January 14, 2020
Zora Neale Hurston was born in 1891 near Montgomery, Ala. But her name is practically synonymous with Eatonville, the African-American enclave in Central Florida that she considered home. Hurston wrote extensively about Southern Black life, both as an anthropologist and in her short stories, plays and novels like Their Eyes Were Watching God.
One subject that appears in Hurston’s work again and again is food—so much so, that this week’s guest wrote a whole book about that.
Dr. Fred Opie is a professor of history and foodways at Babson College outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He also hosts a podcast, The Fred Opie Show, and he’s written numerous books—including Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food: Recipes, Remedies & Simple Pleasures. It details the role food played in Hurston’s life and work.
The book also serves as a lens into Southern African-American foodways of the first half of the 20th century, complete with archival photos and recipes.
Hurston’s home remedies, garden and resourcefulness in the kitchen were born just as much out of necessity as they were out of her fascination with documenting cultural norms. Like many legendary writers, musicians and artists we celebrate today, Hurston did not enjoy fame or fortune.
She was a master at “surviving hard times and making it look easy,” Opie says.
To learn more about Hurston, check out the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum and the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.
From This Episode
Explore The Zest
CREDITS
Host: Dalia Colón
Producer: Dalia Colón
Photo Credits: iStock
January 14, 2020
Zora Neale Hurston was born in 1891 near Montgomery, Ala. But her name is practically synonymous with Eatonville, the African-American enclave in Central Florida that she considered home. Hurston wrote extensively about Southern Black life, both as an anthropologist and in her short stories, plays and novels like Their Eyes Were Watching God.
One subject that appears in Hurston’s work again and again is food—so much so, that this week’s guest wrote a whole book about that.
Dr. Fred Opie is a professor of history and foodways at Babson College outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He also hosts a podcast, The Fred Opie Show, and he’s written numerous books—including Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food: Recipes, Remedies & Simple Pleasures. It details the role food played in Hurston’s life and work.
The book also serves as a lens into Southern African-American foodways of the first half of the 20th century, complete with archival photos and recipes.
Hurston’s home remedies, garden and resourcefulness in the kitchen were born just as much out of necessity as they were out of her fascination with documenting cultural norms. Like many legendary writers, musicians and artists we celebrate today, Hurston did not enjoy fame or fortune.
She was a master at “surviving hard times and making it look easy,” Opie says.
To learn more about Hurston, check out the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum and the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.
From This Episode
Explore The Zest
CREDITS
Host: Dalia Colón
Producer: Dalia Colón
Photo Credits: iStock
January 14, 2020
Zora Neale Hurston was born in 1891 near Montgomery, Ala. But her name is practically synonymous with Eatonville, the African-American enclave in Central Florida that she considered home. Hurston wrote extensively about Southern Black life, both as an anthropologist and in her short stories, plays and novels like Their Eyes Were Watching God.
One subject that appears in Hurston’s work again and again is food—so much so, that this week’s guest wrote a whole book about that.
Dr. Fred Opie is a professor of history and foodways at Babson College outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He also hosts a podcast, The Fred Opie Show, and he’s written numerous books—including Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food: Recipes, Remedies & Simple Pleasures. It details the role food played in Hurston’s life and work.
The book also serves as a lens into Southern African-American foodways of the first half of the 20th century, complete with archival photos and recipes.
Hurston’s home remedies, garden and resourcefulness in the kitchen were born just as much out of necessity as they were out of her fascination with documenting cultural norms. Like many legendary writers, musicians and artists we celebrate today, Hurston did not enjoy fame or fortune.
She was a master at “surviving hard times and making it look easy,” Opie says.
To learn more about Hurston, check out the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum and the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.
From This Episode
Explore The Zest
CREDITS
Host: Dalia Colón
Producer: Dalia Colón
Photo Credits: iStock