English history is often presented through a chronology of kings and queens, wars, and colonisation. This kind of historical narrative is largely focused on ruling class figures and their exploits. What is often missing is a proper focus on the culture of the broader English population, both past and present. In the following essays, I [ ]
Today, the history of England s folk culture is largely unknown. In the following essays, I examine the forgotten beliefs and festivities of the common people of England, as well as exploring the transfer of these beliefs to the United States. How Industrialisation and Victorian Moralism Destroyed England’s Rural Folk Culture England’s once rich and vibrant [ ]
A great many assumptions about proper English exist in popular discourse today. Some are explicitly or implicitly racist, such as the claim that the pronunciation of ask as aks constitutes a form of linguistic degeneracy. Other claims simply lack a proper understanding of how language develops and spreads. The evolution of the English language is [ ]
A series of popular myths are debunked in the following essays. Country Music and the Construction of ‘Authenticity’ Advocates of ‘true’ country music fail to acknowledge the genre’s deeply commercial history. Confederate Writings on the American Civil War Confirm Slavery as its Principle Cause ‘Lost Cause’ mythology is based on the negation of clear historical [ ]
The following articles explore lesser known aspects of culinary history, with a particular focus on forgotten English traditions and the evolution of Southern cookery in the United States. Hot Peppers and Hot Sauces in the English Cookery of the 17th to 19th Centuries While English cookery is often derided and bland and lacking in seasoning, [ ]
The topic of Southern fried chicken and its origins is a matter of great controversy in online culinary discourse. A popular tale linking the dish to supposed Scottish and African antecedents has increasingly come to constitute the established narrative , although the purported ownership of fried chicken is often furiously debated by white and black Americans [ ]
In 1983, American food writer John F. Mariani claimed the following: The Scottish, who enjoyed frying their chickens rather than boiling or baking them as the English did, may have brought the method with them when they settled in the South. He continued: The efficient and simple cooking process was very well adapted to the plantation life [ ]
The self-taught African American spice and cookery expert, Carson Gulley (June 9, 1897 – November 2, 1962), was born in humble circumstances on an Arkansas farm but went on to make his home in Madison, Wisconsin, where he gained local fame for his culinary skills, leading to a television show, What’s Cookin’, and a radio series, Cooking School [ ]
A video is currently doing the rounds on social media, showing a racially mixed group of raucous school-aged youngsters behaving rowdily in Birmingham city centre. In one example posted to Instagram, the video is captioned Brums finished [sic]. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, the comments section includes a fair bit of racism: Anyone familiar with social media [ ]
The 18th century English cookery author, Hannah Glasse – whose book The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (1747) gained an enthusiastic following in both Britain and the Southern Colonies of British America (continuing on into the antebellum period and beyond) – is today particularly well-known in popular food writing for her inclusion of [ ]