even fish with no scales. So right away he totally disbanded the myth that all people of African American decent eat pork. He also excludes anything from his diet that contains any pork-derived ingredients. Not in my house! he says. Although he does stick to his Judaic diet, JJ Alex and his family do enjoy other foods as well. His mother does most of the cooking in his home. He says they try to eat a lot of baked foods as apposed to fried foods because they are healthier. Steaming is also used a method of preparation. Outside of his religion, JJ Alex engages in other traditions that affect the food he eats. Thanksgiving was always a custom in his house as far as he can remember. He and his family enjoy turkey, stuffing, collard greens, candied yams (sweet potatoes) and many other dishes on this day. What surprised me was that many of his dishes mentioned had a lot of southern influence to them. I thought to myself how does someone who was born and raised in the northeast be exposed to so much southern style food? I then proceeded to ask, So where does the southern edge come from? He told me that his mothers side of the family is originally from Texas. He can remember his grandfathers famous collard greens, dumplings, and pickled cucumbers. He also recalled his grandmothers Wont Last cake, banana bread, and preserves. These recipes, he told me, were passed form generation to generation. From my interview with JJ Alex I observed that both the religious and traditional aspects helped to shape his eating habits.After my interview with JJ Alex, I then wanted to take my questions to that of the southern part of the United States. Michelle is a 16-year-old African American female born and raised in South Carolina. Although she and JJ Alex are from two entirely different regions and religious backgrounds, they do share some similarities in the foods they eat. Michelle is a Christian who was brought up attending an A.M.E. (A...
