"Watch me! I got it..."
This week while I was filming what will hopefully be my new cooking show Chef E's Soul Kitchen, I got the opportunity to sit with distinguished guest, African American and Civil Rights historian, lecturer and Macalester College Professor Dr. Machmoud El-kati. 
We spoke on the topic of the origin and nature of Soul Food (black American cuisine) and it's impact on America and the rest of the world. Honestly, to have that much knowledge and black experience in front of me was at first daunting - I could barely collect myself to ask the first question. But once Dr. El-kati began to speak about the dependence the South had on the slaves, the development of African American cuisine or, Soul Food by African slaves and its ability to transcend all calamities - being invented using very little means, throw away scraps and the like, my intimidation turned to intrepidity and pride. When asked of my neo - soul version and world techniques and applications to soul food 
(as he is a fan of my brand of soul food) Dr. El-kati had this to say: " Mr. E, I applaud you for having the courage to explore the future of this cuisine. This is afterall, what our ancestors did - being heaved upon this continent from Africa, they too had to become alchemists in a sense. They had been used to a mostly vegetarian diet of grains and fruits and fresh vegetables. Now they had to be very innovative with some of this foreign mess [we, you and I would have called it another name I can't say] But they took that mess and made it theirs. Just like Ray Charles. When he first came out, people, black people kept telling him that he couldn't take gospel and country and mix it with rhythm and blues - and he did. He made a sound that was his. It was recognizable and soulful. Every song that he sang became soulful. 
Listen, as long as you don't disturb the integrity of soul food, and respect it, how can you be wrong for making it yours?" Thank you for those pearls of wisdom Dr. El-kati. I will always remember that I'm a child of those beginnings. I am from "a people that can fly" and as James Brown would say, "I got soul, and I'm superbad!"
This week while I was filming what will hopefully be my new cooking show Chef E's Soul Kitchen, I got the opportunity to sit with distinguished guest, African American and Civil Rights historian, lecturer and Macalester College Professor Dr. Machmoud El-kati. 
We spoke on the topic of the origin and nature of Soul Food (black American cuisine) and it's impact on America and the rest of the world. Honestly, to have that much knowledge and black experience in front of me was at first daunting - I could barely collect myself to ask the first question. But once Dr. El-kati began to speak about the dependence the South had on the slaves, the development of African American cuisine or, Soul Food by African slaves and its ability to transcend all calamities - being invented using very little means, throw away scraps and the like, my intimidation turned to intrepidity and pride. When asked of my neo - soul version and world techniques and applications to soul food 
(as he is a fan of my brand of soul food) Dr. El-kati had this to say: " Mr. E, I applaud you for having the courage to explore the future of this cuisine. This is afterall, what our ancestors did - being heaved upon this continent from Africa, they too had to become alchemists in a sense. They had been used to a mostly vegetarian diet of grains and fruits and fresh vegetables. Now they had to be very innovative with some of this foreign mess [we, you and I would have called it another name I can't say] But they took that mess and made it theirs. Just like Ray Charles. When he first came out, people, black people kept telling him that he couldn't take gospel and country and mix it with rhythm and blues - and he did. He made a sound that was his. It was recognizable and soulful. Every song that he sang became soulful. 
Listen, as long as you don't disturb the integrity of soul food, and respect it, how can you be wrong for making it yours?" Thank you for those pearls of wisdom Dr. El-kati. I will always remember that I'm a child of those beginnings. I am from "a people that can fly" and as James Brown would say, "I got soul, and I'm superbad!"
posted by Chef E at 9:28 AM
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