Month: December 2020

Following the burning of his shop, Lowe is corralled and embraced by a mob of men surrounding Miss Cora’s shop. She calls the men to bring him in and they physically lift him in while Lowe is “defeaned by the thunderous roar of men” (133). As he’s brought face to face with Miss Cora in this overwhelming environment, Lowe notes smelling “the horse sweat of the men that had burned down his shop, the semen smell, rum smell, carbolic soap smell of men… the smell of bay rum and sulfur and tobacco and pea soup, and the smell of cod and corned beef, of red herring” (134). They treat Lowe to a drink and he toasts: “in a fragile voice… cracked with forgiveness…mantled with sadness… [and] moist with confusion: ‘Drink up, Eh. All of you, Eh. Thanks'” (135).

The description of the aroma of these men includes mention of corned beef, part of a personal favorite breakfast meal of mine that is corned beef hash. Corned beef came about as early preservation methods dictated salt to be used for widespread meat preservation. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called “corns” of salt. Corned beef was a popular meal throughout numerous wars, including World War I and World War II, during which fresh meat was rationed. It finds itself as the meat filling in dishes worldwide in variety of cultures and cuisines.

The use of meats as a descriptor of these men fits the imagery imagined by the preceding descriptions of smoke and burned wood, tobacco and alcohol products, sweat, blood and unwashed skin – all used in relation to a group of individuals comprising the stereotypical men of this neighborhood. Not only does the use of beef allude to the muscular capacity and heavy smell of men, but I believe corned beef specifically speaks to the idea of extended exposure (as in preservation of meat) that denote the extended labor of men which could create such a pungent, distinctive odor. Lowe reacts in such a way as a result of the volatile situation, being toasted by individuals being responsible for the burning of his shop. The situation describes the hot blooded, unpredictable nature of these men, to be capable of disrespecting and embracing the same man in a single instance.

 

Corned beef. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corned_beefCorned beef – Wikipedia 

On his way to meeting his daughter, Lowe finds himself in an awkward encounter inside the shop of an older Chinese man. He notes “carr[ying] his trembling radiance inside the shop” and being “looked at as if he were a rare bird” (55) alluding to Lowe’s presence as a traveler, someone unknown to the area, and also his unique appearance. Lowe makes his order in “remnant pieces of Hakka he could recall” (55) and expresses a desire to connect with this old shop keeper who reminded him of his Father. A moment of indifference passes and the shopkeeper brings Lowe a plate with scotch bonnet pepper and bread. Scotch bonnet being a signature pepper used for spicing/seasoning in Caribbean communities.

The color of the immature scotch bonnet pepper is green, but the mature pepper has a range of colors from bright yellow, to orange and red. It is often confused for the similar looking Habanero pepper, which is actually a close biological relative of the scotch bonnet pepper. Both are a version deriving from pepper varieties native to the Amazon Basin. The peppers likely made their way to the Caribbean through the relocation of indigenous populations to the West Indie islands. The Scotch bonnet was actually the first Caribbean hot pepper to be known by a specific name in the export market.

The scotch bonnet seems to have significance in this moment as a signature pepper of the West Indies. The pepper, like the presence of the shopkeeper, reminds Lowe of their own culture and experience. This becomes a dissonance for Lowe as this sense of familiarity contrasts with an inability to ever feel comfortable as someone forced to present in the opposite gender and in a way that makes their otherness felt by others. Because of this dissonance, Lowe can no longer engage with the shopkeeper after being seated, even when prompted with conversation by the man who resembles her Father. The moment speaks to Lowe’s struggle to find a sense community and belonging while performing another life, or living life “always through some kind of veil” (245).

 

“Scotch Bonnets Chile Peppers.” Information, Recipes and Facts. Accessed December 13, 2020. https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Scotch_Bonnets_Chile_Peppers_165.php.

I recently saw a really interesting movie called The Search for General Tso on Hulu. The film talked about theories of where the idea of a “General Tso” comes from (spoiler alert: General Tso was a big figure in Chinese military history, posthumously naming everything from elementary schools and liquor companies, but had nothing to do with the creation of the dish we all have heard of today) as well as picks apart the histories and nuances of Asian-American restaurants, exploring how chop suey, fortune cookies, and even the similarly recognizable names of Chinese restaurants came about. It tells a story of forced assimilation, cultural adaptation, and perseverance and I’d definitely recommend giving this movie a watch if you want to learn more about the history of Chinese in the US.

Hi All,

Hope everyone is taking care of themselves during this finals period. I came across this zine-like cookbook about rice through an instagram account that does flash tattoos, who was linking a publishing write Eda Yu as collaborator for the project. While the project is not spanning across Afro-Asia like our own cookbook, it’s tracing experiential and historical memories of three Asian rice dishes similar to our own ingredient genealogies. It’s also self-evident but still worth noting both this project and our own use Instagram as a distribution platform. I’ll attach links and screenshots to check out!

1 Nasi Padang   |   2 Sinigang   |  2 Biryani

Jane

Kaytranda dropped a single called “Look Easy” featuring Lucky Daye about a month ago. He just released a video and I thought the video’s content was somewhat correlated to the subject material we learn in this class, specifically, aesthetics. This video reminds me of that scene sequence in black panther where they have a fight in a casino that is hidden in a fish market. I think Kaytranda has some sort of connection to the Japanese market/aesthetic because he was recently the cover of GQ Japan. I did some research and also found out he spent last summer there, perhaps working on some music. Nonetheless, it is a great song and an amazing visual story.

“…the smell of bay rum and sulfur and tobacco and pea soup, the smell of cod and corned beef, of red herring” (Powell, 134).

Ackee fruit served with salt fish is Jamaica’s national dish. The fish is usually cod from the North Atlantic, but pollack is sometimes also used as a substitute due to the rise in cod prices. The cod is usually dried and then salted, and left to soak overnight (Monique C.) Salt fish has long been considered a poor people’s food, even today to some. This is because during the days of slavery, “sugar plantation owners in the Caribbean imported salt fish to feed their slaves as it was a very cheap source of protein. For many it was their only source of protein” (Silver Sands). Even after slavery ended, “salt fish still remained the cheapest available protein for ex-slaves with no money. The indentured labourers, who were imported from India and China to replace the slaves, also embraced salt fish into their diets” (Silver Sands). Salted cod fish has been a staple dish for generations and generations of those residing in Jamaica, and Afro-Asian histories are deeply intertwined with this dish.

C, Monique. “Jamaican Saltfish Fritters (Stamp and Go).” Allrecipes, www.allrecipes.com/recipe/126937/jamaican-saltfish-fritters-stamp-and-go/.

“Vacation Rentals by the Sea We Are Local – Here for You Every Day!” Silver Sands Jamaica Vacation Rentals, www.mysilversands.com/content.aspx?sPageName=11_03_17-salt-fish-jamaican-diet.

At the end of The Pagoda, Miss Sylvie is beginning to fade away both mentally and physically, and no doctor can figure out what’s ailing her. Lowe decides to send a letter to Miss Sylvie’s son from her previous marriage, hoping that rekindling that relationship will bring some life back. But Lowe didn’t know how stiff the relationship between the two were. When he arrived, Miss Sylvie’s son, LeRoy, was served curried mutton and rice. I wanted to talk about mutton for this weekly post.
Mutton comes from the Latin word multo, which meant a male sheep. This confused me at first, because I thought lamb was sheep meat. As it turns out, both lamb and mutton refer to meat from a sheep. The difference is if the sheep was older than a year old, the meat is referred to as mutton. If the sheep was younger, then it’s lamb. Which then lead me to another question; why do we eat lamb more than mutton in the United States?
For starters, mutton costs more, both in terms of price and time. You have to take care of the sheep for a longer time to get mutton, and once you get that meat, you have to cook it for a longer time so the meat isn’t tough. In addition, during WWII American soldiers were given canned Australian mutton. By the time they got home, they were sick of the food, and some even went so far as to ban mutton in their homes! But most notably, mutton is not as popular in the U.S. due to a series of fights known as the Sheep and Cattle Wars. In the late 1800s, sheep herders were mostly Native American, while cattle herders were those supported by the national government. There was competition over getting land for these animals to graze, and in these conflicts, many of the sheep herders and the sheep were killed. When I started researching mutton, I had no idea I would come across another instance of injustice against Native Americans not taught in school.

The Pagoda pgs. 203-206
https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-difference-between-lamb-and-mutton-2356034
https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/the-history-of-lamb-and-mutton-inspired-by-the-campaign-for-wool
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/11/26/781652195/after-wwii-mutton-fell-out-of-favor-in-the-u-s-can-it-make-a-comeback