PODCAST Ep 403: An Interview with Michael W Twitty, part two

Finally, part two of my January 2021 interview with Michael Twitty, in which we talk much more about food than we did in the first half. We start by discussing how genealogy is a part of becoming whole, which enables us to be of service in this world. Then, we talk about how food isn’t just food. There are revelations about fufu. Michael makes all kinds of links between foods from the African continent and Southern cuisine, and even finds the origins of dance movements in cooking and war. He discusses the difference between Whiteness and European-ness, something that is not discussed enough, and how moving beyond trauma begins with honesty. We also discuss a few aspects of racism in necessary archives, with Michael conveying a personal experience he had.

For foodies, there’s a lot here. For genealogists, there’s a lot here, too, because food is an integral part of genealogy. I hope you’ll listen to this episode (and episode 402 first, if you haven’t yet), to learn a bit about how Michael is writing his own recipe.

Hello and welcome to episode 403 of From Paper To People, the all-too-infrequent podcast for Ancestors Alive! Genealogy. I am Carolynn ni Lochlainn, your hostess with the mostest. My work as a researcher for the NYS Contact Tracing Initiative has lightened, so I’m back in the saddle and ready to provide you with episodes on a wide array of topics. But first, the wait is over! I hereby deliver to you the second half of my January 2021 interview with Michael Twitty, acclaimed author of The Cooking Gene.
If you haven’t listened to part one yet, please do – we circle back to concepts and quotes in it here in this episode.
In this half, we talk about a lot of things. There are revelations about eating fufu. We talk about Ireland and its food, African nations and their food, and how appreciation for the foods of our ancestors doesn’t necessarily come easily, let alone get handed down in the blood.
We discuss one of my favorite topics, the cross-pollination of our ancestors’ life experiences and practices in their ancestral lands, and how they carry down to recent and present-day cooking, philosophies, and more. In that, as ever in his Twitter account and in the other half of this interview, Michael Twitty blows my mind with his observations. I hope that he will do the same for you.
We recorded this in the beginning of January of 2021, so some of this may be outdated. Some of it, however, has proven prophetic, thus far. Ultimately, I’ll let the conversation do its own work – I don’t want to diminish it by over-introduction. With that, I drop you into the middle of our two-part conversation, an interview that took about 2 and a half hours total and that I edited only for ums and uhs, not for content. I hope that you enjoy everything that comes.

I told you it would be worth the wait!

Even though now, in late May of 2021, as the Centers for Disease Control in the United States say that it’s OK to go without a mask in some places if you are fully vaccinated, and vaccinations are allowed for children as well as for adults, our culture has changed. We are much more accustomed to using Zoom, and other products like it, in order to have business meetings, seminars, or to attend classes. Families have used Zoom to stay in touch, with new babies being born and meeting their grandparents for the first time over internet video technology. I think that Michael’s final ideas are correct: even though over five months have passed, it’s still time, and it always will be time, to record the stories and the recipes of those who came before us. We need to keep speaking with our elders. We need to keep talking about our ancestors. Their food is their story, and thus, it is our story. If we lose this time, we lose generations of information.

In addition to following Michael @koshersoul on Twitter and @thecookinggene on Instagram, in addition to his blog afroculinaria.com and his book The Cooking Gene, Michael published a book this past Winter through the University of North Carolina Press called Rice, one in a series called Savor the South. It too is available on Amazon, as well as at The UNC Press web site, and at other online bookstores. There are even some great interviews with Michael about Rice on YouTube, and I recommend them highly.

Please support the podcast and my ongoing work in reparational genealogy at patreon.com/ancestorsalive, where we hold monthly polls that yield swag for supporters. You can follow me on Twitter at @ancestorsalive and @fppppodcast, on Instagram at @fppppodcast, and you can always check out my website at ancestorsalivegenealogy.com. If you’re new to the podcast, please listen to back episodes, starting with the first and working forward. It’s a lifestyle. And what do I always say? Do your research, don’t be a Jeffrey, record those family recipes, and above all, Expect Surprises!

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