In 2024 SOOTS leaders Mia, Kat, and Tommy as well as Lola, Faith, Zora, and Vaughn interviewed their family members and remade recipes that were passed down across generations. Our Food Folklore Projects are inspired by the work of Bill and Marcie Cohen Ferris, our good friends at UNC's Center for the Study of the American South. Almost all of these students interviewed their grandmothers; many of these recipes being important to their families and/or culturally significant. We have begun the first stage of documenting our Food Folklore Projects: stay tuned!
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Faith's Grandmother's (BigMama) Teacakes:
Faith: Barbara Ann Marks is the mother of my father, Rodney Obaigbena. Her mother, my great grandmother, also known as “BigMama,” is the creator of the Teacake recipe, in addition to her BigMama Gumbo recipe. Barbara was influenced by several of her mother’s hobbies like reading and cooking and loves to cook and bake her recipes. When Barbara was old enough, BigMama taught her the Teacake recipe. This food project focuses specifically on Barbara’s experience with BigMama’s Teacake recipe. |
Listen to Faith's Project:
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Lola's Mother's Vegetable Pie:
Lola: This interview was conducted between Lola Patel and her mom, Samantha Patel. Samantha is from Stoke on Trent, England originally but moved to the US 27 years ago. This gives her a unique perspective on food by bridging two cultures and raising children in this mix. This interview delves into the ties with childhood, economic standing, and of course balancing culture through your consumption of food. This interview straddles several cultures and focuses on the difficulties and strengths of balancing them. The impact of history on food is also highlighted as certain dishes in Samantha's diet originally came from World War ll and the rationing and scarcity of food at the time. |
Listen to Lola's Project:
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Tommy's Grandmother (Amma):
Tommy: My Grandmother grew up in Indiana as the youngest of five children by a wide margin, so in a way she was raised kind of like an only child. She used to help her mother in the kitchen as a child. Amma said that she always enjoyed doing it, largely because she liked spending time with her mother, considering her siblings were much older than her and some had even moved out at the point. After school, she would help her mother cook some of the family recipes. The aspect of cooking with her mother that she didn’t like was she would always be the one who took the meat or other food down to the basement to put it in the furnace. She told me that she was terrified of her basement. She would take a while to build up the courage to go down into the basement and would always rush back up afterwards. When she grew up, she entered a convent to become a nun, however she met my grandfather and married him instead. As a wife and mother, Amma did the vast majority of the cooking in the house, although I’ve heard stories of failed attempts at cooking from my grandfather and how, on the occasion that he had to cook, he would just end up making tomato soup and grilled cheese. My Amma, on the other hand, was a very good cook as I know from all the meals she has made for me. One of my favorite dishes she makes is a side dish of summer squash and zucchini, fried in a pan with a little bit of oil and cheese. |
Listen to Tommy's Project:
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Zora's Grandmother:
Kat's Grandmother:
Kat: I had the privilege of interviewing my grandmother about her unique Russian-Korean-Uzbek heritage, tracing its complex origins back to the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War. She vividly recounted the harrowing conditions her grandparents endured, forced to relocate and adapt to new environments due to the war's tumultuous effects. This historical upheaval led to a fascinating blend of cultures that is distinctly reflected in the foods we enjoy today. My grandmother spoke passionately about traditional dishes like kimchi, plov, and pirozhki, each representing a piece of our multicultural heritage. She described how her spicy kimchi, a staple of Korean cuisine, sits alongside her cumin-filled plov, an Uzbek rice dish, on our family table, while pirozhki, a Russian meat pastry, adds a touch of earthiness. Through her stories, I gained a profound appreciation for our rich and diverse culinary traditions, which serve as a testament to our family's resilience.
Kat: I had the privilege of interviewing my grandmother about her unique Russian-Korean-Uzbek heritage, tracing its complex origins back to the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War. She vividly recounted the harrowing conditions her grandparents endured, forced to relocate and adapt to new environments due to the war's tumultuous effects. This historical upheaval led to a fascinating blend of cultures that is distinctly reflected in the foods we enjoy today. My grandmother spoke passionately about traditional dishes like kimchi, plov, and pirozhki, each representing a piece of our multicultural heritage. She described how her spicy kimchi, a staple of Korean cuisine, sits alongside her cumin-filled plov, an Uzbek rice dish, on our family table, while pirozhki, a Russian meat pastry, adds a touch of earthiness. Through her stories, I gained a profound appreciation for our rich and diverse culinary traditions, which serve as a testament to our family's resilience.