Memory Food!

Bacon and Sausage

For the Sausage:

Preparation- Thaw product prior to cooking, Sausage is fully cooked when the internal temperature is 160°F.

Skillet- Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-low. Add sausage links on a shallow baking pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through and browned, turning links once.

Storage- To ensure quality, refrigerate and prepare within 3 days; otherwise freeze up to 30 days.

For the Bacon:

Stovetop: Cook bacon in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat until browned and crisp, turning to brown evenly.

For class we were asked to prepare a memory food and bring it to class.  Honestly, it took me some time to decide on what I wanted to bring.  After some thinking, I picked bacon and sausage.  Growing up, my father always had to work all day which left my wonderful mother with the task of preparing all of the meals.  The one thing I, and mostly my entire family, looked forwarded to was the weekend.  My father was blessed with a job where he consistently had the weekends off.  This meant that my dad would get up early and have breakfast prepared for everyone.  He always made the same thing; bacon, sausage and eggs.  We all became accustom to this ritual and enjoyed the few times we were always able to be together as a family and just enjoy the presence of each other.  This tradition of my father preparing this weekend breakfast still continues but now the meaning of the meal has gained a stronger meaning for me.  Moving away from my family and attending college hours away from my family was one of the hardest things I could do.  There are a lot of things that I miss about being home but having meals with my family is a big part of the things I miss about home.  Now this memory food represents not only my family spending time together but it also represents home.  Whenever I am missing home, I just cook some bacon and sausage.

As I starting looking into my memory food, I started connecting parts of this specific memory to some of the content that I have learned this year in my Cooking Up Culture course.  In Adams’ “The sexual Politics of Meat”, Adams’ mentions that “meat is a constant for men” (Adams 36).  This is proven when the only meals my father prepares on a regular basis is meat.  Meat has gained a male identity and therefore men are usually are correlated with the cooking and majority of the consumption of meat items.  My father, like many fathers that I know, enjoys cooking meat and I think this enjoyment can be related back to the idea that Adams mentions in his article. 

A Deeper Look at Cookbooks

The cookbook I took a further look at was Betty Crocker’s One Dish Meals.  Within the first few pages of this cookbook, the pages tell a lot about the book.  Upon the first page there is a description telling the user that she, which is inferred throughout the book, should use the correct utensils for the preparation of the meals.  Within the descriptions in the introduction and the wording used in certain passages within the book implies that the target audience is a mother who is busy and attempting to provide nourishing meals to her family.  It then goes on to describe the correct tools to use along with the measurements of the tools and what the tools are good for.  For example, the baking dish is good for casseroles, and lasagna.  There are useful tips for using skillets and common utensils needed for making a one dish meal, as the title of the cookbook suggest.  Tips called “Flavor Boosters”, “Lighten Up”, “Freezer-Friendly Foods”, “Zap It! Reheating Foods in the Microwave”, “One-Dish Meals for (Almost) Every Occasion” which give the mother ideas about how to use this books for simplicity and creatively.  Although there is an implication that cooking is a science, there is a strong suggestion towards the meals being creative and making preparing a form of art through things like “Flavor Boosters”.  The book is separated into sections with labels like kid friendly, best for brunch, good for casual at home gatherings, and many more.   Betty Crocker is a brand that provides an artsy, motherly identity in One Dish Meals that helps appeals to busy mothers who still desire to prepare meals for her family. 

This cookbook like many other cookbooks serves a purpose.  According to David Sutton in his article “Cooking Skills, the Senses, and Memory” the purpose is to provide “skill[s]…of apprenticeship and repetition, and the education of the senses that allow for the comparisons necessary to judge the successful dish” (Sutton 300).  Through examination of One Dish Meals it can be seen that with the vast amounts of descriptions of the tools needed along with tips for proper preparation, Betty Crocker provides the users the ability to have the education needed to make the recipes.  With the incorporation of pictures within the book, the user is able to know what the dish should look like if the dish is properly prepared according to the recipe.  Some pictures give a step by step process through pictures, which gives the user the ability to reference the proper dish along with some education on how to go about making the dish.  In Suttons article, Sutton claims that “[t]he microwave…[is a] device which seems to deskill the cook” which is the opposite feeling the Betty Crocker gives in One Dish Meals (Sutton 304).  While Sutton claims that the microwave provides a loss of empowerment for the cook, Betty Crocker uses the microwave to appeal to her audience.  There is an entire section in the cookbook that refers to using the microwave.  This reference is appealing to the target audience due to the implied lack of time the audience contains.  Giving recipes with the use of a microwave gives the audience the feeling that she can have the time to cook a proper meal without hours and hours of preparation over a hot stove. With this appeal to common day mothers, Betty Crocker reaches a wide audience instead of a limited one based on traditional beliefs. 

Southern Tastes

There are various restaurants that I associate with being Southern.  There are the restaurants that were established in the South, like Waffle House, Crackle Barrel, Chick-fil-A, and Wife Saver just to name a few.  Each of these restaurants has their own way of establishing a Southern identity.  In Williams-Forson’s article “More than Just the “Big Piece of Chicken”. The Power of Race, Class, and Food in American Consciousness”, Williams-Forson argues that “food can be used to contest hegemonic representations of blackness and the ways in which performances of blackness reveal complicated aspects of identity” (Williams-Forson 21).  Although, I would argue that food can be used as a representation of anyone’s identity, not just how black someone is as Williams-Forson argues.  There are many ways in which food can be used to give a small glimpse of an individual’s identity.  In Allison’s article “Japanese Mothers and Obentos”, the dedication and care put into the obentos is a direct representation “of a women’s commitment as a mother” (Allison 90).  This dedication of the preparation is a direct representation of the mother and her identity as a “good” mother.

In the examples of the restaurants, I used my experiences within the restaurants and along with other elements in order to determine what factors established the restaurant as Southern.  Chick-fil-A was founded in Georgia and therefore contains a Southern identity.  The chicken is fried which of course is a trademark of being Southern.  Sweet tea is something rarely found outside of the South and thus strengthens the Southern atmosphere.  The fact that the employees say “it’s my pleasure” helps maintain a Southern hospitality aura.  Another example of a Southern restaurant is Crackle Barrel.  The vibe throughout the Crackle Barrel restaurant can be easily described as Southern and homey.  The area is, to a large extent, cluttered which provides a feeling of being home.  The food comes out in an almost cluttered appearance which also leads to a feeling of being home.  Grits is a food item widely known for being Southern and at Crackle Barrel it is assumed that you’ll want to enjoy grits with your meal. 

            Although what kind of food that is provided at a restaurant is important in establishing an identity, the atmosphere that encompasses the restaurant is just as important.  The atmosphere helps further establish the desired identity by creating a feeling of authenticity.  Being authentic is highly important in establishing creditability and maintaining customer relationships.