By: Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot: “Sharing Savory Stories on the Makings of America’s Cuisines”…
Well. the first part of this post is probably more of a Happy ValenWINES Day post LOL… [but do stay tuned for the temperance/abstinence & happy heavenly bday parts of this post too!]…
It’s no newsflash that wine is one of the great loves of my life [⬅️as per this mini vid 🎥]— AND I love curating the right wines for others for special occasions & events — Valentine’s Day (& weddings❣️) is/are one of my faves b/c wine is so romantic and sensual and multi-sensory in myriad & mystical ways …
We’ve come a long way with regards to understanding and appreciating (real ;) wine here in the “New World” (throughout the USA, Mexico, Canada, The Caribbean and elsewhere… ) and we still have a ways to go on the wonderful learning journey of true wine appreciation...
Thank goodness for places like @GoodWineNYC with deliciously sustainable & sensual selections, a knowledgable staff and fab wine CLASSES! like the Feb 8th Black Winemakers focused Wine (with Food) Class!... I had the pleasure of co- teaching (the culinary history part) with Good Wine’s wine buyer AK Brunson…
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FEBRUARY 14TH is also the birthday of two very special African American elders—one shared with the entire world and the other within my immediate and extended family, as well as anyone lucky enough to have ever met him:
[*It’s important to note that, despite the opening part of this post, neither of these men were imbibers of wine—or anything else containing alcohol, for that matter•. SEE ALSO BELOW MY NOTE RE: AA ABSTINENCE VS. ‘INDULGENCE ‘over the centuries]:
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:
• The late, great Frederick Douglass (Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey b. 1818)…[who a genealogist friend of mine suspects may in fact be a distant blood relative of ours via the MD branch of my fam tree! ]
• And my amazing Great Uncle Tony (Thomas V. Fitzsimmons b. 1929), who lived to be 95. Today marks his very first heavenly birthday.
As was the cruel protocol under slavery, Frederick Douglass was never informed of his recorded birthdate, whether it was actually recorded or not. Knowing only that he was born in February, he held onto a cherished memory—his birth mother, whom he was barely allowed to know, had lovingly called him her “Little Valentine.” After escaping slavery in 1838 and thereby self-emancipating, he declared February 14th his official birthdate as an act of self-determination.
A century and eleven yrs later, on February 14, 1929, my Uncle Tony, a true Valentine’s baby through and through, was born. He lived a blessed life, and those of us fortunate enough to have known him were equally blessed to have him as a beloved family member and friend with strong community connections. He is deeply missed, but on this special day, he is remembered with love, gratitude, and fond memories.
THIS LINK takes you back to the whole month calendar aerial view to explore more food & drink ‘holidays’
If you’re already part of my Patreon community, feel free to take advantage of the perks for a deeper ‘dig into’ any particular topic — including insights on trends and tendencies over the centuries towards both African American temperance (aka abstinence) from alcohol — or on the opposite end of the spectrum — the ‘indulgence’ (i.e. production, distribution and/or consumption) of alcohol and the motivating forces behind it. So if you’re not already part of my Patreon here’s the link to JOIN at ANY level (including ‘FREE’!) thank you! …