Beyond Popeye’s and KFC: The Whitewashing of Southern Food Restaurants

Abstract

This chapter looks into the racial and ethnic communities across the South that are responsible for infusing Southern foodways with their individual ethnic foodways. From the Lumbee tribe in North Carolina to the Chinese groceries in Mississippi and the Latino population in Memphis, these groups have each left their mark on the food traditions of the South, yet are often absent from discussions of traditional Southern food. This chapter focuses on how these communities have navigated the balance between producing traditional foods all while coping with the inequality and discrimination that continues to impact these communities today. This chapter showcases how racial and ethnic minorities are integral to Southern foodways and its history, not outliers to it.