Gratitude
Celebrating an anniversary with a gift for you.
Dear Wonderful Readers,
Today marks the eight-month anniversary of when I nervously started America Eats! Writing two stories every week has been a creative challenge, an invigorating research and reporting experience, and a fine way to invite you to take a seat at my kitchen table. This month’s exploration of December’s religious and cultural holidays is an example of what I strive to do, and I hope you enjoy reading it. The celebration of Buddha’s enlightenment arrives tomorrow, and its foundation is particularly timely, its decorations and food familiar and meaningful.
In truth, I wouldn’t be able to write these stories without your company. I’m deeply grateful for the times you have come in to read my writing and for those who keep returning by subscribing to America Eats!
To express my gratitude to my subscribers—and in time for the holidays—I would like to send you a special gift. It is the first installment of a new project for America Eats!—16- to 32-page single-subject chapbooks that will be published three times a year. First up is Southern Cooking by Eudora Welty, one of the country’s great 20th century writers. She collected the recipes in the 1930s, when she was working for the Federal Writers Project and was asked to create a pamphlet for the Mississippi Advertising Commission. The manuscript is part of the Library of Congress’ Works Progress Administration papers and has never been printed before. In other words, you will be receiving an exclusive copy of a work by Eudora Welty that is not available anywhere else unless you know where to dive deep into the library’s holdings.
The chapbook is handsomely printed and full of interesting recipes that, as Welty wrote, were “gleaned from ante-bellum homes in various parts of Mississippi, nothing is held back. This is guaranteed. Yankees are welcome to make these dishes.”
Head over to my website for your copy. In the message box, be sure to give your complete mailing address. Your information will be kept private, unavailable to third parties, and never sold. If you are not a subscriber, then think about signing up for a free copy. You may also purchase one for a nominal fee of $5. Subscribers are more than welcome to order additional copies for the same price. The booklet makes a great gift.
Thank you for coming along on this adventure! I truly appreciate your support.
And, in whatever way you celebrate this month, Happy Holidays!
~Pat