Stuck in the Past
How to fix yourself if you hold on too tightly to what used to be.
Many people argue that the region this publication professes to love — the American South — is stuck in the past. Folks who make that argument have little trouble backing it up. Too many in our region still believe in the mythology of the Lost Cause — and believe deeply we should turn back the clock by more than a century and a half.
But even Southerners who don't believe that crap grew up hearing it — and were left with an attachment to the past that too often proves unhealthy. Lanier Isom's lead story for us this week — "Yes, Chef, I'll Fix the Homeplace" — goes right at the heart of that dilemma. And she writes with authority, because she lived it herself.
Lanier grew up in a rambling farmhouse outside Birmingham, one of four children born to a father who fought with alcoholism his entire life. After she married, Lanier and her husband bought the house from her mother, determined to restore it and stay planted there. But subconsciously, Lanier was trying to rebuild the life that her father's drinking had robbed her of.
Her courageous and beautifully written story is an inspiration for any of us who cling to the past too tightly.
This week, we also bring you a look at Hoppin' John — the culinary historian, not the stuff we eat on New Year's Day. The Louisiana-born and Lowcountry-steeped John Martin Taylor has documented the South's food traditions over five decades. Late last year, he published a career-capping memoir — a rich mix of essays and recipes. Texas author Rod Davis's story about Taylor brings you the historian's insights — along with two of his recipes for you to cook at home and even a playlist of the songs he loves to dance to in his kitchen.
We round out the week with a poem from KB Ballentine, a Chattanooga writer and teacher with several published collections of poetry to her credit.
We thank you for coming to sit a spell with us at Salvation South.
Chuck Reece is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Salvation South, the weekly web magazine you're reading right now. He was the founding editor of The Bitter Southerner. He grew up in the north Georgia mountains in a little town called Ellijay.