younger food of a younger land

If our lukewarm economy awakened your nostalgia for the good old days, look no further than The Food of a Younger Land. Mark Krlansky stumbled onto a goldmine of lost manuscripts created by Works Progress Act (WPA) workers as part of the Federal Writer's Project (FWP).  As he delved into the files held by the Library of Congress he selected finished manuscripts that stood up to the test of time and clearly met the WPA directive of balancing the focus of the article between people and food. Originally conceived as a comprehensive portrait of American foodways, America Eats was to be arranged by the five regions of the United States. But, before the work could be compiled and printed, the United States entered World War II, and the government focused on the war effort. 

Kurlansky perfectly places these essays into the greater context of the FWP in his introduction to the anthology. Southern states are represented more than others due to several facts. First, the southern region was poorer and had more out of work writers than other regions. Second, the south "generated the most copy, because fifteen projects were reporting" (15). And third, the government got more bang for it's buck by hiring southern writers at $39 a month verses a New York writer who received $103. Black writers, in the south, were paid less than white writers. 

There is something to suit every reader in this book. Whether your focus is on southern cuisine, like mine, or New England, there are plenty of essays to educate and inspire.  Here's a smattering from the southern section: "Coca-Cola Parties in Georgia," The Possum Club of Pole County, Arkansas," "Georgia Possum and Taters," "Mississippi Chitlins," "South Carolina Chicken Bog," and "The Mint Julep Controversy."

Each section offers an introduction to the regional culture and then the entries begin. The first in the South is called "Mississippi Food," by Eudora Welty. It's mostly a collection of recipes "gleaned from ante-bellum homes in the various parts of Mississippi, nothing is held back" (102). Zora Neale Hurston's "Diddy-Wah-Diddy," is a short piece comparing Diddy-Wah-Diddy to Heaven where food is already cooked and everyone has plenty to eat. Both Welty and Hurston essays begin with brief introductions to the author's life and works written by Kurlansky.