If I Can Cook/You Know God Can

African American Food Memories, Meditations, and Recipes

Paperback
$16.00 US
On sale Jan 29, 2019 | 144 Pages | 9780807021446

See Additional Formats
An expanded edition of a celebrated book that travels throughout the African diaspora to savor the timeless joy of black cuisine and culture.

A hidden gem by the author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Some Sing, Some Cry, Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, and Betsey Brown, a delightfully eclectic tribute to black cuisine as a food of life that reflects the spirit and history of a people. This edition, with delectable illustrations, features additional recipes—including two vegan dishes—that connect the culinary past to the present and welcomes a new generation of readers. With recipes such as “Cousin Eddie’s Shark with Breadfruit” and “Collard Greens to Bring You Money,” Shange instructs us in the nuances of a cuisine born on the slave ships of the Middle Passage, spiced by the jazz of Duke Ellington, and shared by generations across the African diaspora. Rich with personal memories and historical insight, If I Can Cook/You Know God Can is a timeless story of the migration of a people and the cuisine that marks their living legacy and celebration of taste.
RECIPES

FOREWORD
by Vertamae Grosvenor

AUTHOR’S NOTE

INTRODUCTION
Learning to Be Hungry / Holdin’ On Together

CHAPTER 1
What’d You People Call That?

CHAPTER 2
What We Don’t Say in Public

CHAPTER 3
All It Took Was a Road / Surprises of Urban Renewal

CHAPTER 4
Birthday in Brixton

CHAPTER 5
Too Many Fish in the Sea

CHAPTER 6
Brazil: More African Than Africans

CHAPTER 7
What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here?

CHAPTER 8
Westward Ho! Anywhere Must Be Better’n Here!

CHAPTER 9
Better Late Than Never

CHAPTER 10
Is That Why the Duke Had a Train of His Own?

CHAPTER 11
And What Did You Serve? Oh, No, You Did Not!

CHAPTER 12
Virtual Realities, Real People, Real Foods

Epilogue
Epilogue 2018: Savannah and Friends’ Prize-Winning Recipes
Notes
Credits
Acknowledgments
Ntozake Shange (1948–2018), poet, novelist, playwright, and performer, wrote the Broadway–produced and Obie Award–winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. She also wrote numerous works of fiction, including Sassafras, Cypress & Indigo, Betsey Brown, and Liliane.

About

An expanded edition of a celebrated book that travels throughout the African diaspora to savor the timeless joy of black cuisine and culture.

A hidden gem by the author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Some Sing, Some Cry, Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, and Betsey Brown, a delightfully eclectic tribute to black cuisine as a food of life that reflects the spirit and history of a people. This edition, with delectable illustrations, features additional recipes—including two vegan dishes—that connect the culinary past to the present and welcomes a new generation of readers. With recipes such as “Cousin Eddie’s Shark with Breadfruit” and “Collard Greens to Bring You Money,” Shange instructs us in the nuances of a cuisine born on the slave ships of the Middle Passage, spiced by the jazz of Duke Ellington, and shared by generations across the African diaspora. Rich with personal memories and historical insight, If I Can Cook/You Know God Can is a timeless story of the migration of a people and the cuisine that marks their living legacy and celebration of taste.

Table of Contents

RECIPES

FOREWORD
by Vertamae Grosvenor

AUTHOR’S NOTE

INTRODUCTION
Learning to Be Hungry / Holdin’ On Together

CHAPTER 1
What’d You People Call That?

CHAPTER 2
What We Don’t Say in Public

CHAPTER 3
All It Took Was a Road / Surprises of Urban Renewal

CHAPTER 4
Birthday in Brixton

CHAPTER 5
Too Many Fish in the Sea

CHAPTER 6
Brazil: More African Than Africans

CHAPTER 7
What Is It We Really Harvestin’ Here?

CHAPTER 8
Westward Ho! Anywhere Must Be Better’n Here!

CHAPTER 9
Better Late Than Never

CHAPTER 10
Is That Why the Duke Had a Train of His Own?

CHAPTER 11
And What Did You Serve? Oh, No, You Did Not!

CHAPTER 12
Virtual Realities, Real People, Real Foods

Epilogue
Epilogue 2018: Savannah and Friends’ Prize-Winning Recipes
Notes
Credits
Acknowledgments

Author

Ntozake Shange (1948–2018), poet, novelist, playwright, and performer, wrote the Broadway–produced and Obie Award–winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. She also wrote numerous works of fiction, including Sassafras, Cypress & Indigo, Betsey Brown, and Liliane.

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more