We know there’s an unwritten rule that we only trust other Black folk to cook certain foods. One question we always ask is, “Who made it?” If it ain’t our skinfolk, it’s a hard pass.
For instance, we do things a certain way. We don’t allow any substitutions. Since gumbo requires sausage, we don’t add hot dogs. Oh, and we don’t measure our food. The ancestors just tap us on our shoulder when they’re satisfied. There’s also a five seasoning (as we say) rule!Â
We need more than salt & pepper for our fried chicken, spaghetti, fried fish, meat/poultry in general, and any type of Soul Food. Please don’t forget that bacon, ham hocks, and turkey necks must be in the pot when cooking mustard or collard greens, as well as black eyed peas. Let’s not forget about other dishes like rotel dip, hot wings, pasta salad, okra, hot water cornbread, pound cake, pecan and sweet potato pies. The list goes on and on.
In the Black community, before you can be responsible for mac + cheese or potato salad, you gotta go through taste testing bootcamp, and it must be approved by a special committee of family members.Â
It’s safe to say that we’re a pretty selective group of folk. While we understand that other cultures have their own specialities, we certainly have a preference.
