And how did it develop into something racially offensive? I can think of very few other examples where a racial group’s association with a particular food is considered offensive, so I think it’s probably because it’s associated with a certain picture (mental or otherwise) from the past that is obviously out of line.
Can anyone educate me how this came to be?
Forgive me as this does not answer the OP, but WTH is wrong with liking those foods - man that is some good stuff, and I’m a white man.
I second that.
These are stereotypically southern foods and not “black foods” or even “poor black” foods . My father was from a middle to upper middle class southern family of teachers and other professionals and fried chicken, collard greens and watermelon were everyday good eating.
As to the racial profiling of these foods to being somehow “black” and thus stigmatized, I think that is probably something northerners did in response to blacks moving north to the industrial cities some time ago, in that it’s hard to denigrate or stigmatize someone for eating the same foods you cherish and enjoy.
That could be true, but down south we also like to eat “chicken fried steak” which I have been told on numerous occasions that most northern people don’t know what they are unless they have been dining down south. So, why isn’t that part of the sterotype?
i think that it’s not part of the stereotype because the yankees don’t know what cf steak is.
OT: What is chicken fried steak?
At the steakhouse I used to work at, we had CFCs (Chicken Fried Chicken). As far as I know that was just chicken deep fried, usually with gravy.
Chicken Fried Steak may be somewhat more indigenous to Texas than some of the other foods mentioned. One theory holds that it’s basically the Texas-German immigrant’s New World version of WeinerSchnitzel, breaded veal cutlet with cream gravy.
Chicken fried steak is about like Chicken fried chicken, but it is made out of beef instead of chicken. Of course I never understood the concept of chicken fried chicken. Of course it is chicken fried if it is chicken isn’t it?
Says you. It varies.
The reason these foods developed a negative stereotype is because they are cheap and are considered unsophisticated by those who wish to perpetuate said stereotype. You will often find that most racial stereotypes boil down to simple socioeconomic nose-thumbing. The habits of the have-nots are mocked by the haves.
Get yourself a cheap cut of beef, beat it like a red-headed stepchild, dip it in batter, and fry that sucker. Chicken Fried Steak.
Actually it isn’t a cut, it is pretty much like what is left over after the cuts and it is grounded up somewhat like hamburger.
Rarely, anymore, is this so–for better or worse, depending on your attitude. Where do you get your this way? If it’s close it’s definitely worth a visit for me.
A while ago I pondered this, and after searching it appears that we have 2 main theories:
A) That the connection originated from minstrel shows (circa 1880), run by blacks still restricted to white audience expectations. Black performers wore even black face until the 1950’s!
Many of the presentations, especially for white people, showed blacks doing “funny” dumb actions that included the watermelon and chicken eating, along with gambling.
Needless to say, black performers learned that that was the only way white people liked to see blacks. That connection was understood by black performers that grew during the minstrel era, by the 40’s or 50’s black actors refused to play along.
B) Some others sites mentioned that in the slave era, the image of a black eating those items had the implication that the items were stolen. That may have happened on farms were slaves were denied access to those items, that were supposed to be property of the master; and there is the reason why the stereotype remains offensive: slavery was the ultimate theft of humanity. Those stereotype images maintained a “tradition”, among racists, of blacks being robbers (therefore they should be controlled, ergo: slavery is justified), it is an image that racists used to avoid thinking about the worse theft, an early example of propaganda to preserve (and then remember) the curious institution.
I think it was mostly a lot from column A, with a little of column B. I think this connection will fade as time goes.
Wha?.. considered cheap and unsophisticated? I have plenty of experience with middle class and upper middle class black and white southern families, and there are/were plenty of well to do southern familes where the lady of the house (or her help as the case may be) considered the quality of their fried chicken (and side dishes including collards) a critical aspect of domestic bliss and achievement.
I stand by my assertion that stigmatizing these fine foods is primarly a northern invention and has mainly to do with a desire to label and stigmatize black people as being unsophisticated, uneducated bumpkins relative to themselves by middle and lower middle class whites, not upper class “have” whites. I would also hold that racism against blacks in the US specifically is far more deeply rooted and complicated than “simple socioeconomic nose-thumbing”.
I don’t know about other parts of the country, but here in TN, you get “minute steaks” that are like ground beef, but more solidish, in just about any grocery store meat department. I recomend rolling them in flour with a bit of salt and peper instead of batter. I also prefer to make brown (water) gravy instead of cream gravy.
On topic: I believe this stereotype has to do with the sophistication of the food, not it’s price. It’s simple to cook, and doesn’t have the “oh-la-la” effect of (for example) French food. By sugesting that blacks have simple tastes, you are suggesting that they are simple people.
I’ve always found it a bit amusing,though, because I would be happy to share “soul” food with anybody, black or white, and some of the best cooks I’ve ever met are black. It just helps bridge any gaps between us to share some chicken and watermelon.
Southerners, aren’t so stupid as to pass up good food just because it is inexpensive. I’m sure that chickens have no idea that they are socially inferior and less sophisticated than pheasant.
A member of my extended family is so biased against Southerners that she will not even consider tasting black-eyed peas or grits. I feel sorry for her ignorance and narrowness but not sorry enough to accomodate her preferences.
But if she comes to visit again, maybe I will take her through the garden:
“Now over hea’ on the South side of the wall, we have our common Southern foods – homony, wild poke salat, turnips butterbeans and blackberries. I blush to expose you to them. But on our Northern side of the garden, we keep our sophisticated plants – asparagus, herbs, raspberries and belladonna. What?! You’ve never tried belladonna? Why, its the rage now in sophisticated circles in Europe. We had these special purple ones imported. Here, just try some of the berries. Aren’t they shiney and superior? Hmmm?”:rolleyes:
I’m told by Jewish friends in Germany that everyone there “knows” that Jews eat a lot of garlic. Apparently this is similar to some of the above posts in that garlic is considered cheap/declasse.
so where does the ‘chicken’ come from>
The ‘egg’!
It is Steak fried similarly to Fried Chicken. I have seen in called, blaspemously, “Country Fried Steak”, which may have some slight culinary variation from Chicken Fried Steak.
My question is what the hell is up with Chicken Fried Chicken? Chicken fried just like you fry chicken?