Waffle What?

First and foremost, I too have seen the great trend of breakfast for dinner that is so common in the south. I wish I knew why it seems to be occurring everywhere. In reality, I think it is just one of those things that evolved from the laid back perception of the south. More and more people saw the ideal southern breakfast foods and fell in love. Warm biscuits, hot grits, and old-style hash browns are just breakfast comfort food.

Without a doubt in my mind, I believe that Waffle House greatly influences the south. The south was composed of many different people of European descent and African slaves. This melding of flavors greatly helped in creating a culinary identity which is defining of the south. It is this identity and the association with other cultural aspects of the south that create the overall southern identity. For this reason, Waffle House is something that is embedded into southern culture. Another reason why Waffle House influences the south is because of the modern associations. Yes the food is not great, but it is cheap. It is the place to go at 2:00 A.M. when you're starving. I think comedian Jim Gaffigan puts it well...

A specific southern food that has come to affect southern culture is collard greens. Collard greens were around during prehistoric times, but the African slaves were the first to bring collard green to the south. Like a lot of the great southern delicacies, collard greens and the way they are cooked came into existence because African slaves were forced to feed themselves and their families using only the leftovers from the master. Families all across the south cook and eat collard greens with many meals, and they do so because it has become a southern staple which has a rich taste and rich history.