Since I currently don't have an multimedia editing software, I am just going to talk about this picture and what it says, because basically its what I was looking to make before I realized that I didn't have adobe photoshop. This image shows basically what I want my relationship with food to become. I want food to be something that I eat to sustain myself, not something that ties me down with a craving, but something that shows what my body can be and helps me to feel good, not like Im living in an endlessly slow world that tires way too easily. My relationship with food is one thats ever evolving. It sometimes exists as the temptress that wants me to enjoy its voluptuous taste but regret its unsightly side effects. while other times its the simple food that makes me feel rejuvenated and energized, a reaching arm that pulls me back into the fast paced life that I want to live. Regardless of what form food takes, I make it a personal goal to work it off everyday. So it would seem that my relationship with food is one of short lived meetings that end with the eventual consumption and reconstitution of whatever was consumed.

Coming form Alabama, there are a tremendous amount of dishes that i could write about that show the south's culinary representation of culture. Anything from chitlins( basically pig intestines that are pan fried with peppers) to barbecue(which for the record, this state has not a single, good source to get bbq from, bet chy'all (pronounced cha-all)have never had whole hog or brisket) to the way down south collard greens and fried chicken. Personally all of these dishes resemble the state I hail from and show subtle influences of our rich southern heritage. That being said, one dish really stands out against the rest as the definition of Alabama pride mixed with some roll tide- the chicken biscuit.

Imagine if you please a hand rolled, made from scratch, fluffy, decadent buttermilk biscuit that has been cooked to golden brown perfection on top with a preserved moist fluff inside. The slight hint of bacon grease from the pan is still glimmering on its edges(good southern cooks use bacon grease as a seasoning for everything, its really bad for you, but turns a bland dish into something memorable and enticing). This is no ordinary breakfast pastry, its not the bagel yo mama eats or the toast yo papa likes, its the foundation for the south. It grips your sides and sticks to your bones throughout the day. It’s this feeling of fullness that causes the biscuit to survive and become so popular. During war, biscuits were served to troops as something small and inexpensive that kept you full and the same goes for the depression. A biscuit is the perfect vessel for the worlds of egg and meat to collide into one homogeneous mixture, an entire meal in a portable container that has been passed down in families for centuries. Biting into a good biscuit is something along the lines of a gastronomic orgasm that fills your mouth with feelings of satisfaction and happiness. It is what southerners eat and it is good!

Now imagine this single, amazing food is made better by adding another southern staple.... fried chicken. Yes that's right, the ultimate in heart attach technology, fusing the realms of fatty chicken, crisp pickles and bread to make something amazingly irresistible. This lethal combo is something that’s hard to get right, but ooh wee is oh so good. It combines all that the south has learned about food into one small package. Years of chicken recipe refining, making the colonel's secret blend of herbs and spice look like some toddlers Playdoh art, recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation, that tell stories of love, war and hardship. This single food, the combination of not only something that was stapled for times of war and need, but also something that people pride themselves on making taste good, is the story of the south. This food echo’s the lives of the people that create it, shows the passion that they hold inside and provides your taste buds with a map through the history of the south. It represents all that Alabama stands for and shows how sometimes the most simple items make the best taste.