Many folks don’t contemplate the reality that bacon 🥓 comes in many different varieties and styles around the world. No surprise, of course, that I DO — and perhaps you too, since you’re reading this lol. The most accessible example I can think of is Canadian bacon — which is very different than what’s top of mind when we hear the word bacon — which millions of Americans have now known about for decades thanks to McDonald’s original breakfast sandwich — and my once-upon-a-time fave: the Egg McMuffin. Even U.S.-based bacon styles have expanded beyond old-school pork-only options to include choices like turkey, duck, mushroom, other plant-based, and vegan versions of savory bacon slices, hunks, and such…

But did you know that our traditional, uniquely American style of bacon has a very specific origin story? One guess who’s behind it!… 👀

✨ For the answer (and then some!) — including “The Hidden Black History of Bacon” and “The Black Roots of Brunch in America” — you’ll just have ta join my Patreon community…

In the meantime, enjoy this lineup of classic bacon beauty shots I’ve somehow amassed on my iPhone over the years. Each pic has (and some even tell) its own bacon backstory — each with a little sizzle of history. 🔥 BONUS: If you can spot & tell me which one is turkey bacon, I’ll give you a free year of access to a paid Patreon tier!…
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Staying Tuned,

Tonya aka “TFG”…

Speaking of sizzle, here’s a link to one of my retro IG bacon posts … enjoy!

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September 5th brings a delicious crossroads of global comfort foods — Cheese Pizza Day and World Samosa Day! While pizza is often seen as a uniquely Italian food icon, its roots trace back to Middle Eastern and North African flatbreads like pita —  oft topped with a variety of animal or plant-based proteins a la grilled meats, fresh cheeses or satisfying spreads dressed with aromatic herbs — Centuries before tomatoes made their way from Mesoamerica to that boot shaped land mass in middle of the Mediterranean Sea and eventually married mozzarella (basil , etc.) on a circular or square shaped savory 'pie' there and here. Likewise, samosas — with their spiced potato and pea or diced meat fillings tucked into golden pastry — have long been beloved as handheld street foods throughout South Asia and beyond. Both pizza and samosas remind us how portable, people-powered food traditions evolve, migrate and traverse the world and to help keep us deliciously nourished whether you’re eating on the go or taking time out to include either as part of a main meal….

Check out a more dynamic (reel) version of today’s Cheese Pizza post HERE ⬅️

Check out a dynamic (reel) version of today’s World Samosa Day post HERE ⬅️

Sept 5th is also: National Chianti Day 🍷🇮🇹: Not only one of my FAVE styles of red wine (made predominantly from the Italian Sangiovese grape) that didn’t originally get the respect it deserved when it came onto the American scene back in the 70’s … but no surprise, it also goes reeeeaaaally well with CHEESE PIZZA! 👆🏾 …👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

• Today’s also World Food Bank Day… if people in power in the world were more fair and equitable, less wasteful and punitive perhaps there wouldn’t have to be food banks. Thank God nonetheless that they exist and for the people past and present who came up with them as solutions for hunger and malnutrition..

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Tuesday SEPT 3RD is Welsh Rarebit Day: I dunno about ya’ll but i grew up thinking this dish was made of rare rabbit and wanted nothing whatsoever to do with it! HOWEVER, what it actually is in it’s most simple form is cheese on toast! But upon further investigation, recipes for this dish involve creating a very delectable cheese concoction atop densely textured and flavorful breads (that can result in either a cheese sauce consistency or something with more texture and pull) with even more flavor-filled and ‘comforting’ (i.e. fat-filled!) ingredients beyond the cheddar like: butter, heavy cream, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, porter beer and hot sauce! I know one thing — i’m about to tap into whatever Welsh heritage I have and add this deliciousness to my signature dish line up…

Why am i even mentioning this British Isles dish here? Well, it turns out that my surname, Hopkins, is Welsh. …And how did I find that out you’re wondering? Not to brag (ha!) but i learned this intel first-hand from arguably the most famous Welsh person on the planet — Sir Anthony Hopkins himself! …To hear this story (+ the fascinating history behind why so many African Americans have such a high incidence of Welsh surnames )… you’ll have to join my Patreon community .. And if you already have then message me there to get that scoop!

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Happy LABOR DAY! Which kicks off the month of September on the first day of the week (for those who don’t count Sunday as the first day) this year (2025)…

Labor Day: a traditional day for barbecues, cookouts, and such but here in Brooklyn it’s also the perfect day to eat West Indian FOOD & DRINK considering that the annual West Indian Day Parade takes place on Labor Day each year…B/c The West Indies, aka the Caribbean (named after the indigenous Kalinago or Carib peoples) is comprised of at least 13 , or 18 OR 26 sovereign nations (the # changes depending on whether you count the several Central and South American nations that border the Caribbean Sea / Gulf of Mexico / west of the Atlantic Ocean) which most certainly identify as West Indian and/or Caribbean. I say all that to say: that leaves us with a whole lot of diverse flavor-filled cuisines to explore — similar in some ways but very different in many others…

TODAY’s also National TOFU Day (UK): I included this for today b/c I gotta say: i just happen to make THE BEST fried tofu you will have ever had in your life. Crispy, crunchy, super well seasoned, full of flavor (yes tofu!) , not at all oily, delicious. Even my carnivorous cats think it’s chicken. Just sayin…

Holla on PATREON if you want my AMAZING recipe tips and tricks :

As for the Rest of This Amazing Month:

September IS:

Mushroom Month! which is VERY exciting for mushroom lovers like me (all the shroom beauty shots above are a big ‘ol clue)…Are you a shroomer too?

Better Breakfast Month…

Bourbon Heritage Month…

Honey Month

National Organic Month

Sourdough September

National Chicken Month!…:

…September’s a great time to eat grilled, barbecued or jerk chicken because the weather is still good for outdoor cooking, smoking and grilling (check out the delish chicken dishes in the W. Indian/Caribbean food photo carousel above …

Lastly but not least: Happy Cat Month ! And if your cats are feline foodies like mine, a key to cat happiness is good grub

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…Speaking of CATS!…

September 1st (TODAY!) is ALSO:

Ginger Cat Appreciation Day! although my baby boy kitty boo Simba not so secretly identifies as blonde, he technically falls in the “Ginger Cat” category. Either way since he’s oh so appreciated in so many ways (emotional support cat extraordinaire! on most days 😹) i certainly didn’t wanna miss this moment to let him and the world know how much my wittle kitty munchkin dumplin puddin pumpkin is appreciated indeed! Smooch smooch smoooch

OH AND!… cosmic coincidence with the ginger cat day & mushroom month combo but my absolute fave commercial on network tv right now (which is an oxymoron for me b/c i tend to avoid commercials — except the ones on StartTV for a host of reasons) features an ADORABLE little mushroom character , the silent (spokesperson?) / animated ambassador for Ryze Mushroom Coffee who happens to resemble — in my opinion —my sweet adorable ginger boy kitty. Is it just me or do you see the resemblance too 😆? :

And for this very reason (+ the fact that i am all for functional morning drinks!) you’ll now find RYZE and SHINE discount offers and deals at the very top of my LINKTREE SHOP —check it out!

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“Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, (August 27–29, 1776), in the American Revolution, successful British action in Brooklyn, New York, against the American Continental Army and the first major battle of the war since the American declaration of independence on July 4th” ..Battle of Long Island | Summary - Britannica

That’s right. Today marks the 249th anniversary of the “BATTLE of BROOKLYN” which was THE FIRST MAJOR BATTLE that marked the beginning of our (then VERY new) nation’s War of Independence against Brittain which took place on August 27th, 1776 (and started — guess where?!) — answer: right around here incl. on my very street! at and all around the site of The Old Stone House — directly across the street from MY HOUSE ( well , my Bklyn apartment ;) a mere STONE’s THROW away…

I’ve got A LOT of related observational content (audio, video, , pics, poems, highlights from a short play!…) to share that helps tell the story of this barely known big time historical event. On the food & drink front both watermelon 🍉 and RUM 🥃 were involved FYI

which I’ll more than likely be sharing exclusively on my PATREON PLATFORM. In the meantime here’s a link to the description of a food & wine class I co-taught in partnership with Good Wine that also gives you an idea of myriad ways me and my colleagues bring history to life via food & drink:

"Modern Wines (& Foods!) From Revolutionary Times"….

And here’s a link to upcoming programming happening via the Old Stone House of Brooklyn, a key site connected to that first battle…

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what you’re witnessing here 👆🏾 is the end result of executing what I think might be the world’s simplest whiskey sour recipe (3 ingredients!)— compliments of Langston Hughes (Feb 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967). That’s right the late, GREAT, LH — aka the man regarded by many as the Leader of the Harlem Renaissance.

I literally (yes, pun intended) got this drink ‘recipe’ directly FROM HIM! How was that possible, you ask? See below 👇🏽 about joining my Patreon to get all the tea— but for now I will give you at least some scoop:

Ok so apparently his (white) host made (and named the drink) for him and one of his blues poems at an integrated social gathering in 1926 —not in NYC or Harlem where Langston lived but in Richmond, Virginia — that’s right, in “the SOUTH”…

This is no news flash by now, but in 1926 Virginia, a gathering with Black and White folks socializing together — AND whiskey was being consumed ( remember: Prohibition was in full effect from 1919 to 1934 when almost everything about alcohol was illegal …) so this was all not only socially daring at best but downright DANGEROUS during that time…oh AND Langston Hughes was writin ‘ all about it in a letter two days later!….

Become part of my PATREON community to get your own copy of this simply delicious drink recipe a la yours truly AND a peek at the letter Langston Hughes wrote to a pen pal friend, telling him all about the social soiree…

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August 24 is National Waffle Day…. International Waffle Day is on March 25th.. and Waffle IRON Day is July 29th ..

Pass the syrup either way! We'll welcome any occasion to not only enjoy but also LEARN some fascinating little known AMERICAN around this otherwise Dutch / Belgian ‘quick bread’ import…

[TFG Truth be told — which you’ll never find in one of those generic food holiday websites — there would be no national waffle day in here in America without all the African American cooks over the centuries who made more waffles nationwide than another other American ethnic or “immigrant” group including the Dutch who introduced the waffle and the waffle maker to the world…

From the very beginning, whether in the Dutch settled Northeast (New York, NJ, parts of PA, etc.) or throughout the plantation south (VA, MD, et al) it was the African American cooks who wielded the heavy wrought iron devices over the hot coals of hearth fire ovens ….

Waffle irons were found only in wealthy European-heritage homes who had servants (soft synonym for enslaved individuals) in early America…

[POST IN PROGRESS…]

Plus a very special shout out for two very special Chef birthdays today, August 24th :

Happy Heavenly to Birthday to the Eternally Awesome & AMAZING B. Smith! …

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Nope, —potatoes aren’t from anywhere near the place where most people think they’re from. For intel on the origin and impactful world history of potatoes (plus the surprising savory stories behind any of the potato pics below 👇🏽😆) join my PATREON PLATFORM. And for the folks already supporting me in that community, see you there❣️

LEARN ABOUT TFG’s PATREON PLATFORM ⬅️HERE

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What’s FUFU you ask?! ….[BECOME ONE OF MYT PATREON SUPPORTERS TO LEARN MORE!👇🏽]

Happy National Fufu Day! 🌍

That’s right — for intel on the fascinating food story of fufu (including the foundational role it played in the development of American cookery — even though early enslaved Africans were “forbidden” from making and eating it — and on the growing interest in fufu by Americans of all hues today …) READ THAT AND THEN SOME IN THE PATREON VERSION OF THIS POST .For the folks already supporting me in that community, see you there❣️…

📸 Chefs featured in pic carousel above 👆🏾:

• Bronx-born Chef Eric Adjepong (Ghanaian heritage), who (to my knowledge) became the first professional chef to serve fufu on a televised cooking competition — in Season 16 of Bravo’s Top Chef

• British-Ghanaian Chef and Author Zoe Adjonyoh

• Chef Kwame Onwuachi (American nationality with Nigerian, Jamaican, Louisianan, and West Indian heritage)

• Award-winning Home Cook, Adjo Honsou of St. Louis, Missouri (originally from Togo, West Africa), winner of Season 3 of The Great American Recipe on PBS

• And as always: Yours truly / Me / “TFG” — on the scene(s)!

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Two African heritage foodstuffs share the same food holiday date:

It’s Melon Day 🍈 🍉:

Melons were first cultivated by (Black) Africans throughout the continent and yes made their way to Egypt (as did beer, … cats! and all the zillion other things that originated in Africa with ingenious input from humans). Yet none of the daily holiday calendars tell you that. A few mention records of melons being found in Egyptian tombs but then proceed to center any and all discussion of this miraculous fruit in the context of Central Asia, etc.

I’ll actually be cohosting an event and sharing melon history at this real life event on Sunday August 25th. Try to make it if you’re in or anywhere near Brooklyn. FYI my Patreon supporters who are not able to attend will be able to access audio and video content to learn the real deal…

LEARN ➡️MORE ABOUT MY PATREON PLATFORM ⬅️HERE

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With it’s fresh flavorful phenomenal food culture & cuisine — not to mention a long legacy of uniquely amazing music, ancestral and living legends, Jamaica is one of the most culturally & culinarily influential islands in the Caribbean and the African Diaspora, beloved the world over for so many reasons including that One-Love philosophy …

▪️Happy Independence Day Jamaica❣️🇯🇲 …62 years and counting (August 6, 1962) in celebration of and with gratitude for the people and heritage that created one of the most fabulous food & drink cultures in the world... (ironically and in spite of having been previously colonized and controlled by the British! 😆)

▪️ Raising a glass — or two (of “proper” rum punch!) today and whenever possible! 🍹🍹 ▪️ + sharing my recent & retro food (& drink ;) pics via a mini vid featuring scenes from there and right here in Park Slope Brooklyn…

Special shout-outs: chef Melissa Thompson author of “Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook” …chef/shopowner @sogoodtv of @goodwinenyc, @ReggaeRoti, @stellas_caribbean, @bk9restaurant, @negrilbk..)

For August 2025 here are just a few of the food, drink, historic and cultural content highlights I’ve found affiliated with the month of August… ~Tonya aka @TheFoodGriot

AUGUST IS (🥁 🛢️ drumroll...):

…National Peach Month!

…National Sandwich Month!

…it’s WATERMELON MONTH!!… (part 2!)

…National Catfish Month!

…. August is National RUM Month!

As a RUM scholar and the rum researcher and entry writer for The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food & Drink in America once upon a time (+ countless talks and tastings i’ve done on craft rums from throughout the Americas and elsewhere abroad) — i have A LOT of rum content & commentary past and present to share with you throughout this month. So stay tuned — especially on National Rum Day August 16th. You might be surprised to learn the uniquely North American version of rum’s rebellious history and it’s connection to the American Revolutionary War for freedom from British Colonial rule….

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…it’s BLACK BUSINESS Month!

…National Goat Cheese Month!

Speaking of Good Wine , August 1st itself is Albariño Day and believe it or not your food & wine aficionado friend here (aka The Food Griot/TFG/me!) even has some albariño beauty shots to share inspired by her favorite wineshop, Good Wine: A Food Lover's Wineshop as per the photo collage I whipped up (see below)…

TFG’s ALBARIÑO TASTING NOTES:

Keep in mind that every wine producer throughout the world creates very different wines with the same exact wine grapes. That said, in general Albariño is a lighter bodied high-quality, white from Spain and Portugal that I love for great mouthwatering acidity, refreshing citrusy notes and bright fruitiness although it is a deliciously dry wine with wonderful minerality that goes GREAT with a range of savory foods….

And as you can see from my makeshift montage below, Good Wine: A Food Lover’s Wineshop almost ALWAYS has at least one amazing albariño on the shelf any given day… you can even browse and shop Good Wine online!

LASTLY BUT MOST CERTAINLY NOT AT ALL LEAST!….

Join my Patreon to stay in the loop! Take advantage of the myriad ways to interact with me directly (& meet some of my culinary colleagues too!)… Ask your burning (or icy cold ) q’s about your fave food (& drink) history & culture topics… Expand your mind AND your heart as you gain understanding, greater appreciation and gratitude for your and “other” cultures & peoples who brought and continue to bring so much to our vast American table.

Choose inclusive intel over ignorance, and be an ambassador for what you believe in…

Not knowing’ (as some ‘powers that be’ prefer) only contributes to the widening divide among us.

Yes my Patreon hyperlink is embedded above and here it is again, out in the open, for anybody who’s old-school (no judgement!) : https://www.patreon.com/thefoodgriot/membership

I look forward to continuing the convo(s) with you there!!

Want to know more about Thomas Jefferson’s all but “INVISIBLE” and ENSLAVED chef, James Hemings?… how we might not even know anything about so many of our iconic beloved American food faves in this country (like how crème brûlée found it’s way to American fine dining) had it not been for Chef James Hemings (b. 1765) ?! .… who was OWNED by the man who WROTE (as in actually PENNED IT) the document associated with freedom like no other document in this nation — yes, the Declaration of Independence.

Then by all means please do Join my Patreon community for access to even more intel and updates. Take advantage of the myriad ways to get the full story, interact with me directly (& meet some of my colleagues too) ask your burning (or icy cold ) q’s about your fave food (& drink) history & culture topics… Expand your mind AND your heart as you gain understanding, foster greater appreciation and gratitude for your own and “other” cultures and peoples who brought and continue to bring so much to this vast American table. ‘

Not knowing’ (as many ‘powers that be’ prefer) only contributes to the widening divide among us. Choose inclusive intel over ignorance, and be an ambassador for what you believe in…I look forward to continuing the convo with you there!

The Patreon hyperlink is above and here it is again, out in the open, for anybody who’s old-school (no judgement!) : https://www.patreon.com/thefoodgriot/membership

LEARN MORE ABOUT TFG’s PATREON PLATFORM

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You also might want to check out the documentary film, “James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen” (yes, yours truly makes a cameo ;)

Want more scoop on the almost UNBELIEVABLE but true story (stories!) behind how Icecream even happened in America?! … how the majority of Americans might not have ever known this now ubiquitous (once ‘exotic’) ice-cold, creamy sweet treat the way we do today had it not been for the ingenuity of enslaved African-originated people across the centuries from both here and abroad?.…

Join my Patreon community to get the whole scoop! Take advantage of the myriad ways to get the full story, interact with me directly, ask your burning (or ice cold !) q’s about your fave food (& drink) history & culture subjects. Expand your mind AND your heart as you gain a better understanding, foster greater appreciation and gratitude for your own and “other” cultures that brought and continue to bring so much to this vast American table. ‘Not knowing’ (as many ‘powers that be’ prefer) only contributes to the widening divide among us. Choose inclusive intel over ignorance, and be an ambassador for what you believe in…I look forward to continuing the convo with you there!

The Patreon hyperlink is above and here it is again, out in the open , for anybody who’s old-school (no judgement!) : https://www.patreon.com/thefoodgriot/membership

LEARN MORE ABOUT TFG’s PATREON PLATFORM

👉🏿+ FIND MORE FREE CALENDAR CONTENT HERE👈🏿