Jeramy, I think your post pretty much sums up why most of us love cooking. It's not about the food, but about the emotions that are served with it. In today's narcissistic world, that idea of putting all your love into a simple biscuit to be served to patients and staff at a hospital might seem quaint and almost silly, but it's that kind of unselfish dedication to others which we desperately need! Soul food isn't about black or white, it's about caring for others and meeting the most basic, elemental human needs, food and comfort. Some of my fondest memories from my early years were of hanging out in my Aunt Mary's kitchen on holidays while she flailed around like a mad woman doing her best Julia Child impression and juggling 27 things at once. Most wouldn't consider what she was preparing soul food, but it was. It was about loving her family and nourishing them. Whether it's hog jowls, greens and black eyed peas in a tenement kitchen or beef tenderloin and roasted asparagus with Hollandaise in a penthouse apartment, the warmth and love is the same.
