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Friday, June 22, 2018

Friday and all that jazz

Jane at Life Begins at Retirement said she would like to see a jazz menu which made me start thinking I need to do one once a month. Because the genre is comprised of so many different sounds, I am going to start with regional jazz. Those of you who read this regularly know I am from the south, Alabama to be state specific and to even reduce it to a smaller geographical area I live in a suburb south of Birmingham. I thought since I live here and know the hows and whys of foods from this region I might as well start my menu here.

Way back in the early to mid 1900's two streetcar lines stopped at turnarounds at 19th street and Ensley Avenue, in the western part of town. Both lines passed through some of Birmingham's predominantly African American neighborhoods and it was a cheap way to travel to and from work. Like any area with a lot of people getting off or changing lines, commerce was not far behind. By the early 1900's that corner and the surrounding area housed stores, cleaners, bars, and restaurants.
(This is an artists rendering of the corner at that time I lifted off a travel website. I have no idea where any credit should go, but this is definitely not mine, but it was a cool image so I put it here. BTW that building with the funny corner was still standing the last time I was in this area)

Now this is where things have a bit of unpleasant history. I was not born and had nothing to do with it so please don't blame me. In the 20's this became the hub of African American entertainment in the city. Jazz arrived in the city and since most of the musicians who played it were African American, it naturally gravitated to the area with the heaviest black population. Soon the places grew and it became the communities go-to spot  for listening and dancing to jazz. In fact due to segregation it was the about only area African Americans could hang out after work to socialize while dancing. Legend has it that the places in the area required a strict fancy dress code and since most of the men were on their way home from some sort of industrial job they were not dressed appropriately. Remember that at the time Birmingham was primarily a heavy industry town and most people worked in the coal or steel industry. The legend continues that there were places for the men to clean up and rent a tuxedo for the night out on the town. So it was a turn-around junction where tuxedos were rented for the night, hence the name. I might be propagating a myth but in the words of Mark Twain, " Never let the truth get in the way of a good story".

Before too long the fun and fame started getting out and people came from all over the state to enjoy it. Then it really boomed and Tuxedo Junction became a hot spot for entertainers and fans alike, with people traveling from everywhere to perform or just enjoy the night life.

One of Birmingham's own, Erskine Hawkins, began his performing days there, later made it out in the world, and became part of the nation's jazz scene.  He wrote this lovely jazz classic remembering the music of those days and later added the lyrics. I thought it only fitting to have his band's instrumental recording, followed by the version with lyrics.







And what might an early summer 1920's Alabama meal prior to some great music and happy feet be?

iced sweet tea
black eyed peas
fried fatback
hoecakes 
either fried corn or corn on the cob
sliced tomatoes.
green beans,
sliced peaches,
cucumbers
sliced cantaloupe

This was before the days of a/c and the women did most of the cooking early in the morning, so the night time meals could be warmed  and the only heat would be from the stove top.  Some of you might think I am just kind of inventing or read about this meal, but trust me I have eaten it all my life. Until I was a pre-teen we had no air conditioning and my mom cooked early and re-warmed. Come back Monday for recipes and a glance at what a Southern summer supper (yeah we don't really call it dinner here) looks like.


22 comments:

  1. Sounds like a piece of home to me....

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    1. I am going to have trouble with the fat back. I know I can find it, but I have not eaten any since I was a kid. My aunt cooked it very well so I am going to have to call my cousin and see if she has her mom's cooking instructions written down anywhere.

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    2. I don't think cooking fatback is too hard to do. Mama just put it in an iron skillet and fried it like bacon. We very rarely had fatback. Daddy was the only reason Mama ever cooked it. We ate some of it, but it was just too fatty even though it was delicious.

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    3. I think my aunt did something before frying it to take some of the saltiness out

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    4. soaking, probably or boiling

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  2. Looks lovely, never tried hoecakes but I love cornbread so am sure I would love them

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    1. Hoe cakes originally were cornbread cakes cooked on the flat part of a hoe over an open fire. It was a meal while working in the fields. Trust that I will not be using garden tools for cooking!

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    2. Hoecakes...think if a pancake and cornbread had a baby.....

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  3. Crikey, I haven't got a clue what 30% of the things on that menu are - but will look them up via Mr. Google. But thank you for such a lovely story. Brilliant!

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    1. Not really surprised you did not know about them. It is not exactly international cuisine

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  4. I am with Treaders here. I have heard of at least some of them.
    Cooking/cleaning in the early morning makes a heap of sense to me. In our sweaty season, despite having a cooler, I try to do it even now.

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    1. If I am baking I try to do it in the morning but cornbread needs to be freshly cooked so mine is generally the hoe cake variety

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  5. At this point I'm wondering why my mum never thought to cook early! The western afternoon sun heats her kitchen to furnace proportions
    I like the history of tuxedo junction, it's a great story!

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    1. Summer n the south, no ac and the blasted humidity kinda requires early cooking

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  6. Have you read "The Best Cook in the World" by Rick Bragg? He is from Alabama and wrote this book to capture family recipes from his mother as she was aging. The recipes are intertwined with his family's stories. I'm about half way through and really enjoying it. I think you would like it, too.

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    1. I have not. It is his newest and I have read his other and also used to read his columns

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  7. I have had every last thing on the menu except we drank tea unsweetened. I bought corn on the cob today. It was ready to put into boiling water. Nowadays, I cannot get the shucks off with my weak hands. I never partook of cucumbers or cantaloupe. But, the rest of the family loved them.

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  8. When I worked in Birmingham City schools, I spent lots of time passing Tuxedo Junction.

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  9. Thank you for the great history lesson! And the wonderful music! I'd be happy to eat everything on that menu, except for the tomatoes, perhaps. I don't much care for raw tomatoes (but I'll eat it in a burger). I know, I'm weird!

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    1. Not weird at all. My sister has the same thing about tomatoes!

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