[War & Business] Fried Chicken and Racism

[Image source=Still photo from the 2011 film "The Help," depicting the life of the African American government in the southern United States]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Chicken, a national food in Korea even revered as ‘Chineunim,’ originally comes from the ‘fried chicken’ eaten by Black slaves in Georgia, in the southern United States, during the 19th century. It is said that white plantation owners discarded chicken feet and neck parts while making oven-roasted chicken, which Black slaves then picked up and fried to eat whole, bone and all?this so-called soul food of Black slaves evolved into today’s chicken.

At that time, Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, was a hub of the southeastern railroads extending across the United States, including the transcontinental railroad. It was a city growing not only as a cotton plantation area but also as a key region in the American dairy industry. Many meat processing plants for pigs and chickens supplying major cities in the eastern U.S. followed, and with abundant animal fats discarded, Black soul foods mainly consisting of fried dishes such as fried chicken and fried catfish were born.

This is why Atlanta was set as the hometown and main setting of Scarlett O’Hara, the protagonist of the movie “Gone with the Wind,” which depicts the American Civil War era. In fact, fried chicken was a cherished food not only among Black people but also among Irish-descended white people appearing as the roots of the O’Hara family. It was a life-saving food for those who crossed the Atlantic to escape the Great Famine.

In 1853, a terrible famine caused by the Irish potato crop failure reduced Ireland’s population from 8 million to 4 million. Many Irish people crossed the Atlantic with nothing and drifted into Georgia. These Irish-descended whites became part of the lower class in the area and also saved their lives through fried foods like fried chicken. This tradition flowed into Kentucky and was franchised into what is known today as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

Chicken is also a soul food for Asians. Centered in Atlanta, the birthplace of chicken, ‘Korean-style chicken’ was re-imported riding the Korean Wave since the 2000s and established itself as a special dish. Korean chicken culture, which began in the 1970s at the U.S. 8th Army base stationed in Daegu, grew through the 1980s and 1990s, and spread mainly among Korean expatriates and Asian immigrants, now becoming a food easily found throughout the United States.

Looking at the history of chicken alone, it is clear that the southern U.S. region including Georgia developed through the mixing of immigrant cultures of various races before and after the Civil War. Although recent China-blaming rhetoric amid the COVID-19 spread has led to irrational violence against Asians in the U.S., the immigrant cultural history layered over more than 150 years in this region gives hope that racial discrimination can be sufficiently overcome along with COVID-19.