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Getting Something to Eat in Jackson: Race, Class, and Food in the American South
James Beard Foundation Book Award Nominee • Winner of the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Book Award, Association of Black Sociologists • Winner of the C. Wright Mills Award, the Society for the Study of Social Problems
A vivid portrait of African American life in today’s urban South that uses food to explore the complex interactions of race and class
Getting Something to Eat in Jackson uses food―what people eat and how―to explore the interaction of race and class in the lives of African Americans in the contemporary urban South. Joseph Ewoodzie Jr. examines how “foodways”―food availability, choice, and consumption―vary greatly between classes of African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi, and how this reflects and shapes their very different experiences of a shared racial identity.
Ewoodzie spent more than a year following a group of socioeconomically diverse African Americans―from upper-middle-class patrons of the city’s fine-dining restaurants to men experiencing homelessness who must organize their days around the schedules of soup kitchens. Ewoodzie goes food shopping, cooks, and eats with a young mother living in poverty and a grandmother working two jobs. He works in a Black-owned BBQ restaurant, and he meets a man who decides to become a vegan for health reasons but who must drive across town to get tofu and quinoa. Ewoodzie also learns about how soul food is changing and why it is no longer a staple survival food. Throughout, he shows how food choices influence, and are influenced by, the racial and class identities of Black Jacksonians.
By tracing these contemporary African American foodways, Getting Something to Eat in Jackson offers new insights into the lives of Black Southerners and helps challenge the persistent homogenization of blackness in American life.
A vivid portrait of African American life in today’s urban South that uses food to explore the complex interactions of race and class
Getting Something to Eat in Jackson uses food―what people eat and how―to explore the interaction of race and class in the lives of African Americans in the contemporary urban South. Joseph Ewoodzie Jr. examines how “foodways”―food availability, choice, and consumption―vary greatly between classes of African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi, and how this reflects and shapes their very different experiences of a shared racial identity.
Ewoodzie spent more than a year following a group of socioeconomically diverse African Americans―from upper-middle-class patrons of the city’s fine-dining restaurants to men experiencing homelessness who must organize their days around the schedules of soup kitchens. Ewoodzie goes food shopping, cooks, and eats with a young mother living in poverty and a grandmother working two jobs. He works in a Black-owned BBQ restaurant, and he meets a man who decides to become a vegan for health reasons but who must drive across town to get tofu and quinoa. Ewoodzie also learns about how soul food is changing and why it is no longer a staple survival food. Throughout, he shows how food choices influence, and are influenced by, the racial and class identities of Black Jacksonians.
By tracing these contemporary African American foodways, Getting Something to Eat in Jackson offers new insights into the lives of Black Southerners and helps challenge the persistent homogenization of blackness in American life.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published October 5, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 21, 2021
Ewoodzie was compelled by a documentary to learn how class and racial identity influence eating patterns, and he spent months in Jackson, MS exploring these topics. While framed as focusing on "getting something to eat," his book addresses the tension and dynamics behind race and class with as much--if not more--depth and analysis than is spent on nutrition and foodways. The result is a book with an uncommon depth and range.
The book reads like an expanded dissertation given how frequently Ewoodzie explains what each section or chapter is going to address and how it fits into a larger context, and there's also an emphasis on research and theories that he either supports or questions given his own experiences and insights. I loved the academic nature of his writing, which taught me sociological theories and research methods in a stepwise and engaging manner; I'm jealous of his students. This isn't to suggest it's a dry technical read because it's just the opposite; Ewoodzie engages with many individuals and families throughout the book, shares their stories, and makes you care for and empathize with their challenges.
Ewoodzie divides his books into sections based on the individuals he essentially lives for a period: homeless, in poverty, middle-class, and upper middle-class. While each section has extensive discussions about the food choices and issues each faces--the reliance on systems and volunteers, the impact of reduced bandwidth for decision-making about nutrition, navigating cultural expectations and demands, and so on--the discussion about how each person makes their way in the world with varying demands is equally compelling. There are corollaries between Ewoodzie's theses and Wilkerson's, particularly regarding the challenges people have balancing race and class; for example, Ewoodize concludes "For those who endured poverty, one of the few areas of tranquility in their lives was their racial identification...The perpetual equation of Black Mississippians with poverty made them the epitome of blackness." This reminded me of Wilkerson's findings in "Caste" that many who are minorities and in the middle-class experience microaggressions (or simply aggressions) so frequently that their health is worse than those who remain in poverty. Ewoodzie simply but powerfully includes a scene of upper-middle-class Blacks eating at a posh restaurant identified as a "white space," showing how the diners strive to claim their racial identity in the establishment and how the chef and cooks respond to these attempts.
In summary, this book wasn't what I expected based on the description given the balance of exploration between food and other factors, but it is far more powerful and insightful than I hoped for. Although focused on the city of Jackson, MS, Ewoodzie's findings, insights, and calls for action are ones that can be applied to any area of the country where people from differing races, classes, and backgrounds try to find something to eat.
The book reads like an expanded dissertation given how frequently Ewoodzie explains what each section or chapter is going to address and how it fits into a larger context, and there's also an emphasis on research and theories that he either supports or questions given his own experiences and insights. I loved the academic nature of his writing, which taught me sociological theories and research methods in a stepwise and engaging manner; I'm jealous of his students. This isn't to suggest it's a dry technical read because it's just the opposite; Ewoodzie engages with many individuals and families throughout the book, shares their stories, and makes you care for and empathize with their challenges.
Ewoodzie divides his books into sections based on the individuals he essentially lives for a period: homeless, in poverty, middle-class, and upper middle-class. While each section has extensive discussions about the food choices and issues each faces--the reliance on systems and volunteers, the impact of reduced bandwidth for decision-making about nutrition, navigating cultural expectations and demands, and so on--the discussion about how each person makes their way in the world with varying demands is equally compelling. There are corollaries between Ewoodzie's theses and Wilkerson's, particularly regarding the challenges people have balancing race and class; for example, Ewoodize concludes "For those who endured poverty, one of the few areas of tranquility in their lives was their racial identification...The perpetual equation of Black Mississippians with poverty made them the epitome of blackness." This reminded me of Wilkerson's findings in "Caste" that many who are minorities and in the middle-class experience microaggressions (or simply aggressions) so frequently that their health is worse than those who remain in poverty. Ewoodzie simply but powerfully includes a scene of upper-middle-class Blacks eating at a posh restaurant identified as a "white space," showing how the diners strive to claim their racial identity in the establishment and how the chef and cooks respond to these attempts.
In summary, this book wasn't what I expected based on the description given the balance of exploration between food and other factors, but it is far more powerful and insightful than I hoped for. Although focused on the city of Jackson, MS, Ewoodzie's findings, insights, and calls for action are ones that can be applied to any area of the country where people from differing races, classes, and backgrounds try to find something to eat.
April 5, 2022
Firstly: I live in Mississippi, and I lived and worked in Jackson, and still have many ties, and more than a few complicated feelings about, the city. I also love pretty much any book, fiction or not, about food. I eat too much. I go out to eat too often. I cook. In my salad days, I did the whole beans & rice/rice & beans thing. I made a $5 pizza last four days. Nowadays, I think about meals days and weeks in advance. Make reservations when I travel and post pics of food to social media daily. With that out of the way, I'll say that the idea and the concept of this book is great...and appealing to anyone at all interested in the subject matter, regardless of their knowledge of Jackson, Miss. Ewoodzie was clearly given great access to his subject, and writes about it with a sincere interest and keen observation. However, the book is very clinical and academic and essentially a very long dissertation...and I got the feeling that I was supposed to be surprised or otherwise impressed by some of its findings that are painfully obvious to anyone who might take the time for a cursory examination of the kinds of people and the settings in which different people live and work. I might be biased, as I worked with low income families in Jackson, Miss for many years and am always surprised when other people are surprised that their lives aren't exactly ideal. It's a daily struggle, and getting something to eat is not always something to eat is purely a function, not a luxury. Worth noting: The book stumbles into the world of the workings of African Americanism as a body politic in a failing city towards the end, and I'd love for Joseph "Piko" Ewoodzie to come back and explore that as well.
January 13, 2024
I found this book thought provoking and enlightening, as a transplant to Jackson, MS, from Buffalo, NY. Having lived in Jackson for over 30 years, I have met many of the people mentioned in the book, but now see their lives from a different perspective. Also, as an older, white woman, who volunteers at one of the churches serving meals to unhoused people, I especially appreciated hearing their views on the food served and the behavior of the volunteers who serve.
While the writing was more academic than expected, I did benefit from the insights behind the research. Highly recommend this book!
While the writing was more academic than expected, I did benefit from the insights behind the research. Highly recommend this book!
December 23, 2021
Obviously, I was obsessed with this book. Amazing read made even richer by knowing the names, faces, and places being discussed
March 7, 2025
I read it for school. It was really interesting but I couldn’t get the motivation to get into it.
December 11, 2021
Borrowed this on a whim without being familiar with the author, book, the premise, etc. But I'm aware of the politics around food that includes ranging from access to prices to consumption and more. Everything to how advertising can affect our food choices to how it's easier to pick up some fast food than to cook something at your home.
Author Ewoodzie profiles a wide variety of Black people in Jackson, Mississippi, from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life. From a grandma working multiple jobs to a vegan who has to travel across town to get tofu, etc. it's a range of perspectives. It was fascinating to see that even within a city how wide and varied access, availability, etc. can differ widely and how experiences can differ so widely.
But overall it was a difficult read. Another review describes each section as a dissertation and that pretty much sums it up. The writing was too academic for me to really relate to the subject of each section. Something about it came across as a little too clinical, although I'll grant that maybe that was just my reading of it and maybe not being familiar with the author/book prior to reading didn't help.
Of course, it could be that it just wasn't for me. But I could see someone interested in issues such as food access, in Jackson, Mississippi, in sociology, etc. could definitely find this an interesting and useful resource to have. For a layperson like myself, I don't think this was a book meant for casual reading (but would probably have liked it in a context of a class).
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me. Would recommend the same if you're a casual reader like me and/or to decide if it's a resource you want for your own library.
Author Ewoodzie profiles a wide variety of Black people in Jackson, Mississippi, from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life. From a grandma working multiple jobs to a vegan who has to travel across town to get tofu, etc. it's a range of perspectives. It was fascinating to see that even within a city how wide and varied access, availability, etc. can differ widely and how experiences can differ so widely.
But overall it was a difficult read. Another review describes each section as a dissertation and that pretty much sums it up. The writing was too academic for me to really relate to the subject of each section. Something about it came across as a little too clinical, although I'll grant that maybe that was just my reading of it and maybe not being familiar with the author/book prior to reading didn't help.
Of course, it could be that it just wasn't for me. But I could see someone interested in issues such as food access, in Jackson, Mississippi, in sociology, etc. could definitely find this an interesting and useful resource to have. For a layperson like myself, I don't think this was a book meant for casual reading (but would probably have liked it in a context of a class).
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me. Would recommend the same if you're a casual reader like me and/or to decide if it's a resource you want for your own library.
May 15, 2022
I would give this 6 stars if I could. As a sociologist and ethnographer, and one who has lived and worked in Jackson, MS, this read was an immediate interest to me. But the quality of the writing -- the detail he showed in people's days who were in his sample, the effortless dialogue he included, and the weaving of theory throughout in a digestable way-- makes me love the book even more. This is a very good ethnography and it challenges me to reach the same level in my own work. The organization of the book, in order from respondents in poverty up to affluent with about 4 shades of financial and socioeconomic status in between - is very effective for the main goal of the book, which is to convey how race and class interplay for Black Americans in the urban South, as revealed through their food choices/food ways. If you have lived in Jackson, are a sociologist, or want to understand how people from different social classes' everyday lives look, this book is for you.
July 31, 2023
6/5 or ♾️/5
February 25, 2024
Community Read 2024 Davidson title. Dr. Ewoodzie spends many weeks embedded with families or people groups in multiple income categories in Jackson, Mississippi. While with them he closely studies what the eat and how they acquire it and how their lives affect their ability to choose. I found the entire project fascinating and loved reading all about it. Dr. Ewoodzie does a great job presenting the information in a narrative and readable fashion, accessible to even the casual reader (like myself). The reader comes to know and care for all of the people he encounters in his study. If you read and enjoyed Matthew Desmond's Evicted you'll love Getting Something to Eat in Jackson just as much. They are so similar in all the best ways.
January 19, 2023
Really interesting. It's an ambitious project and the author took it on with fidelity. Brought some fresh perspectives and some new ways to look at Southern sociology. I think it might have been his dissertation - it definitely feels that way. As a result, potential readers should note it's more of an academic text than a casual read, but it's also filled with compelling stories that are riveting.
December 9, 2024
My book club was forunate enough to have a virtual conversation with the author, Joseph "Piko" Ewoodzie, which was an absolute delight. Dr. Ewoodzie does an amazing job of compassionately engaging with the citizens of Jackson that he is studying and tying their experiences to historical and sociological themes.
February 27, 2023
Digital copy. I should have known better. It was written very much like a term paper although we did get to know several people who live/d in Jackson. I thought it would be more about specific food in Jackson but that was my own fault for not reading the synopsis first.
December 10, 2024
3.5 stars. Very interesting study of food across classes in the Black community in Jackson MS. I learned a lot about middle and upper middle class families. We had the author on Zoom at our book group. He added great details and updates on the individuals highlighted in the book.
March 20, 2025
I really liked the analysis across classes that Ewoodzie did. I think he did a pretty good job balancing his position and experience as an ethnographer while still sharing the other stories. Well enjoyed.
February 16, 2022
A poignant and fresh view on food from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor through the lens of race in America’s South. Well written and balanced. Highly recommended!
September 5, 2023
Dense and heavy at times this book will make you reconsider how you view race, class, and the those have to food.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews