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The Slaw and the Slow Cooked
Culture and Barbecue in the Mid-South
Edited by James R. Veteto and Edward M. Maclin
In developing the book, Veteto and Maclin cast a wide net for divergent approaches. Food writer John Edge introduces us to Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, Arkansas, a possibly century-old restaurant serving top-notch pork and simultaneously challenging race and class boundaries. Kristen Bradley-Shurtz explores the 150-plus-year tradition of the St. Patrick's Irish Picnic in McEwen, Tennessee. And no barbecue book would be complete without an insider's story, provided here by Jonathan Deutsch's "embedded" reporting inside a competitive barbecue team. Veteto and Maclin conclude with a glimpse into the future of barbecue culture: online, in the smoker, and fresh from the farm.
The Slaw and the Slow Cooked stands as a challenge to barbecue aficionados and a statement on the Mid-South's important place at the table. Intended for food lovers, anthropologists, and sociologists alike, The Slaw and the Slow Cooked demonstrates barbecue's status as a common language of the South.
Edward M. Maclin is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia.
James R. Veteto is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Texas. He is Director of the Southern Seed Legacy.
"A fascinating collection of essays about the importance of barbecue to the identity and culture of the mid-south region."
--OKRA
"A rich and informative window on Mid-South barbecue."
--Andrew Warnes, author of Savage Barbecue
"The Slaw and the Slow-Cooked has far wider relevance than the Mid-South of its subtitle. Its contributors examine many aspects of America's oldest Slow Food, from its primeval origins into the age of Twitter and Facebook. They treat their savory subject seriously, but not (thank the Lord) solemnly. You don't have to be a barbecue nut to enjoy this book, but if you are one, you'll be in hog heaven."
--John Shelton Reed, co-author, Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue