Sweet Potato Pie and Shut My Mouth by Mandy Rivers

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Sweet Potato Pie and Shut My Mouth

by Mandy Richburg Rivers | 8, Add your Comment | Oct 28, 2009

Southerners are superior cooks. There, I’ve said it. I’m not so verbose as to claim that we are masters at French or California-chic cuisine but as per straight-up American cooking, we reign righteously.

This being illustrated by the fact that my Canadian in-laws think I’m a culinary goddess. I might be slightly above-average, but a goddess I am not. We Southerners just have very different beliefs about the importance that food plays in our lives.

The first trip I made to Canada was a 20-hour expedition with a 3-year-old and infant in tow. A few hours outside of our destination in Ontario, my mother-in-law rang to advise us not to eat before we got there, that she had dinner waiting for us (note, she didn’t say supper). Thank you, Jesus! My mouth started to water as images of such “company’s coming” preparations flooded my senses.

Any time we expect overnight guests, I (and my mother before me) have always set out to prepare a receiving party feast for our weary travelers as well as to stock the kitchen with such sustenance as homemade chicken salad, sliced baked ham and pound cake for the visit. I couldn’t wait to get there to see what wonderful spread awaited us!

Knocking the snow off my boots, armed with a baby and a suitcase, exhausted and starving, I made my way inside and was swiftly ushered to the kitchen where we were served the farthest thing from what I was expecting as could be imagined: frozen meatballs swimming in a crock pot of cream of mushroom soup with a side of plain white rice. I love my mother-in-law dearly so that’s all I’m going to say about that meal.

I once spent a week just south of the Hamptons with an old sorority sister that was so authentically Italian her given name was literally Cacciatore. I was looking so forward to feasting on the likes of braciole and osso buca that I could smell the garlic and basil on the plane! In honor of my being there, her mother had prepared a “Southern Meal” for everyone: shake n’ bake chicken, canned biscuits, frozen sugar peas and instant mashed potatoes served with cream of mushroom soup as gravy. Again with the cream of mushroom soup and again, I smiled graciously and kept my mouth shut.

I’m sure our culinary prowess stems from the importance we put on food. For me, it’s a way to tell you that I love you, I care about you, I want you to be comfortable, you are welcome here! It’s how we say thank you, we mourn with you, congratulations and farewell. And if we’re going to say all that with food, it better damn well be good!

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Mandy Richburg Rivers

Mandy lives in Lexington, South Carolina, is a contributing writer for the Food & Drink section and is currently working on her first cookbook. Mandy is an award winning recipe writer and judges regional cook-offs and other culinary contests.

“I'm just a gal that likes food. Of course I like to eat, but what I've discovered about myself over the years is that there are more ways for me to enjoy food than just eating it. I like to shop for it, read about it, cook it, entertain with it and write about it. And when it's really good, sometimes I'm tempted to throw it on the floor and roll in it."

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http://www.TommyManuel.net Tommy Manuel

Amen! Pass the biscuits, please!
C Smith

Sounds to me like you ran up against the fast and hurried of the north compared to the slow and steady of the south.
Bob

…and that doesn’t even begin to describe what passes up there for dressing during the holidays--light bread and chicken broth--yuk!
Terri Evans

Just loved it, Mandy. My heart, heritage and palate hear you and agree. I always add the note, “serve with love” when I share a recipe.
Mary

And then there was that Christmas dinner of country ham, spoon bread, green beans and ambrosia (there was more, of course) in snowy Utah served “in honor of Mary from Atlanta.” Our hostess was from Arkansas and was so pleased to be able to pull out all the stops.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1054831340 Mandy Richburg Rivers

For anyone not familiar with the Alabama song that inspired this article’s title, you may have been disappointed to not find a sweet potato pie recipe here. Pondering this last night I thought perhaps I should post one but then I realized that anyone reading this already knows how to make a sweet potato pie -- blindfolded!
Natasha

My neighbors brother passed away recently, unexpectedly. I, without thought, went to the store and bought stuff to make my speghetti (homeade sauce and all). It was welcomed with open arms. Later, my neighbor told me, he was shocked at all the food delivered to his home! Some people just don’t understand!!! Great job, Mandy!!!
Peter Jumper

Ill health has caused me to start using frozen meatballs, mushroom soup, and prepared spaghetti sauce. I don’t even think of it as cooking. It amazes me how we have really gotten mixed up about what cooking is. Cooking is baking a ham, fixing chicken salad, and baking a pound cake. People still cook. I just made chicken salad from scratch and two date-nut pies. You tell them, Mandy!

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