#10 SOUL Food

SOUL Food, or Stuff Only Us Like, which is consistent with black people’s tendency to shorten words/names/etc., is American style cuisine traditionally associated with African Americans. The word “soul” was and is commonly used to describe black culture, for example soul food, Soul Train, and most recently, Soul Plane, a groundbreaking “black people” film that certainly would have won the award for best writing in a motion picture…. at the 2004 BET Comedy Awards of course…. if not for the steep competition that year of; Head of State, Deliver Us from Eva, Johnson Family Vacation, Malibu’s Most Wanted, and Barbershop 2. The award… went to White Chicks.

Back to the discussion at hand, black people, and their soul food. Stereotypically it is believed that black people adore deep fried chicken, purple and red drinks, and corn bread. This is true. Very true. However, to say black people like chicken is inaccurate. Black people like SOUL Food. Chicken is just a part of it.

Stuff Only Us Like or SOUL Food, was popularized during the 1960′s but it’s origins are believed to go all the way back to the 14th Century. The traditional soul food of today includes but is not limited to; chicken gizzards, chicken livers, chitterlings, corn on the cob, country fried steak, fried chicken, fried fish, fried anything for that matter, ribs, black-eyed peas, not to be confused with the band “Black Eyed Peas,” cabbage, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, cornbread, hush puppies, biscuits with honey, chow-chow, grits, rice pudding, sweet tea, purple drink, red drink, yellow cake, and of course, an abundant supply of hot sauce.

If you are planning a SOUL Food dinner party, it is a good idea to ask your one black friend which SOUL item’s are still SOUL item’s. Most people have adopted fried chicken and cornbread, but your black friend will certainly tell you, “Purple drink, chicken gizzards, chicken livers, pigs feet, and hoghead cheese dat be stuff only us like.”