Southern Food Reportedly Has 'Hayseed Image': What Do You Think?

There is now a lot of online chatter about a recent New York Times story on Southern farmers and cuisine.

The article reported, among other things, that some farmers are trying "to restore (Southern food's) lost traditions and dignity."

The New York Times: Today, purists believe, Southern cooking is too often represented by its worst elements: feedlot hams, cheap fried chicken and chains like Cracker Barrel.

So ... what do you think? Is the article saying that Southern food is undignified? Is the article a typical Northern snobbish look at the South? Or is it an accurate portrayal of a significant part of the region's economy and a strong farm-to-table movement that could catch fire amid the "new localism" of the 21st century?

Do you have a better recipe for hoppin' John? Do you know one for beaten biscuits? Do you like Cracker Barrel? Paula Deen?

After all, nutritional advancements have shed new light on the deep-fried dangers that were common in generations past. Restaurants featuring Thai and Mexican cooking now are as common around Suwanee and Gwinnett as so-called Southern cuisine.

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