If I am correct, the next holiday to come is Easter. While most of us will be celebrating in our homes due to the pandemic, I would like to prepare us for the future when we’re able to come together again.  The following are some truths that apply to all holiday food.  While I understand that I can’t speak for every black person, I’m going to go ahead and do it anyways: Black. People. Don’t. Eat. Pumpkin. Pie.

If this is news to you, I am happy to clear the air.  You see, the politics I inherited from my childhood began with the foods that we ate, or namely, the foods we didn’t eat.  Pumpkin pie was on the TOP of that don’t eat list.  Once September rolls around and the pumpkin idolatry begins, there is a universal rolling of the eyes by those of us who were raised on sweet potato pie, of which there is no substitute.

Soul food is not only some of the best food one can ever be blessed to taste, it is steeped in tradition.  There are plenty of do’s and don’ts in respect of the culture.  A few year’s back, a white male friend was going over his African-American girlfriend’s home to meet the family for Thanksgiving.  A few of us gave him the highlighted Cliff Notes to get him through the day and garner the respect of the fam: 

1. When you eat the sweet potato pie say, “This is way better than pumpkin pie!”
2. It’s always called ‘dressing’; don’t utter the word ‘stuffing’
3. If someone starts talking about having the itis, just tell them that you’re tired as well

This Black History Month, I would like to honor you if you are militant about your food.  I see you!

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FYI
NONE of these products are sponsored.  I have just chosen to share foods that I enjoy.  So all of these comments are 100% me!

I have my husband to thank for this discovery.  If you are looking to level up your cracker options, you should try this one.  This flourless cracker is light and airy.  I do wish they were a little larger because I like to use them as a vehicle for dips.  But hey, I’m not complaining!

The post Random Foods I Love & Recommend appeared first on Jocelyn Jackson Williams.

The San Francisco Bay Area has a local show called Check Please, Bay Area. I made an appearance and got the opportunity to talk about one of the best Thai restaurants around: Siam Bay in Oakland. Because of the show, I discovered a Liberian restaurant called Kendejah. If you’re in the Bay, visit these places. Check out the video to see some of the items

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I just finished reading a book on entrepreneurship.  I was reading about communication, marketing, business plans, and the like. So I was caught by surprise when I got to the “What Not to Do” section and Oreos were the topic of conversation.  The idea was that Oreos are not innovative and hence a poor example of business acumen.  At first, I thought, “Wow, what did an Oreo ever do to you?”  Then I remembered that I have heard other versions of Oreo bashing before.  Normally I hear these complaints at parties when a guest brings any Oreo flavor other than the original.  I mean, we were all okay with Double Stuff but most people draw the line there.  And when people talk about their dislike of the new creations, they seem agitated.  The anger I hear seems to be that Nabisco is doing too much and with each subsequent new flavor, it is somehow an assault on their beloved childhood Oreo memories.

Do you have Oreo trauma, too?  Maybe trauma is too extreme a word but I don’t know another word to use when I hear the vitriol and disgust surrounding the new stuff.  When I teach Grief Recovery or talk to a griever, their life situations revolve around a death, a breakup, or another personal loss of some sort.  Never has one of those conversations veered towards a Golden Oreo.  But why I think this, too, is important is because, on a small level, the new Oreos can show us how resistant we can be to change when that change affects a cherished memory.  It’s almost like the new thing is interfering with your version of the way life should be.

Is there anything in your life that you despise because it interrupts your version of how life should be?  Is it possible that that thing feels like competition even though it’s not?  It could be as big of an issue as that new friend you feel resistance towards being in your inner circle or something as seemingly small as a candy corn Oreo.  The issue isn’t the item (or person) at all; it’s what it represents for you.  In efforts to have a Mo Betta life, may we make room for new ideas, thoughts, and items that seem weird or unfamiliar.  I wholeheartedly believe it’s the only way to get through this life as a truly open-minded human being who evolves and matures. Dear Friend: may that new Oreo that comes your way ultimately serve to expand the beauty in your life.

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