Foodways

By Andrea Villien

General Context

Food is every Southerner’s love language. It is a direct connection to place and identity. It is how Southerners show they care both in times of celebration and sorrow. Folklorists use the term foodways to describe the agricultural and sociocultural traditions and rituals around food preparation and consumption. Traditional foodways of South Louisiana blend African, Indigenous, French, German, and Spanish influences, among others.

One iconic South Louisiana dish that is significant in the novel is gumbo. Having African roots along with Indigenous and French influences, this thick stew has always been dependent on resources that were available locally. Seafood was caught from surrounding waterways, meat was raised and processed on the land, greens and okra were grown in kitchen gardens, and filé was foraged from local sassafras trees. Its preparation is usually a ritual of community and celebration.

Connection to Novel

In the novel, food is a symbol of care and power as Miss Emma continuously prepares food for Jefferson to eat while he is in prison— sweet potatoes, pecan pralines, fried chicken, and gumbo, to name a few. She shows her love through food. Jefferson asserts the only agency he has left by not eating as others expect him to.

In chapter twenty-four, Grant and Jefferson pace the dayroom while Miss Emma, Tante Lou, and the Reverend wait for them to return to the meal Miss Emma prepared. Grant asks Jefferson, “Will you be her friend? Will you eat some of the gumbo?” Eating his aunt’s food is a symbol of respect and acceptance of love and care. Jefferson ultimately decides to have some gumbo. It is in this scene that Grant and Jefferson’s friendship is solidified, and they both recognize the importance of community. Grant narrates what he imagines Jefferson is thinking in that moment: “As lowly as I am, I am still part of the whole.”