Alice walker raises a point that the creative spirit held by our mothers was very often not held in high regard by anyone at that time as an "artistic" or "special" talent. Simple things like: pruning a garden, knitting, singing a song, or cooking were religious activities that at the time held no particular place in society other than fulfilling their own personal needs.

Cooking holds a special place for me, because I grew up in a family that did not use recipes for cooking. They simply pulled out ingredients, and pulled meals together. What we know as "soul food" is the descendant of soul food. It is the brilliant masterpiece that derived from want. Soul food is distinct in its use of greens, beans, and the parts of the pig rejected at the plantation house: pig's knuckles, ears, tripe, hog maws. These were add

Back in the days of slavery, slaves were often forced to eat the scraps that their slave masters did not want. They turned these scraps into delicious dishes. Some of these foods are black-eyes peas, cornbread, bread pudding, greens, sweet potato pie, and chitterling (often called "chitlins"). Historically in black families, you were taught to cook by watching your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and so forth. Those skills and knowledge are passed on from generation to generation. Alice Walker touches on this not only in her title, but also in how she points out things that our mother showed us, possibly not even knowing it herself. I have watched both my grand and godmother cook, and they both have dishes that I consider their specialty. My Godmother's Dressing and Granny's Macaroni and Cheese; neither of which I can live without. The techniques picked up

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gardens Alice, African American, Grandmother Godmother, Alice Walker, Macaroni Cheese, soul food, alice walker, grandmother godmother,
Approximate Word count = 588
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)