Poke Salad Granny

 

Native Oak Flat Pokeweed, amongst other weedy vegetation

On the 20th (last Saturday), Kim and I went to the 48th Annual Poke Salad Festival in Blanchard, Louisiana. We enjoyed the drive through the country, seeing new places, and strolling by the antique cars & festival booths. However, the festival was not particularly “poke-salady.” It seemed to only be that in name, without any particular emphasis on poke salad. I guess I expected more would be done to relate the festival to the traditional Southern food. Or maybe we missed the poke salad booth?

Near one booth I saw 3 or 4 poke salad plants in some pots. Not sure why. Perhaps for sale? Probably not. Maybe for the ambiance? I noticed that the stems on these were brownish, not green or purple as I ones that I have always seen. I wonder if there more than one variety of poke salad?

Poke Salad (aka poke, pokeweed, poke sallet) is a traditional Southern dish which I am familiar with through my lifetime – though I have not eaten inordinate amounts of it. In addition to use as a food, various pages on the internet mention other uses which I have never seen. “Industrial” uses include making ink and dye from the juice of the berries. It has also been used in folk medicine. It has been recommended for the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis, as well as an emetic and purgative. The homeopathic company Boiron sells a pokeweed medicine for sore throat relief.

I have only eaten poke salad as cooked greens – usually “in-halfs” with other cooked greens such kale, mustard greens, or turnip greens (and parboiled first). How some other people say they eat it are: young stalks cooked like asparagus or okra; the leaves pan-fried in bacon grease, with onions, salt, and pepper; the berries for syrups, jams, and pie fillings. I know nothing of these uses and cannot recommend them for that reason. All parts of the pokeweed – root, stalk, leaves, and berries – contain toxins and should only be used by those who know how to prepare them.

Most East Texas folks (at least rural ones, I suppose) will find poke salad abundant, easy to identify – and free! Free food is hard to beat, and I have read that poke salad is extremely high in vitamin A. On the one hand, there is the story of a family in our community during the Depression. They leveraged poke salad as a survival ration. It is remembered that the husband/father picked it no matter how mature the plant. None of them died or got sick (that is, then, from eating poke salad). On the other hand, there is the story of the Baptist preacher who baptized me. Once he accidentally ate some raw poke salad, thinking it was spinach. He did not die, but ended up in the emergency room with severe stomach cramps.

What Is Poke Sallet?

Weird foods, and other words

• balut, noun. A Filipino dish of a duck embryo, boiled and eaten in the shell.
• bockety, adjective. Of a person: unable to walk without difficulty; infirm, lame.
• durian (or durian fruit), noun. A prickly Singapore fruit of trees belonging to the genus Durio (whose flesh smell is often described as “rotten”).
• festoon, noun. A string or chain of flowers, foliage, ribbon, etc., suspended in a curve between two points; a decorative representation of this, as in architectural work or on pottery.
• lutefisk (also called lyefish), noun. A traditional Nordic Christmas dish made from dried whitefish which has been dried, then rehydrated in baths of lye and cold water.
• Nordic, adjective. Relating to a Germanic people of northern European origin, especially Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.
• oinomancy (also œnomancy), noun. A form of divination conducted by examining patterns (such as colors and other features) in wine.
• parisa, noun. A traditional dish of cured meat (normally with lemon juice) mixed with cheese, peppers, onions and spices.
• prevaricate, verb. To speak falsely or misleadingly; to deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie.
• soysage, noun. A type of vegetarian or vegan sausage made with soy protein instead of meat (a portmanteau of soy + sausage; this is a proprietary name in the United Kingdom). 
• tartare, adjective. (especially of fish) finely chopped and served raw.
• tong zi dan, noun. A  Chinese delicacy of chicken eggs boiled in the urine of “prepubescent virgin boys.”
• visceral, adjective. Characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect; characterized by coarse or base emotions; earthy.
• wasp cracker, noun. A Japanese cracker made of rice and dried digger wasps.

Watermelon, watermelon

Why we don’t fear the ’rona: a tale that is tall but true

The story you are about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, the iniquitous, and the indifferent. In fact, there are no names.

Picture a family, a rural Southern family. They surround the table and cut in half a large red meat watermelon. There is no watermelon distancing. No heretical slicing. No tedious cubing. Just two halves inviting a whole family. Needed, forks. Optional, salt. All consume together, sensibly spitting the seeds back into the remaining rind, so that the soon scrapping to the stock will be simple, short and sweet. They are not finished yet. Cut a V in the top edge of the rind and drink the juice. Waste not, want not.

Who will testify?

Triple Cola

On Easter weekend my daughter bought a Triple Cola (in a 12 oz. glass bottle) for me while in Jefferson, Texas. It was different in a good way. I usually have a hard time describing different tastes/flavors. Summit City Soda sums it up this way:

“There is a strong cola smell, perhaps explaining why it is called ‘triple’ cola. This soda certainly packs a punch. It is a very strong cola flavor with notes of tree bark and ginger. Triple Cola is a complex and nuanced soda. This cola is one of few that places flavor above sugar. It is a true champion. Features of Triple Cola: Has all the taste, refreshment and caffeine necessary for an uplifting attitude; Bottled since 1921.”

WWJE - What would Jesus eat?

Q. What did Jesus eat and drink?

A. A query on the radio, whether Jesus was a vegetarian, brings to mind the interesting question of what foods Jesus ate and drank while he was here on the earth. While we might make some guesses based on what were the common foods of the Jewish culture in that chronological period, the following answers will stick to references in Scripture. The answer divides into two categories – what is stated that he ate & drank, and what is implied that he ate & drank.[i]

Stated

• Fish - Luke 24:41-43 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.
• Honey with comb - Luke 24:41-43, see above.
• Water - John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
• Bread - Mark 15:22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
• Fruit of the vine - Mark 14:24-25 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
• Vinegar - John 19:29-30 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Implied

• Bread and wine - Luke 7:33-34 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
• Wine - John 2:1-11, Matthew 11:19
• Lamb - Matthew 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? Luke 22:7-8 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.[ii]
• Figs - Mark 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
• Corn/grain - Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.
• Loaves/bread - John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. John 21:13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
• Fish - John 6: 11, 21:13, see above.[iii]

---

[i] Most references are not specific. For example, the Bible tells us Jesus made wine at a wedding, but does not specify that he drank it. We know Jesus multiplied loaves (of bread) and fish, but on that occasion the Bible does not specify that he ate. Yet most would agree that his communal partaking is at the least implied.

[ii] Exodus 12:21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

[iii] Some other references related to Jesus eating or drinking: Matthew 9:10, Mark 9:41, Luke 5:30, Luke 7:36, John 4:8, 31, John 12:2

With whom did Jesus eat?

Several weeks ago at church meeting we were talking about Jesus being the friend of sinners, and that He ate with “publicans and sinners”. I commented that He also ate with Pharisees, and I could see lights going on in some of the heads – they had not thought of that angle before. We must be careful, lest we be like radio teacher Steve Brown, who acknowledged, “One of my great sins in being Pharisaical about Pharisees!”

To remember only that Jesus ate with publicans and sinners is to miss an historical and theological truth of the Bible. With whom did Jesus eat? Jesus ate with publicans and sinners. He ate with Pharisees. He ate with His disciples. He even ate with (and fed) a mixed multitude of people who had gathered to see and hear Him. Jake Grogan says cutely that Jesus ate with sinners, snobs and saints. That’s a pretty good way to remember it – as long as we remember that both the snobs and saints are sinners also!

More has been written on the subject of Jesus's eating habits than one might suppose. Jeremy Sweets provides a nice brief chart of Meals in Luke’s Gospel. One author titled his book Eating Your Way Through Luke’s Gospel. Others have gone so far to say that "Jesus ate his way through [all four of] the gospels.

Let's notice a few with whom Jesus ate (and drank).

He ate with Pharisees.
Simon: Luke 7:37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment
A chief (unnamed) Pharisee: Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. (check Luke 11:45 and 12:1).

He ate with “publicans and sinners”.
Levi (Matthew): Luke 5:29-30 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Zaccheus: Luke 19:2,5,7 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich...And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house...And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

He ate with His disciples.
In the fields: Luke 6:1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
The Passover supper: Luke 22:11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
Cleopas and another disciple: Luke 24:30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

He ate with a (mixed) multitude.
Feeding over 5000: Luke 9:13-17 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

Some other Lucan references to eating:
Luke 11:37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
Luke 14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
Luke 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

If Jesus’s eating habits were important enough for God to inspire them into the eternal record, they must be important enough that we are supposed from learn from them. Well, what should we learn?

Let’s notice a few possibilities.

Jesus didn’t eat “at the devil’s table.”
Luke 4:2-4 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. After Jesus had fasted forty days in the wilderness and was hungry, the devil appeared with an “offer of bread” – particularly that Jesus satisfy his hunger by turning stones into bread. Rather than eat according to the devil’s direction, we learn from Jesus the wonderful truth of the priority of God’s word and God’s will over the physical and circumstantial. Situations such as sitting down at supper with an unbelieving neighbor are not “eating at the devil’s table,” but we need to learn what is and when to avoid it (Cf. 1 Corinthians 10:21).

Jesus is a friend of sinners.
Luke 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! Though Jesus didn’t eat “at the devil’s table,” he is “a friend of sinners.” Since Jesus is a friend of sinners, we ought to learn from that to be welcoming to those who “aren’t like us”. Jesus sat down with both some immoral sinners and intolerant scribes – those who likely aren’t our first choices for “communitas.” In Jesus ate his way through the gospels, Mark Glanville writes, “We learn from Jesus fellowship meals that our tables should be places of radical welcome, especially for those who feel lonely and on the outside. This is the shape of the Kingdom of God!” What shape does your table take?

Jesus used meals as occasions of instruction.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus’s meals (and examples of food and drink) serve as occasions for teaching. For examples: after his fasting, at his temptation of Jesus teaches about the true bread (Luke 4:1-4); when his disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath, Jesus teaches his Lordship over the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-5); when sending the seventy, he teaches the laborer is worthy of his hire, and to eat what is set before them (Luke 10:1-9); with a story of three loaves, he teaches the importance of importunate prayer (Luke 11:1-13); with the example of feasting in the parable of the prodigal son and his elder brother, he teaches the joy over one sinner that repents (Luke 15:11-32); in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, he shows that faring sumptuously and begging bread are not indicators of one’s spiritual condition (Luke 16:19-31). Some mistake Jesus’s actions as an example to use meals as a pretense to evangelism, while caring little or nothing for the person or persons with whom he ate. Such is far from our Lord’s actions. Jesus did not feign feasting to cover a bare evangelistic outreach. For example, in the Gospel of Luke chapter 11:37ff. Jesus accepted an invitation of a Pharisee and spent much of his time upbraiding the Pharisees and lawyers. Jesus’s overall sharing of meals was ostensibly incidental while yet exquisitely determinate.

Jesus used meals as occasions of fellowship.
Luke 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. All meals are a form of fellowship, but meals with his disciples were a family fellowship. There are times to withdraw from the world for the singular casual and peaceful fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ – when we gather together around the word of God, around his praises, around his Spirit, and, yes, around his table.

Conclusion
Jesus did not overlook, whitewash, or excuse sin, but He did not kowtow to either the culture or the religion of the day. He conversed with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:27). Jesus forgave an immoral woman who washed His feet (Luke 7:47-50). He healed a Syrophenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7:26-30). He touched the untouchable (Luke 5:13). He entered the tax gatherer Zacchaeus’s house (Luke 19:5). But, in including these “outcasts,” Jesus did not cast out the “included.” He conversed with the Pharisee teacher Nicodemus who came to Him by night (John 3:1ff) and went to eat at Simon the Pharisee’s house (Luke 7:36). He pitied the importunate young rich ruler (Mark 10:17-22), healed the daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:22-42) and wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37). There was room in Jesus’s love for all who came to Him (There’s room in God’s eternal love to save thy precious soul; Room in the Spirit’s grace above, to heal and make thee whole. Anon.)

Jesus defied the social and religious establishment. This was not defiance for the sake of defiance, but the defiance of obedience – the obedience to God rather than men, the exaltation of truth above tradition, the being about his Father’s business rather than just being. He ate with saints and sinners, Pharisees and publicans, according to the purpose of his coming, as well as the purpose of eating. Jesus is better than any of us have imagined. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). He feeds the hungry and sits down at the table of the undeserving. He invites himself and accepts invitations. Perhaps one day you may hear “...make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”

Creation and other science links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• Biblical reasons to doubt Justin Taylor’s doubts about the creation days being 24-hour periods -- "It is interesting; but I think ultimately very weak."
• Can Faith and Science Coexist? Mathematician and Christian John Lennox Responds -- "All scientists presuppose and therefore have faith in the rational intelligibility of the universe. Einstein could not have been a scientist without this faith...The mathematical intelligibility of nature is evidence for a rational spirit behind the universe."
• Did God make Anything According to Genesis One? -- "...one scholar has emerged over the past several years with a 'revolutionary' explanation. Namely, that Genesis 1 doesn't describe God 'making' anything."
• Should We Doubt Young Earth Creationism? -- "One issue often debated by current Christians is the significance of young earth creationism (YEC)."
• 7 Unhealthiest Foods On The Planet -- "These seemingly innocent foods should be placed on your personal 'no-eat' list."

The Best Chinese Food Restaurant in Texas

In the online article The Best Chinese Food Restaurant in Every State, Yahoo Editor Jeff O'Heir tells us that the best Chinese food in state of Texas is found at the Chicken Lollypop in Austin. Chicken Lollypop is located at 1005 E. Braker Lane, Austin, TX 78753. O'Heir notes us that you initially find yourself in East Braker Lane Food Mart and that the restaurant is toward the back of the store. Phone is (512) 909-9826.

The "best" rating in this piece comes through Yelp. It is based on "the number of stars and amount of reviews each restaurant received from Yelpers. The higher the combined number, the better the ranking." (For the Chicken Lollypop it was 4.5 stars and 208 reviews.) I hope to give it a try the next time I’m in Austin.

Break Fast

This morning I broke my fast at Denny's Restaurant. It was the first time I've eaten at one in years (and years and years). I tried the Grand Slamwich. Perhaps I was half asleep, but I found it surprisingly plain, considering that it combined sausage, bacon, ham, eggs and cheese on potato bread. I think the "maple spice spread" with which it was grilled overpowered all the other flavors. That maple flavor was about the same as McDonalds' McGriddle. The hash browns were also kind of bland and the coffee was adequate. The service was good. It was plenty to fill me up, and looks like I'll be eating the other half for lunch.

Waffle House is my overall breakfast favorite place (other than home), and Mr. Taco in Lockhart, Texas is my favorite specialty location. Mr. Taco and Herschel's Restaurants serve the best coffee -- Douwe Egberts.

Food and Health

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 6 Cancer-Fighting Superfoods -- “All the studies on cancer and nutrition point to eating plant-based foods for their phytonutrients and other special compounds.”
* 12 Surprising Sources of Caffeine -- "...the sneaky stimulant can pop up in unexpected places."
* Breast Health, a Great Reason to Love Peanut Butter and Jelly -- " New research indicates that older girls who regularly eat peanut butter, nuts, and other sources of vegetable protein and fat may reduce their risk of developing benign breast disease (BBD) by as much as 39 percent."
* Foods That Fight Cancer -- “No single food or food component can protect you against cancer by itself.”
* The Honey Launderers: Uncovering the Largest Food Fraud in U.S. History -- “A second phase of the investigation began in 2011, when Homeland Security agents approached Honey Holding, ALW’s 'garbage can', and one of the biggest suppliers of honey to U.S. food companies. In 'Project Honeygate', as agents called it, Homeland Security had an agent work undercover for a full year as a director of procurement at Honey Holding.”
* The Southern Staple Everyone Should Know How to Make -- “The first few attempts were missing something. After a bit more research, we found several versions of this dish that benefit from a small shot of pickle juice because of its vinegary, sour flavor.”

Junk Food Religion

The appeal of junk food restaurants is similar to the appeal of “junk food” religion. The quality of fast food and prepared food is generally inferior to that we cook at home. Yet we flock to these restaurants. The reasons people go in droves to public eating establishments are the same as the reasons some people go to a particular church.

As some eat at a certain fast food chain because of the playground equipment, so some go to a church for the same reason.

As some eat wherever the children want to eat, so some attend wherever the children want to go to church.

As some agree to eat where everyone else wants to eat, so some worship wherever their friends are going.

As some go to a restaurant because they can get in and out quickly, so some go to a church where they can get in, get through, and get home.

As some choose a place to eat that will have something to suit everyone in the family, so some choose a church that will try to please everyone.

As some eat at a restaurant they perceive to be cheap, so some attend a church where little or nothing is expected of them.

Our choice of a place to eat often has little or nothing to do with the quality and purity of the food; little to well support the main reason we are going there - to eat. Most people do not choose a restaurant because they serve healthy, wholesome, nourishing food.

Why do you go to a particular church? We should attend a church that serves up the whole Word of God, which is milk and meat to our bones. Oh, may we taste and see that the Lord is good!

Oh, taste and see the Lord is good, 
I heard the Psalmist say.
I tasted; oh, what wondrous food!
He's blessed me from that day.

Adapted from The Baptist Waymark

2 food statements

"The 'food police' -- all those folks who want to take all the fun and goodness out of eating -- are on a mission to stamp out almost all dishes that taste good...I am sure most of them are well-meaning, and trying to promote healthy eating, but I think some them are just grumpy most of the time -- probably because they go around eating sprouts, dandelions and other plants that at one time we mowed instead of ate." -- Scott Sosebee in "The great hamburger debate"

"In our world of chain restaurants, franchise churches, cookie-cutter suburban neighborhoods, Big Government, and Big Business, I increasingly find the simpler path–the little way–to be very appealing." -- Nathan Finn

True Grit(s)

Say it with love. Say it from the heart. Say it with grits.

Paula Deen's Grits Pie

Taste of the South's Salsa Pepper-Jack Grits Dip

mm...mmm good

Good hamburgers

We went to the Sacred Harp singing in San Antonio Saturday. It was very good. On our way Friday, we stopped for dinner (lunch, midday meal) at the Roadhouse on 2804 E Highway 21 in Bastrop. The Roadhouse has been voted the best hamburgers in Bastrop County 5 Years in a Row, and their Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger was rated among the fifty best burgers in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine. Our friend had seen this in the magazine, so we decided to stop there. I tried the "Jack" Burger. It is similar to the Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger except that it has cream cheese topped with Pico de Gallo instead of sliced jalapenos. Both are served on a jalapeno bun.

Excellent. Highly Recommended.

Big N' Tasty

In my opinion, McDonald's Big N' Tasty® is neither big nor tasty. Add to that the problem that the employees may not be able to tell you what comes on it or correctly make any changes in how you want it served.

Not recommended.

This weekend

Singing in Dallas; Syrup Festival in Henderson. Click links below for information.

Dallas County Sacred Harp Convention

Heritage Syrup Festival

Reflections on...Dinner on the Ground

Another book on Sacred Harp will soon be available, this one with a little different twist. The University of Nebraska Press is publishing A Sacred Feast: Reflections on All-Day Singing and Dinner on the Ground by Kathryn Eastburn. It will be available in March (you can order it now). According to Kathryn, "It's a beautifully produced, colorful book about the vitality of Sacred Harp singing communities around the country and about being a stranger entering that community and the hollow square." Each chapter features a different singing and ends with recipes.

From the University of Nebraska Press web site:
"With curiosity and humanity, she tells the story of a community of people held together by the most powerful of bonds—tradition, song, and food. She writes in elegant, crystal-clear prose, and it is a pleasure to be transported by her all across America to gathering after gathering, learning and celebrating as we go.” — Richard Goodman, author of French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of France