2022 Community Theme - The South

Why “the south?”

I’ve been trying to find a broad topic to guide this space for a while, but couldn’t narrow it down. When asked what folks were interested in, community suggestions ranged from learning about my new home to sustainability in food. Each of those felt either too broad, too narrow, or just not quite right for me to work on consistently for a longer but also still limited period of time.

And then I started a culture war on TikTok (once I start talking in that vid captions should come up automatically on TT for anyone who needs them). As with all the internet dust-ups I get involved in, it was unintentional. I attempted to address a nuanced topic with my signature sass and then was quickly smacked in the face with how little social media discourse makes room for nuance. My video was an attempt to point out that takes on “the South,” a region with 100+ million people and 16 states (plus the District of Columbia), that rest solely on broad negative generalizations and stereotypes such as “it sucks” and “it’s backward” are often just disguised classism and elitism. I also think there’s often some racism thrown in there but I left that alone in my video for the sake of trying not to make people too defensive.

I misjudged - I should’ve gone all in and just called out the blatant racism in some characterizations of “the South.” Just kidding…despite my talent for creating it, I truly prefer to avoid internet drama. The days-long arguments in the comments of my video did ultimately serve a purpose though. They prompted me to think about how we discuss and conceptualize “the South” in the US. The conversation forced me to consider my own bias, my own conceptions of “the South” and Southern cuisine as a child, and how much they are still evolving now as an adult. It struck me that this community is an ideal place to embrace nuance, go deeper, and step away from the culture wars, while also considering food and beverage in and of the conceptual “South” this year.

Oh, and one of the intended goals of a topical focus for an extended period is that in the future when we move on, community members have input on the next topic. So in late 2022, I’ll be looking to you for input!

How are we approaching the “south”?

This year, we’ll be taking a very broad approach to the South in this space. Many, though not all, of our drops, classes, and discussions will be connected around this general topic. So, how are we defining the South?

In the context of the United States, I’ll largely be relying on a definition that encompasses Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington DC. That’s a deliberately broad swath of the United States, a sample that will allow us to consider regional and subregional food and beverage histories, cultures, and trends. In considering food and beverage of and in the Southern region of the United States, as opposed to just “southern cuisine,” we’ll have space to go beyond stereotypical representations of fried chicken and biscuits to explore a host of potential topics. At the moment I’m considering cuisines and histories that also encompass the plethora of immigrant communities in the South, including Indigenous communities, emerging food trends in the region, and more. If it’s connected to something in food or beverage in or of this region, it’s an option. Many of the community questions and suggestions already center around topics broadly connected to the south such as barbecue, other food cultures and traditions to explore in Northwest Arkansas, and beyond.

In a broader sense, I’m hoping to also bring in some of my social science background to consider food and beverage in the “global South” as well. That’s a complicated, debated, and nuanced term, but is often used to refer to developing countries or nations that were formerly colonized. Conversations about the global South, similarly to those about the Southern United States, often involve issues of power and complex positionality, which of course I’m all about in the food and beverage space. This portion is dependent on COVID, whether my budget for travel works out, and a whole host of other things - but if all goes to plan I’ll definitely be spending some time in places this year that are considered part of the global South. Many negative characterizations of the Southern United States echo common characterizations of nations that could be considered part of the global South. That resonance leads me to believe that the explorations that I’m planning could also fit into our conversations here. TBD on this piece, but if it happens, I think it would be truly dope.

So, given that topic, how are we feeling about 2022? I hope you’re excited and curious, as I am! I’m approaching this as someone who is convinced she knows nothing and starting from there. What are some things you’d like to learn about or consider related to this year’s theme?

Continued education

Every drop this year will also have a continued education piece related to our theme. From articles to facts I’ve learned throughout the process, I’ll share them here to get a more nuanced understanding of wtf even is “the South” and what do we really know about food and beverage there?

• When are we finally going to acknowledge that Southern food is actually healthy?

• A book on the South I preordered and am excited to read!

• On the new Great Migration

• Why no one can agree where the South really is

• On chocolate with a bit of perspective on power, the global North and the global South