Soul Food: it’s yummy stuff. The origins of what is known a Soul Food, however, are often forgotten. For very pertinent reasons, it can legitimately be called ‘Black Food.’
Foods such as rice, sorghum (known by Europeans as "guinea corn"), and okra — all common elements of West African cuisine — were introduced to the Americas as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Yams and watermelon are other examples.
Eventually, such fare became known as Southern Food. These days, Soul Food is considered a delicacy. (Personal note: I like the stuff very much, with the following exceptions. Yams and chitlins have crossed the threshold of my lips only once, respectively.) But, back in the bad old days, masters fed their slaves the type of food considered crap, and saved the choice meats, grains, and vegetables for themselves. Much of the fare called Soul Food consists of plantation throwaways.
European enslavers fed their captive workers as cheaply as possible, often with leftover/waste foods from the plantation, forcing slaves to make do with the ingredients at hand. In slave households, 'vegetables' consisted of the tops of turnips, beets, and dandelions. Soon, African-American slaves were cooking with new types of "greens": collards, kale, cress, mustard, and pokeweed. They also developed recipes which used lard, cornmeal, and offal; discarded cuts of meat such as pigs' feet, oxtail, ham hocks, chitterlings/"chitlins" (i.e., pigs' small intestines), pig ears, hog jowls, tripe, and skin.
So what’s my point? It’s this.
The Occupy Wall Street volunteer kitchen staff launched a “counter” revolution yesterday -- because they’re angry about working 18-hour days to provide food for “professional homeless” people and ex-cons masquerading as protesters.
For three days beginning tomorrow, the cooks will serve only brown rice and other spartan grub instead of the usual menu of organic chicken and vegetables, spaghetti bolognese, and roasted beet and sheep’s-milk-cheese salad.
They will also provide directions to local soup kitchens for the vagrants, criminals and other freeloaders who have been descending on Zuccotti Park in increasing numbers every day.
(All bolding mine.)
Rice and other Spartan grub. Hmmm.
One wonders how the OWS cooks know that the “freeloaders” are vagrants and criminals. After all, aren’t both the “professional homeless” and the “amateur homeless” (the OWS protesters) squatting on land that does not belong to them? I bet I know how they know: most of the amateurs are white and most of professionals are black. And both groups are freeloaders. After all it isn’t as if the OWS protesters bought the food.
I wonder why the OWS cooks don’t want to cook for the “professional homeless” aka “freeloaders.” And what are the “non-freeloaders” doing to help the cooks? Delivering the goods? Chopping the vegetables? Washing the dishes? Disposing of litter? Not according to reports. But, of course, the “non-freeloaders” are speaking “truth to power,” so, one assumes that counts.
But, oh wait! Some designated persons labored to prepare the food and want it to go to the hungry and downtrodden! Except not the actual hungry and downtrodden.
But, oh wait! The “freeloaders” are vagrant and criminals! But according to the Left, vagrants and criminals do what they do only because the rich won’t help them. So the OWS want to help them! Except they don’t.
But, oh wait! OWS cooks will still feed the “professional homeless”—just not the good stuff. Only the slave food.
But, oh wait! There are soup kitchens where the “vagrants, criminals, and freeloaders” can eat. Wonder who funds those places. No matter. The “vagrants, criminals, and freeloaders” have the soup kitchens--equal but separate facilities in which to chow down. They can “freeload” on someone else’s dime and time.
So, in one ill-considered decision, the Occupy Wall Street sorts manage to epitomize hundreds of years of slavery and government oppression against black Americans and, on top of that, managed to promote one of the principles in the Bible—that those who do not work, should not eat. In one fell swoop, they have become everything they say they are against.
Chew on that.
(Thanks to Ace of Spades HQ)
Baldilocks
Good to see you
Don't yoiu know the real oppressed are the the children of the upper middle class who think they don't have to work for their entitlements like their parents or grand parents did?
some how I think, if arrested and convicted of something, they should be sentenced to month working in a soup kitchen sleeping and eating with the clientele.
http://eclecticmeanderings.blogspot.com/>Hank’s Eclectic Meanderings
Posted by: Hank | October 27, 2011 at 08:30 PM
This is a massive irony alert!
Posted by: LindaS | October 28, 2011 at 04:29 AM
"Some designated persons labored to prepare the food and want it to go to the hungry and downtrodden! Except not the actual hungry and downtrodden."
ha ha ha! Very very well said. Nice to see you, hope you are well. I didn't think about the racial angle when I heard about this story. The blatant way in which Political Agenda trumps Actually Helping the Poor the Way They Claim They Do is pretty darn obvious to everyone but themselves, I guess.
Know what else occurs to me? These "professional" homeless may be homeless, but they are not stupid. They'll be back in 3 days.
best to you
Posted by: Linda | October 28, 2011 at 08:22 AM
You know, when you challenge the thinking of these OWS folks, it gives them headaches and a severe "huh?" moment. The poor darlings, they just ain't with it are they?
Posted by: GM Roper | October 30, 2011 at 03:28 PM
Oh, wow. A Tito's-sized irony burrito.
Angelenos know what I'm talking about. ;^)
Posted by: Spiny Norman | October 30, 2011 at 08:25 PM
The irony is, shall we say, delicious.
Posted by: LS | November 02, 2011 at 03:27 PM
Unfortunately, the irony could smack them in the face all day long and they would still be oblivious to it.
Posted by: Kwongdzu | November 06, 2011 at 10:58 PM
This is a massive irony alert! it gives them headaches and a severe "huh?" moment. The poor darlings, they just ain't with it are they?
Posted by: funny posts | November 09, 2011 at 02:29 AM
Talk about just making yourself feel like crap. I was going to get a vegetarian burrito because I don't eat much meat and BAM, a cat runs right in front of me.
Posted by: Overstock Promo Code | November 14, 2011 at 04:13 AM
Yeahhh this blog is finally so OVAH!!! Lets hope for Baldi's sake the same doesn't happen to her socialist veteran's benefits. Can the next poster please turn the lights out on their way out?
Posted by: John Smith | November 19, 2011 at 04:42 PM
Actually I don't get retirement until age 60. However, since I've never counted on getting that money, it doesn't make me any difference.
Quite interesting that you would celebrate the "end" of a blog which you, apparently, don't like. If I don't like a blog, I simply don't visit and pay it no mind, much less cheer over something about which I have no clue.
But thanks for care so much about what I say and do. :)
Posted by: baldilocks | November 19, 2011 at 05:08 PM