A nearly thanksgiving thought.

Now, I don't mean this to be a rant, but I am married to an American and, as such, have become more sensitised to the rude comments that folks seem to make about America and Americans. Well, I shall not bore you with details*, but I will say that AMERICA IS A HUGE PLACE AND IT IS FULL OF CONTRASTS. The thing is, though, this is food writing, so I'll also say that, while the US is still in thrall to big national producers -- it is hard, for example, to get really good cheese --  the situation is not the same everywhere. There are changes and there are AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN artisinal producers in the U.S. When the next book comes off the shelf, I'll be showing you all about that.

For now, I'll just quote verbatim what my fine and resourceful mother in law (Mrs Claudia Ballard Ellis -- born in Virginia, raised in South Carolina, married in Georgia, married a more appropriate man and eventually moved back to Virginia!) had for a  dinner with friends and tell you what else just happened in her little corner of Virginia. And we DON'T SASS MOMMA!

"Tonight, we just had rutabagas, just pulled from a friend's garden. We cooked the greens with ham and served them with hot (as in spicy) vinegar, with cornbread to one side. Very Southern and economical."

Rutabaga is a swede to a Britisher, although I have also heard people refer to them as yellow turnips! Note that the greens refers to the swede tops. If they are long cooked, they are soft and delicious. Try it some time, or do the same with turnip greens.

I also quote:

"Lots of interesting things are happening with local food around here: butchers' shops, fresh seafood brought in from our coast, several new farmers' markets. Not much is going to waste."

The mom is happy about that. And if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. (Although note point 3, below.)

*Oh hell: I cannot resist offering some corrections to Britishers out there.
1. Not everyone in the South is a bible basher, but, yes, proportionately, a lot more folks in the US go to church than in the UK. Over to you for discussion of whether going to church is a bad thing. Me, I'm Cof E.

2. Not all Southerners sound like Dubya. There is quite a difference between the voice of someone from Georgia and, say, someone from East Tennessee.
3. It is rude to do impressions of Americans in front of them.
4. There ARE farmers markets in America
5. You can get excellent food made by small producers
6. Proper Southern food is some of the best I have eaten
7. It is not wrong to think that your country is the most glorious in the world. This does not make you a xenophobe or a Christian fundamentalist. It might just mean you are a patriot and since when did it become wrong to be proud of your country?
 8. I've not even got started here, but I  promise I won't go on about it again even so. I also roundly agree that Dick Cheney is, clearly, a nutter. xxx