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Need help with my History question – I’m studying for my class.

this is her paper and this is the question you should answer in 250 – 350 words

Do you agree or disagree with my belief that soul food is not solely for African Americans?

Kristina Paper that developed the question above:

” “Soul Food” has a rich history in the United States. Its origins can be traced back to the chitlin circuit, a string of black-owned honky-tonks, nightclubs, and theaters where many famous African American musicians got their start. The chitlin circuit was crucial to black artists because it provided them with the only way for them to perform for fans during a time when the white media didn’t cover them, and mainstream clubs didn’t book black artists. Theaters back then did not have kitchens, so African Americans established places nearby the chitlin circuit clubs where people could purchase delicious meals. Foods like fried chicken and waffles, wings and grits, and burgers soon became popular at these food stands and restaurants. The “queen of soul”, Aretha Franklin, even remembers that “the artists couldn’t wait to get off stage to wolf down those burgers” (123). It wasn’t until the 1960s, however, that people started calling it “soul food”. The term soul became widely associated with African American culture and ethnicity, and people with soul had a down-home style that migrants from the rural south could unite around. In a racist society that treated African Americans like outsiders, Soul gave them an insider status and it emerged as an alternative culture that undermined white definitions of acceptability. Although soul food originated from African American’s kitchens in the North, in the South, black and white people both ate food that was influenced by African American’s culinary traditions. From 1966-1980, Joseph “Mac” Johnson ran a barbecue stand in New York that successfully marketed southern food and soul food to black and white customers. According to Johnson, soul food is food that is “seasoned so good that it fascinates you” (131). Soul food is a cultural mixture of various African tribes and kingdoms, it is the spirituality and experiential wisdom that make black folks unique, and it is a style of rural folk culture. There is an on-going argument whether soul food is uniquely part of black culture, or if it is a regional food that belongs to black and white southerners. I believe that soul food, although it has its roots in African American culture, should not be solely for African-Americans because I think that soul food has a rich history that should be shared and enjoyed by people of any race. Many African Americans found great success marketing soul food to white customers as well as black customers, because it was great-tasting and the southern food reminded them of food their families used to make. While soul food started as a primarily African American tradition, it evolved into a type of food that Americans all across the country enjoy. “