Southern Food in my Hometown

When I think of southern food, I can't help but think of my favorite southern restaurant near my hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. This restaurant is the Loveless Cafe, a local restaurant seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Yet, the tasty food and the way that it embraces the southern way of life has made it famous, with appearances on shows like Tennessee Crossroads, Martha Stewart, Ellen, and even Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

So what has made the Loveless Cafe so famous? For one it is their biscuits, which are truly amazing. But it is more than that. It is the way that the cafe adheres to that notion of southern food. The restaurant itself is an old house surrounded by a motel and a few country stores selling items like jams and preserves. It is also marked as southern by its delicious and homemade comfort food. This restaurant really identifies itself as an icon of southern cooking by letting you slip into the feeling of being at home.

Comfort Food

The south has always been known for its distinct southern style cooking. Southern food was influenced by both the Native American and African American people. The Native Americans introduced the first Southerners to vegetables such as corn, pumpkin, and squash, while African Americans introduced Southerners to greens such as okra, field peas, and eggplant. Through the years, southern food has developed into recipes such as fried chicken, black eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, peach cobbler, collard greens, and biscuits and gravy. The south is also known for its sweet tea. However, each region has a different flare of southern style food. Lousiana is known for its hot sauces, while Virginia is famous for its Smithfield ham, apples, and peanuts, and Tennessee for its country ham. Most states have their own style of barbecue. Georgia is called the peach state and is also noted for its pecans, peanuts, and vidalia onions. Southerners can find a way to fry just about anything, making southern food not just the most fattening, but the most delicious cuisine.
In my opinion, Mary Mac's is the best place to get an old fashion homecooked meal. Their menu features all the best country food such as country fried steak, meatloaf, and fried chicken. They also have the best vegetables around, and there are so many options of sides to pick from such as cole slaw, fried okra, collard greens, mac and cheese, cream corn, dumplings, cornbread, sweet potato souffle, and steamed cabbage. You will never leave still hungry!

Food is one of the many things that the south is very well known for. From anything fried to the mashed potatoes, the corn bread, green beans and cole slaw, the South has a very unique style of food. When people travel to the south, they want to experience the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and corn that comes along with it. Where else do states of countries fry bananas or pickles? Anything you want fried is available.

Southern life is very revolved around working and doing things yourself. The food that southerners eat is very similar, it is all food that you can find in the south. Given, there are always going to be restaurants that serve exotic or non-native foods. But if you are looking for deep south cooking, you are going to find things that are grown and harvested in the South.

Styles of food vary from culture to culture. Southern food has developed over the years and adapted some different cultures' styles. Tex-Mex, a blend of American cuisine influenced by Mexican food and culture, has started to move across the south. It is an Americanized version of Mexican food, and is most common in the Southern states, especially in Texas. This version of Mexican food is not common in the northern states of America, and the further away from the border of Mexico, the worse the tex-mex.

Southern food has originality that began many years ago. But this food culture that the south has become known for was taken from the Afican American people and Native American people who lived here in the early stages of America. As the years go on, the food develops, but the reputation for food in the South is undeniable.

Topic Intro

How is southern food different from other cultures and how does it reflect southern life?