The eleventh annual Southern Foodways Symposium will be held October 23-26, 2008, on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford. This year, we explore Southern drinkways, starting with water, the resource on which all life relies.
Buttermilk will get its due. And soft drinks, by way of a bootlegging survey that traces cane sugar Mexican Cokes and original recipe Dr. Peppers to their sources.
One of our favorite Southern beverages is Blenheim’ s spicy Ginger Ale
We will explore the tensions that define Southern attitudes about harder drink, too, in an effort to make sense of the quip, attributed to Will Rogers, “Southerners will drink wet and vote dry–so long as any citizen can stagger to the polls.” That means a learned disquisition on drink imagery in Southern literature and film. And a look at the temperance movement as a religious impulse.
This event provides opportunities for cooks, chefs, writers, and intellectually curious eaters alike to come to a better understanding of Southern cuisine and Southern culture. Lectures, held in Johnson Commons, at the heart of the University of Mississippi campus, are complemented by informal lunches and dinners served in and around Oxford.
Registration is administered on a first received, first confirmed basis. Registration will be confirmed via e-mail after 5 p.m. on the date of receipt, Monday through Friday. www.southernfoodways.com
Here is the link to symposium registration — http://www.southernfoodways.com/images/SFA_symposium08_reg.pdf
Dixie Dining 
Leave a Reply