Reading is a pleasure that most of us wish we could do more often, if only time and energy would allow it. Reading about food is an even more exquisite treat for some; if the focus happens to be Southern food, well, that's simply icing on the cake. Luckily, for those who appreciate all that the world of Southern food entails, there's Cornbread Nation.
Cornbread Nation 6: The Best of Southern Food Writing is edited by Brett Anderson, a restaurant critic and features writer at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, and he has created a compilation that will literally make the reader salivate. Divided into six categories, with such titles as Menu Items and Southern Characters, the book features an eclectic mix of essays, brief memoirs, poetry and profiles. Savvy readers will recognize contributors like Molly O'Neill, Michael Pollan, Calvin Trillin and Kim Severson--and savor the discovery of new voices, as well as the ability to revisit the words of the past (including notes by Frederick Douglass on the sustenance of slaves). Southern food is influenced by a combination of diversity, history, location and tradition; Cornbread Nation 6 delves into each of these inspirations, but also allows a glimpse of the innovation shaping Southern cuisine and food culture today. --Roni K. Devlin, owner of Literary Life Bookstore & More