Fruits red and purple, somber-bloomed and black; Then, down rich fields and frosty river beaches We’ll trample bright persimmons, while you kill Bronze partridge, speckled quail, and canvasback. —Elinor Wylie1 I ate another apple pie and ice cream; that’s practically all I ate all the way across the country, I knew it was nutritious and it was delicious, of course. —Jack Kerouac2   In October of 1998, Jiao-Tong, the literary editor of the China Times in Taipei, Taiwan, invited me to write an essay on American food in American literature for presentation at the first International Conference on Food and Literature that was held in Taipei in May of 1999.  I thought that I would find many secondary source books on this topic.  After extensive searches of the net and communications with several professors of American literature at universities in the United States and Canada, I was quite surprised to find no book in print on the topic.  Not only was there no book about it there was also no single article that directly addressed my topic.  The absence of secondary sources explains why most of the references in this essay are to primary sources.  The limitations on time ... [more..]

If you a busy cook, on a budget, wanting to feed your family good healthy meals, here is a meal plan for you.  If you are a parent with little ones who want to help out, this Tex-Mex Beef Casserole is a good recipe for your family.  While you are browning the beef, the little ones can be putting the chips in the bottom of the pan.  They can "start" and "finsh" the casserole by also adding the shredded cheese to the top.  And remember, kids love to eat what they make.  Kids also love mini corn-on-the cob so this would be a quick and easy side dish.  For a simple dessert, serve a strawberry ice-cream sundae pie.  It is so simple and quick.  Let it freeze while you are eating dinner and it's ready to impress your family.  It is simple and delicious.  This menu is also suitable for diabetics by making some adjustments on the pie.  Use sugar-free ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped topping. TEX-MEX BEEF CASSEROLE 1 bag Dorito chips 1 lb ground beef 1 can Spanish rice 1 can refried beans 1 medium onion 1 small can mushrooms, drained 1 can tomato soup 1/2 jar ... [more..]

Free soul food recipes continue to go through major changes. In response to growing consumer demand and to maintain market share, more book, website and recipe publishers are slimming down their recipes. How? By cutting the high calorie fats, sodium and creams in their recipes. Making the ingredients leaner and meaner comes as a result of consumer demand. Soul food recipes have come under the gun by many health experts and medical professionals for the large quantities of fat and sodium they contain. As tasty as these southern inspired dishes have been. Many  health experts complained about the ingredients and cooking methods which can cause high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity as well as other health threatening ailments. In response to these concerns,  the soul food industry is starting to respond by reducing these health threatening ingredients. "The trick has always been to reduce the bad-for-your-health stuff without reducing the taste. We are getting better at it," admits Don Griffith, Executive Chef from Atlanta Georgia, known as the Mecca of soul food dining by many.More and more soul food restaurants are starting to cater to the health conscious crowd by offering salads on their menus. A few years ago most ... [more..]

One sunny afternoon last summer John could feel the warm rays of the sun as he pulled into the gas station in his shiny new black corvette convertible. He remembered handing the salesman a check for his entire savings and the salesman giving him the owners manual with all the required specs so the car could achieve the highest level of performance. He pulled up close to the air and water station. After he opened the locking gas cap he began to fill the tank with the water hose, he decided the 50 cents for the water was better than the $4.oo a gallon for gas." Seems rather absurd, doesn't it? That is why it is so very hard for me to understand why there is even a controversy over health and fast food consumption having negative effects. If you look at your bodies requirements for the highest quality of life you can achieve and you understand that everything you consume is where all of these required elements come from, then it is very easy to understand if you want optimum health, then and only then, will you fully understand the real reasons fast food consumption has such negative effects upon your ... [more..]