Slow and Honest

I mentioned in my last post that I was becoming obsessed with another kind of food. Lots of talking, eating, and cooking has brought me back around to the food that my mother always made - good Southern food. 


Following several southern food bloggers and planning on attending a food blog conference here in Birmingham has really surrounded me with people who are passionate about the food here - and for good reason. After sitting in on and participating in a couple of Twitter group chats about food in the south, including guests like Frank Stitt and FoodBlog South, I really fell back in love with this kind of food.

Fried Chicken & Biscuits

Everyone thinks of Paula Deen when they think of southern food - which invariably means they're thinking of "comfort food" full of fat and butter. And while I can't deny I go batty over some good fried chicken and homemade biscuits, there's a lot more to our cuisine. Chefs like Frank Stitt, Chris Hastings, Hugh Acheson, and Sean Brock are showing everyone what we're really about. Because of all the farms and livestock in the area, having fresh foods (including plenty of  organic and heirloom choices) really makes it possible to have some of the best foods. Great ingredients don't need tons of preparation and meticulous work to get incredible tastes. Simple foods prepared well are some of the best foods you can eat.


I really look forward to using great ingredients and trying out some of the recipes from some of these Southern chefs and developing my own recipes. During Thanksgiving I watched on Twitter as SO MANY PEOPLE freaked out about it. Cooking, hosting, traveling... it seemed as if no one was really ENJOYING the holiday. And that's a shame. I've always been laid back. I think some people even view me as lackadaisical. My mother even pointed out this weekend that I've always just rolled with the flow and not let myself get overly worried about things. I think there isn't a better attitude to have when paired with food. Don't let yourself get so worked up and upset about food - it should be a good experience. If it isn't being that, step back and relax. Find a way to let things be easier. During one of the aforementioned Twitter chats, someone asked for words that describe Southern food. Two of them really stuck out to me and I'm making it a point to make my experiences - food and otherwise - be about these words: SLOW and HONEST.