Intelexual-Media
"A Buffet of Black Food History" is a YouTube video that explores the history of Black American food and its cultural and political significance. The video covers a wide range of topics from the origins of barbecuing to the impact of Jim Crow laws on Black food culture, the International Peace Mission, the Great Migration and the Civil Rights era, Paschal's restaurant, Georgia Gilmore, Riverside Church, and Food For Freedom. The video also discusses the Nation of Islam's advocacy for plant-based diets in the 1960s and the popularity of vegetarianism in the 70s. Throughout, the video emphasizes how food has been used as a form of resistance, empowerment, and cultural expression for Black Americans.
In this section of the video, the speaker takes us on a journey through Black American food history, starting from the exchange between indigenous people and enslaved Africans in the Caribbean in the 16th century that led to the modern method of barbecuing. The section highlights the accomplishments of various enslaved chefs, such as Duchess Charity Quamino and James Hemings, and the contributions of unnamed Black cooks who created masterpieces against their will. The speaker dispels the myth that enslaved people were well-fed and goes on to explain how they were often denied rations and led to malnutrition and poor eating habits that persisted even after slavery into the sharecropping era.
In this section, the video explores the impact of Jim Crow laws on Black food culture in America. Forced to travel long distances without being able to stop for food, Black Americans had to pack "cold sandwiches, fried chicken, slices of buttered bread, hard boiled eggs, a little paper of salt and pepper, fruit and a slice of pound cake." Racist establishments like Coon Chicken Inn restaurants, with their toothpicks, napkins, and decor sporting racist cartoons, were where White racists went for service, but Black people were only allowed to be servers which led to racist jokes and harassment. However, this did not stop Black chefs and restaurateurs from capitalizing on their crafts, like the "Oyster King of New York" Thomas Downing, who even used his restaurant earnings to fund Black schools and desegregation efforts.
In this section, we learn about the International Peace Mission and Father Divine, a cult leader who rejected the theory of race and integrated both his cult and businesses. The Great Migration in the early 20th century bought many Southern dishes and chefs to the North, with Harlem being a hub that brought new flavors to Manhattan streets. Rent parties, where residents held informal events for a few coins, were popular, and many dishes were available, including Jamaican curries mingling with New Orleans crawfish bisque. The Civil Rights era also had a food impact, with many demonstrations for integration occurring in restaurants and lunch counters. Ben's Chili Bowl in DC and Dooky Chase's in New Orleans both played a role in the Black activism of the 60s, with both serving excellent food and supporting Black causes.
In this section, we learn about the significance of Paschal's restaurant, whose popularity grew rapidly because it served the best food, provided a friendly atmosphere for everyone and was mecca for civil rights leaders. We also hear about Georgia Gilmore, whose delicious food brought in a lot of money to the Club From Nowhere - funds that sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott while also feeding many activists. We further discover how tens of thousands of bag lunches were prepared by many volunteers who worked for two days and nights at Riverside Church in Harlem to feed the hungry marchers during the March on Washington. Finally, we come to know about Food For Freedom, a coalition-driven food network led by Aaron Henry in Mississippi, which distributed food to 20k Black people and supported other basic needs such as medications and clothing, contributing significantly in mobilizing Black voters.
In this section, the video discusses the Nation of Islam's advocacy for plant-based diets in the 1960s and its efforts to produce and market its own food. The Nation encouraged Black Americans to give up soul food and especially swine, producing poultry and beef to sell in its restaurants despite encouraging people to give up meat. The popularity of celebrities like Dick Gregory, Ruby Dee, and Cicely Tyson helped make vegetarianism more popular in the Black community in the 70s. While discussing the importance of food, the video encourages viewers to think about modern parallels for the issues in Black food history and shares a recipe for Rosa Parks' peanut butter pancakes.
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