Chile honey

I just finished reading The Warmth of Other Suns, a historical narrative about the Great Migration.  The book is well written but very dense.  This story provides substantial insight into the urban condition, particularly in the post industrial city.  In both the north and south, blacks were consistently given scraps, yet continue to be resilient.

Food seemed to be a consistently refreshing tradition throughout the book - yams, collards, oxtails, cat fish (food for the soul) - and I've been thinking about down home cooking ever since.

There's a strong black community just off the Main Line...they've been there for ages...and lo and behold there's a soul food joint nestled in town.  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm wary of "soul food".  No matter how much people rant and rave, the sides are never good and in general the food is just sub par. 

We tracked down SoulFed in the rear of the Legion Post in a part of town whose character resembles more of a dense rural settlement than a residential suburb.  The owner was friendly and like me takes pride in his food, he asked me to call and let him know how we liked it.  We loved it.  The greens were bursting with flavor albeit a little salty; the macaroni and cheese was a delicious pleasant surprise; the chicken and fish were coated and seasoned just right; and I think I detected a hint of almond extract in the 7up cake. 

I know just where to go the next time I get a craving for soul food...I can't wait to try the yams and potato salad!