Food has become a way to distinguish different cultures from one another. One culture may be fond of using multiple spices in their dishes, while others may prefer a saltier taste to their food. Not only can food define cultures, it can reflect a person’s personality, lifestyle, as well as their socioeconomic standing depending on how and what they eat. Although America is a diverse country, there are many dishes that are a staple to being American only food. Many of these staple meals can be found in the cooking of people who live in the southern part of the United States. These types of meals go by various names such as soul food, country fried food, and good eats. For the simplicity of this essay, the food will be referred to as southern cooked food. Southern cooked food can entail a variety of dishes, but always has the sample principal no matter where it is cooked: fried chicken. However, many southern food dishes have something that is fried such as country-fried steak or fried okra. This essay will examine the visually and rhetorical appeals that come from an advertisement for southern cooked food.
The picture shown is a picture of a home cooked meal from the south. The picture was featured on Tumblr with the tags: country, gravy, southern, corn, macaroni, meal, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, home cooked, and southern food. All of these elements are what make up a southern cooked meal. In many restaurants in the south, they have this type of meal for sale. For example, the fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken has a meal deal where a customer can purchase a meal that has the exact same thing in the picture. It is unable to determine who the author of the picture was, but the audience of the picture is most likely people who enjoy to eat southern food. S mentioned earlier, fried chicken is a leading dish when it comes to southern cooked food and the side dishes that go along with it are a classic. The image is a classic southern cooked meal that anyone who has lived in the south has had for dinner. The mashed potatoes and gravy are a must have to go along with the fried chicken, and if it is not available then biscuits and gravy will take its place. On another note, gravy is the southern equivalent to having the red wine reduction sauce to make any meal exquisite. It is simple to make homemade and goes on just about any dish either as a topping or side sauce. The peppered corn usually comes in two forms which is from out of a can or on the cob still. However, at cookouts corn is still eaten off the cob while corn eaten out of the can comes from dinners inside the house. Macaroni and cheese is also a part of the classic southern cooked meal. However, it is mostly likely due to many people enjoying macaroni and cheese as a kid and continue to eat it as adults. The last item in the picture appears to be buffalo or barbeque chicken nuggets. Spicy food is common when it comes to southern cooked food since many inspirations come from Cajun cooking as well as barbeque being a common form of cooking meats in the south. The image appeals to all of the five senses. Just from looking at the picture the audience can image the sound of the chicken crunching when biting into it, smell the sweetness of the corn, taste the sweet and spiciness of the barbeque, see the melted cheese on the macaroni, and finally taste the smoothness of the mashed potatoes. Southern cooked meals are a lot more than simply satisfying one’s hunger. It is a time for people to sit down and enjoy a meal with family and friends. Southern cooked meals are a time where people come together over a home cooked meal.
When watching cooking shows on The Food Network that specialize in southern cooking, many of the hosts have their family and friends on the show to enjoy the food with them. For example, when Paula Dean had her cooking show she would have her sons and husband taste and eat her food when she was done with cooking. The same can be said for when the Neelys finish cooking their food and invite their family members to dine with them as well as Barefoot Contessa doing the same thing at the end of her show. Not only do all these chefs share their home cooked meals and recipes with the audience, they go out of their way to invite people they care about over to enjoy the meal with them. Southern cooked food is more about enjoying the company you are around while eating delicious food. Crystal Johnson, the founder and editor-in-chief of MultiCultural Cooking Network, is the best way for people to discuss things and understand each other is over food (Hanley, 2011). By having someone to enjoy a meal with, it is possible that a person’s mood can be changed due to the friends and family surrounding them. “Social connectedness, whether hanging out after work or sitting down at the table with friends and family for a nightly meal, has been shown to increase happiness and help alleviate depression” (Mathias, 2011) . Having a conversation over food can allow people to open up more and discuss things that they would not if it were in a different setting. Even in movies, there is usually a scene or two of the actors and actresses discussing a situation over a meal whether it is in a restaurant or at the family’s dinner table. Most southern cooked meals comes from recipes that have been passed down through a family, such as a meal that a great-grandparent would make all the time. Therefore, by having someone cook a recipe that a past relative used to make can cause people to reminisce about the good times they had with that relative. Although many southern cooked meals are far from healthy, eating with a group of people can affect how a person’s chooses their meals. For example, a few dishes that are common with southern cooked food is collard greens, cole slaw, and green beans. A person at a gathering may only have deep fried foods on their plate and skip adding the vegetables. Since they are in a group setting with people who care about them, someone could point out to them that they at least need to eat some form of vegetables to outweigh all the meat and fat they are putting into their system.
Food has a way of defining who a person is and a culture. It can tell a person’s personality based on the food they eat and even guess where they grew up in also depending on the favorite food. Southern cooked meals are a staple dish across the southern half of the United States. Its main dishes consist of fried chicken and side dishes of mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, or macaroni and cheese. These meals not only satisfy a person’s hungry, but also helps improve emotionally stability. It can also have a positive effect of making a person chose healthier options if they are available.
Works Cited:
Hanley, Shantel. "Connecting Cultures Through Food." Cuisine Noir Magazine. Cuisine Noir
Magazine, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. <http://www.cuisinenoirmag.com/theme/connecting-cultures-through-food>.
Mathias, Rolando. "Stay Happy and Healthy by Eating with Friends." Greatist. Greatist, 14 Aug.
2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
<http://greatist.com/happiness/stay-happy-and-healthy-eating-friends>.
"Country Gravy Southern Corn Macaroni Meal Fried Chicken Mashed Potatoes Homecooked
Southern Food." Rebloggy. Tumblr. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
