Southerners use events to illustrate emotion and longing. Then they erect monuments to solidify the remembrance of the events. Surely this has been noted before now, I cannot possibly be the first person to observe this phenomenon. The importance of the statue on the county courthouse lawn, the one commemorating the Confederate dead, for instance. And to many it is no longer the reason for the event, it is the event itself. Not the motivation, because incentives, or perceived causes, become blurry over time, lose focus and original meaning.
New events occur — collard festivals, the dogwoods-are-in-bloom weekend drives, historic home tours which raise money for historic preservation societies which celebrate historic events – all manufactured for financial reasons and which serve perpetuate the idea of the emotion which is symbolic of the longing behind the event. Signifying nothing, celebrating something. Mosquitoes, ticks, redbugs, watermelon, pottery, a season, barbeque…
In three weeks, Smithfield, NC will celebrate hams and yams. Eddie Money, born in Brooklyn, NY, will perform in a musical tribute to salt cured meat. And sweet potatoes. Perhaps he will dedicate “Take Me Home Tonight” to the idea of take-out barbeque with a couple sides — potatoes and sweet tea. Or fried pies.
The promise of sweet potato biscuits insures that I’ll be there. If the biscuit does not materialize, then it’s lunch at Venter’s in Greenville for me. I long for sweet potato biscuits.
2 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup butter (no oleo)
3 tablespoons shortening (lard, if ya’ got it)
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
6 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted (no oleo)
PREPARATION:
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Cut in 1/4 cup butter and the shortening with a pastry blender or forks until mixture is crumbly. Add mashed sweet potato and milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead just a few times.
Roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes, or until nicely browned.
Makes about 15 to 18 biscuits.
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