Soul food has been engrained in African American culture from times of enslavement to modern day, representing family, growth, and entrepreneurship. African Americans have taken the scraps of food they were left with and added seasoning and all kinds of flavor until it was food that was eaten to celebrate and to build wealth. There were a multitude of soul food restaurants, street carts, and even rent parties (parties that required an entry fee and would often include soul food and music) that African Americans used to fund their lives.
Despite all the good things that soul food has done for the African American community, there are many downsides. Health wise, soul food is filled with high amounts of salt, sugar, and salt and can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and lead to a stroke. Other downsides are about what it means for Black identity. Elijah Muhammad, leader of Black Muslims at the time who was known for being against soul food said, “African Americans learned a destructive culture from an oppressive white Christian power structure during slavery” (Opie, Food Rebels). Muhammad believed that the continued eating of soul food was creating a Black genocide as African Americans were slowly dying from an abundance of health issues.
In this blog, I will be discussing The Boondocks, season 1, episode 10: The Itis. The main family is Robert Freeman, the grandfather; Huey Freeman and Riley Freeman, his grandkids. They are a Black family in a very white suburban neighborhood. “The Itis” starts off with Robert making Sunday dinner, which consisted of large amounts of soul food and put everyone at dinner, except for Huey (who had only eaten vegetables), to sleep. Robert was given the opportunity to run his own soul food restaurant which only served soul food in its unhealthiest form and put everyone who ate it to sleep. The restaurant very negatively affected the community before it was shut down: people lost their jobs, crime rates skyrocketed, violence ensued. At the end of the episode, the family takes their Sunday dinners from copious amounts of soul food to a healthy balanced meal that doesn’t make people fall asleep immediately after.
How to Eat to Live by Elijah Muhammad is mentioned. I believe this to be suggesting veganism as a possible solution to an abundance of health issues in the Black community, which is supported by Huey who had only eaten vegetables at the first family dinner and had not been put to sleep.
Ignorance to these health issues is also seen: Big Mama died because of her frequently eating soul food, yet her family continues to eat the same food that killed her. Some African Americans are resistant to changing what they love even when it’ll better their lives.
Huey is telling his grandfather that a culture that enables these health issues and the tearing down of a once thriving community couldn’t possibly be good or a marker of Black identity. It is destructive.
We also hear of soul food’s history and connection to slavery. This is the reason many people who are anti-soul food, specifically Black Muslims, don’t feel a loss of identity when they stop eating soul food.
Works Cited
Picture of Aaron McGruder: Creator: Michael Tran Archive | Credit: FilmMagic
Opie, Food Rebels: https://lms.dickinson.edu/pluginfile.php/1991504/course/section/290174/Opie%20-%20Food%20Rebels.pdf
The Boondocks, The Itis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kuerIkiOsw