Soulfood helps create the opportunity for African Americans to remain in touch with their ancestral roots in both America and West Africa. In recent years the addition of new drinks and dishes in Soul Food such as kool-aid and Mac and Cheese, has a history that can be traced back to their origins in America and West Africa. For instances, Kool Aid was a new refreshing drink that was created in 1927 during the Great Migration, the recipe was originally inspired by, “a line of red beverage stretching back to drinks made with kola nuts in western parts of Africa (Adrian Miller,Soul Food). The significances of Kool-Aid symbolizing drinks made with kola nuts in West Africa is that no matter how much African Americans culture adapted to finding …show more content…
Today, African Americans have one of the highest leading obesity rates, that “more than two-thirds of the African American community are overweight or obese”(Dr. Tyeese Gaines, thegrio) and soul food is one of the many reasons that contribute to that. Soulfood is a cuisine that really elaborates on flavor and texture. Thus, large amount of spices such as cajun seasoning, which contains high quantities of salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne powder, oregano, thyme, and red pepper are constantly use in many Soulfood dishes and that leads to high blood pressure and can eventually cause heart attacks. Also, many soulfood dishes such as fried chicken are deep fried in lard which is made from rendered fat of a pig to create a crunchy and flavorful texture. Despite, the fact that it will taste delicious, using lard can raise cholesterol and waistlines. Although, for centuries, it has been a tradition that , “soul food has been cooked and seasoned with pork products, and fried dishes are usually cook with hydrogenated vegetable oil and lard… unfortunately, regular consumptions of these ingredients… often contribute to disproportionately high occurrences of obesity, hypertension, cardiac/circulatory problems and diabetes” (African American Registry), it does not mean that these traditional recipes have not change. We have to acknowledge that, Soulfood emerged in a time when African Americans were limited to numerous of ingredients due to financial and social issues. Therefore, being able to obtain whatever ingredients that is not only bountiful but cheap was a easy way for African Americans to essentially gain extra calories to survive on. Often time these ingredients are not the most healthiest options out there. However, times are different now and there is no more need for extra calories since more
Suzan Shown Harjo’s quote is satirical, yet very realistic and full of factual information. Frybread, consisting of non-nutritional items like “white flour, salt, sugar and lard,” can cause deadly long time diseases for Natives. For example, heart disease caused from clogged arteries, diabetes which leads to an array of external and internal issues like cataracts and dialysis. These diseases not only shorten individuals’ lives, but also cause devastating effects on the person and their families. Harjo willingly blasted outlandish accusations made by Natives on frybread being an “Indian” food; it is a cardio infarction waiting to happen.
The Soul food diet began during slavery. Slavery began in early times, and it was the act of a person owning another person as property (Merriam-Webster online). As explained in the documentary, slaves were fed the cheapest food. For example, they were fed leftover rice that was not sold and they were expected to grow their own food.
A notable cultural movement that aimed to conserve and advance traditional folk music was the American folk revival of the 1950s. Influential performers who defined the genre and encouraged a new generation of folk musicians spearheaded the revival. Pete Seeger was one of the most significant figures in the folk revival. The Weavers, a well-known folk band that contributed to popularizing traditional folk melodies, was founded by Seeger. He was a musician who advocated for social justice via his songs.
One of the main arguments made in Hog and Hominy is that Soul Food wasn’t created without outside influence. Opie points out that many of the food types associated with soul were introduced to the Africans by European traders and white plantation owners. He argues “that African cookery was significantly transformed by [European influences], in large part stemming from the commerce that began as a result of, first, the
Have you ever wondered what African Americans went through during the Harlem Renaissance? How they were treated every day? The violence they went through? Even how the Harlem Renaissance helped shape their culture? Well, today is your lucky day.
In the Antebellum US in the 19th and 20th centuries, pork dominated the plates of those eating and remained the most common meat in the region dubbing the south a “hog-eating confederacy”; through this hog meat ingestion, class, race, and gender were analyzed. Information such as what types and cuts of pork, the quantity consumed on a regular basis, and how ways eaten generated a distinct southern class structure; the diet of these people reflected the variety of social distinctions within the culture. For instance, white southern planters owned dozens to hundreds of slaves, and they consumed fresh pork (a luxury for a lot of southerners in the Antebellum region). Commonly they fed on hams, pork terrines, multiple cuts of pork, and different iterations in the same meal, and this reflected their position at the top of the social southern
The Harlem Renaissance impacted african American Culture greatly in the 21st century. Without the Harlem Renaissance , the racial activities to African Americans would still exist . The Harlem Renaissance played a big part in stopping racial discrimination. This was the beginning of African American literature .The Harlem Renaissance Movement ended in the 1930s.
Being enslaved was not an easy job for African Americans. African Americans survived slavery through their connection with their culture. They then went on to contribute to the economic and social development of the South and America. African Americans survived the institution of slavery and Africanized the American South. They helped free themselves by sticking together as a family, resisting, as well as wanting slavery to change.
Better Eating Habits of Louisiana The south is known for consisting of states that cook the most heartiest meals and extremely unhealthy meals from the way that the main course is prepared to the desserts being filled with lots of sugar. The state of Louisiana is a true southern state because it is known for its culturally driven food, especially in the city of New Orleans. For many years the concept of eating healthy has gotten more popular because it has became a major priority. Many of the causes of death are because of poor diets and not doing exercise activities properly.
Having Barry as the leader of Motown he was able to break down many barriers with racial and social issues. His music made a connection for the ears of during the time when racism was at an all time high. Many African Americans influenced by the sounds of Motown because artists such as Curtis Mayfield and Same Cooke who was expressing the pains and problems being faced by many African Americans.
Kool-Aid: is a powder that is added to water and add sugar to make it a great soft drink. Have you ever tried Kool-Aid and wondered this is delicious how did the creator invent this? Did you know that Kool-Aid’s original name was Kool-Ade? Well the person who invented Kool-Aid was name Edwin Perkins.
The people from Africa were generally part of early American history; however, Africans had experience slavery under better conditions compared to the conditions imposed by other civilized society. From the Egyptian Empire to the Empire of Songhai, slavery was practice for the betterment of their society, however, foreigners invaded these regions and took their slave, their ports and impose these people to a life of servitude in the Caribbean islands and in the English’s colonies. Furthermore, the African American slaves were an active agent of society in the earliest period of American history; they have brought new religious practices to their community; for instance, they constructed networks of communities; they had fought in war alongside
The Impact of Hip-Hop Ever since its birth in the 1970s in West Bronx, Hip Hop has been known as “Gangsta” music and most commonly associated with black culture. Since its creation it has become a fast growing genre of music and has growing fame all over the world. The popularity of it has increased to all races, age and gender. However the growing popularity of hip hop has come with several controversies among scholars. Some scholars argue that the growing popularity of the genre is very helpful to low income families who can use this as their outlet into going to Universities, on the other side some believe associating the genre to black culture is bad for the culture as a whole and they should not be associated together.
The oral tradition refers to stories, old sayings, songs, proverbs, and other cultural products that have not been written down or recorded. The forms of oral tradition cultures are kept alive by being passed on by word of mouth from one generation to the next. These diverse forms reveal the values and beliefs of African Americans, the things they hold to be true, and lessons about life and how to live it. In African American culture, the oral tradition has served as a fundamental vehicle for cultural expression and survival. This oral tradition also preserved the cultural heritage and reflected the collective spirit of the race.
(Dray, Sarah.) Most suppose that by going on diets, losing weight, and going back to their original eating habits is acceptable. These actions are simply making matters worse for them. “People who diet gain more weight than those who skip the diet route altogether (Dr. Axe.) ”