure of attending two oyster roasts in Charleston during my
research. Each oyster roast was significantly different but had the common theme of
community gatherings. I was informed by Natty, a Gullah who works on Lidi’s farm that
oyster roasts only take place in the winter months, because in the summer months the
water gets too hot increasing the risk of bacterial infestations of the mollusks.
The oyster roast on Lidi’s farm is a small gathering of his employee and a handful
of neighbors who have come to join the gathering. A metal surface is laid on top of the
coals that glow from the heat. The men put wet burlap sacks over the oysters. The oysters
are steamed until the shell splits open, revealing the oysters meat inside. The bushels are
then tossed on top of a table and everyone goes to town, shucking the oysters and tossing
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the shells onto the dirt ground. Lidi’s oyster roast is small in comparison to the second
roast I would attend just a week later.
The second oyster roast I attend is held on an old Plantation right outside of
downtown Charleston. This roast is open to the public on a piece of property that can
hold up to15,000 people. It is evident judging from the amount of traffic there is to get
into the event that Oysters roasts are important to southern culture. After parking the car I
weave through the sea of people, making my way to buy a ticket so I can enjoy the
oysters. There are people everywhere, listening to the live bluegrass band and sitting
throughout the field enjoying local micro-brewed beers and oysters.
My friends and I walk around the event for a while, catching up with other friends
who were there and running into people we have not seen in years. It seems like everyone
in Charleston has come out to celebrate the harvest of the oysters. After socializing for
over an hour, Elliot and I head toward the main event, the actual roast. Long tables line
the roast with people hovering over them to get their own bushel. I join in on the ritual of
yelling and banging on the tables whenever a bushel is ready. Elliot finally snags us a
bushel and we take it across the way to make room for newcomers.
The oysters are slimy and I have always enjoyed them plain, taking in their salty
flavor, however Elliot teaches me a new way of eating them by adding hot sauce. He tells
me ‘that’s how everyone in my family eats them and I have always put it [hot sauce] on
my oysters.” Upon finishing the oysters we join the rest of our friends and continue to
enjoy their company.
Both oyster roasts, though vastly different in terms of size, share the tradition of binging
communities together through its foodways. Southern food traditions are not only annual events,
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but also weekly gatherings, which can be seen through what one participant referred to as ‘The
Sunday Feast.” I did not have the pleasure of attending a Sunday Feast after church, however
a participant shared her first hand experience of Southern Sunday gatherings.
For both, non-and church going Southerners Sundays are a day committed to
feasting with friends and family. Susan, a participant in the research expands on her first
experience with a Sunday get together after church. Susan was born and raised in New
York and as she put it “the furthest South I’d ever been was Staten Island”. While living
and working in New York City after college, she met her now husband, Carter who
hailed from Georgia. She recalls her first trip to the Georgia with him to meet his family
and the culture shock she experienced.
“Like literally the whole neighborhood got up on Sunday morning
and we all went to the Baptist Church, and let me tell you it was the
funnest experience, because it was unlike any other church I had ever been
to. Everyone was singing gospel and here I am from New York City and
my eyes must have been so wide, I literally did not know what to do, but
anyway. So we come back from church and all the men go outside and
they were playing some game, like horseshoes, and they all have whiskey
in their cups, but obviously they are pretending they don’t because its not
really socially acceptable. But all the women are inside, and this is
probably around 1:30 or 2 in the afternoon, honestly, I don’t think we ate
until 8 o’clock. And it wasn’t that the food takes that long to prepare, but
it was a bonding time for the women and for the men. It was about
socializing and then all coming together at the end of the night for a great
big giant feast.”
Building strong community ties is important to a Southerners culture as southerners
identify with one another through the regions unique history. Carrying out traditions
through foodways shows the importance of food within southern culture.
Whether it is bringing Mac and cheese to your neighbors, attending events such as
Oyster roasts or enjoying a meal from a restaurant supplied by only local purveyors,
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southern food is deeply rooted in traditions that bring family and friends together,
creating a tight knit community; a characteristic of southern culture.
Conclusion:
Food connects southerners to their historical past, which has helped to shape the
regions culture and identity. Southern traditions are carried out through events such as
Oyster roasts, eating Hoppin’ Johns on New Years Day and Sunday dinners, which
brings family and friends together. These traditional social events help to maintain close
communities ties, something that important to Southern culture.
Southern hospitality, another important aspect to Southern culture and identity is
expressed through the regions foodways. Food is one most notorious ways southerners
express hospitality through constantly offering food, making guests feel welcomed and
comfortable in a host’s home. Throughout this research southern hospitality was observed
throughout southern kitchen, both is public restaurants and private homes.
The most important discovery throughout my research however was the
redefining of authenticity within Southern food. As previously stated in this paper
authentic southern food was once defined by who was cooking it, whereas now in
kitchens throughout Charleston, maintain authenticity through native and in season
produce, original culinary techniques and creating classic Southern dishes.
Through my observations and conversations with chefs, restaurant owners, locals,
tourists, native southerners and transplants it was evident that the use of original cooking
techniques and native produce was essential in preserving the authenticity of southern
cuisine. By preserving the original techniques once used by African American knowledge
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of the regions history and stories are passed down generation to generation, thereby
preserving the South’s culture and identity.
As Abbey Cain put it “here in the South we hold onto our roots, we don’t really
like change”. Southern food has preserved hundred year old culinary traditions and
Charleston kitchens today ensure that they will be around for generations to come.
Charleston kitchens will continue to resist the homogenization and McDonaldization of
their foodways, through their commitment to using authentic ingredients and cooking
practices.
While numerous people participated throughout my study there were certain
limitations that should be addressed. The restaurants observed were on the expensive side
of the scale, not because the restaurants cater to a certain social class, instead because of
the restaurants commitment to using heirloom and local produce, which is an expensive
venture. Inexpensive southern restaurants were not observed in this study, as a result I
can not speak on the authenticity of all Southern restaurants in Charleston.
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