"Oh,
I buy frozen biscuits now...an' they taste just about as good as teh homemade
ones...You know canned biscuits, that's the way of doin' it now."
"The
grocery stores are a lot faster an' a lot easier."
"Because
of the cholesterol, I use vegetable or canola oil. Naw, there hadn't been lard
in this house for years an' years!"
"I'm
thirty-four years old. I have only made one homemade cake."
"They
have such good items at the bakeries [and] the large grocery stores. You can
just run in for a few minutes and get something. I put it on a nice cake plate,
then it look real good."
Southerners still enjoy their biscuits, pies,
and cakes, but many no longer make them from "scratch." With busier
lifestyles, families often choose to purchase baked goods from the grocery
or bakery. People also buy mixed and frozen breads such as biscuits that they
can easily prepare at home.
Some cooks continue to prepare biscuits and
other items the "old-fashioned way!" While they adhere to traditional
baking methods, health concerns have led many to use recipes that include
less salt, sugar, and saturated fat. Even those who do not count calories
rely on modern conveniences and generally do not produce their own milk, butter,
or animal fat.
Still, regional baking traditions remain
important. Local restaurants which specialize in "home cooking"
feature biscuits and cornbread with each meal, as well as an array of regional
desserts. Groceries also carry the same types of pies and cakes that cooks
have prepared for generations. It is debatable whether or not those baked
goods can replace old family favorites.
Those who still prepare their specialty cakes,
pies, and other desserts do so with less frequency than in the past. These
days, people tend to make special baked goods for birthdays, holidays, family
reunions, chuch functions that include "Dinner on the Grounds" or
as an expression of sympathy at the loss of a loved one.
Even today, some restaurants feature "home
cooking" or "country cooking" including biscuits and cornbread.
An
assortment of cakes found at a grocery store
An
assortment of pies found at a grocery store
A
modern day Southern family meal
A
1970's Family reunion meal
