Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Crossing Lines

Reading the Tomato Jam recipe by Irene McFadden, my mom said "The McFadden's were a Black family that lived down the road. My Dad used to hunt squirrel and trade them with Mr. McFadden."

Photo by Eric Eberhard

Squirrel stew anyone?  And what did my grandfather trade for? Hooch, probably. Or maybe some of Mrs. McFadden's fabulous Tomato Jam.

What I wonder is how did racial lines work pre-WWII? Did they all hang out together, or was it strictly squirrel-bartering, recipe sharing business?

I don't know, but either they were friends or Mrs. McFadden was an amazing cook-- her name pops up more than once in Lucie's collection.


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