I was very happy that the New York Times decided to publish a write-up of my new book and even more happy that it was in company with two other books that tackle the complexities of how we define and think about Southern food.

As Americans think hard about what cultural appropriation is and how it might affect the way we interact with the most taken-for-granted elements of our lives, it’s a good time to remember that a culture’s conflicts are always present in its cuisines.  John T. Edge and Michael Twitty are exemplary fore-grounders of that truth.