N'western U's cafeteria honors MLK w/fried chicken

[Busboy]

Food and economics collide: as job creation has moved from the northern industrial belt to the sunbelt, yankees are learning to appreciate southern food not from new neighbors moved whove come north for factory work, but by going south themselves.

I don't know where in North Florida you are (my wife is from LA herself -- Lower Alabama, ie Pensacola) but the Hopkins Boarding House in Pensacola is famous for delivering excellent Souther fare at a very reasonable price. Might be worth dropping in if you're heading over to the Naval Air Station for the museum, or decide to take in "Florida's Whitest Beaches" (they're referring to the sand, but it still strikes me as an odd tourism slogan).

[robyn]

And here is an opposing point of view - from my husband - who's not exactly "Mr. Liberal".

He said the incident reminded him of the flap at the Masters Golf Tournament where Fuzzy Zoeller - upon hearing of Tiger Woods' victory - said they'd all be eating fried chicken and collards at the next Masters' dinner (for those of you who don't know the tradition - last year's winner gets to order the dinner next year). He said it was tacky.

He also said that if the people at the school had any brains - they would have run the idea by the Black Students Association before they did the meal. And only done it if it got the required blessing.

So now I have to think (I don't always agree with my husband - but he never ceases to challenge me ). Robyn

[ExtraMSG]

He also said that if the people at the school had any brains - they would have run the idea by the Black Students Association before they did the meal. And only done it if it got the required blessing.

Honestly, we don't know that they didn't. It may have been the BSA's idea to begin with. All we have is some student bitching in the paper.

[tommy]

Honestly, we don't know that they didn't. It may have been the BSA's idea to begin with. All we have is some student bitching in the paper.

honestly, i can't continue reading this thread if you're going to let facts, or a lack thereof, get in the way of discussion.

[babka]

Try starting a Jesus day in your local cafeteria. Once you figure out what to serve, WHATEVER you serve, I'd be interested in seeing how the whole thing goes over.

fascinating book on that, btw:

The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast

[Fresser]

When you're in the South, that particular menu has no racial connotations whatsoever.

really - i think fried chicken, collard greens and cornbread is really an Iconic meal of the South. 

everywhere else it's called "soul food"  down here, it's just food.

now if they'd had watermelon for dessert in the middle of winter - well hell yes, that would really racist.  i'm hoping a cobbler or perhaps a bread pudding were served instead.  ermm...[/sarcasm]

I haven't met a white person (European-American?) yet that didn't like watermelon. So to say that serving a particular food in concurrence with a particular holiday belittles any one race or people is truly bizarre.

Now in Chicago, lots o' people serve corned beef & cabbage on St. Patrick's day, and Mayor Daley doesn't get his knickers in a knot over it.

The grounded among us realize that any cuisine does not categorically identify a single culture. Brother Slkinsey mentions the example of matzo ball soup and brisket being served on the hypothetical "Einstein Day." But this is traditional grub only for Eastern European Jews such as Einstein and my own kinfolk. But for Sephardic Jews, such as my wacky Moroccan rabbi, couscous and other Mediterranean dishes are their common fare. Most Israelis have never even had bagels & lox.

Unless they moved there from Boca Raton...