Jessica Webb
editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com
It’s not unusual for a Smoky Mountain Times reader to stop by the office for back issues of the paper so they can make sure they have copies of a series written by columnist Jim Casada. His stories all center on growing up in Swain County in the 1950s and are particularly popular among readers who also share many of the same memories of times gone by. Readers will be happy to learn a collection of Casada’s stories surrounding food is being released, titled, “Fishing for Chickens: A Smokies Food Memoir.”
Fellow mountain folk will recognize the staple dishes and traditions that make up the first part of the book. As Casada shares traditions surrounding corn, pork and garden vegetables, he gives readers so much more: a way of life and memories of larger-than-life family figures. Of the Smokies, he writes in the intro: “It’s where I grew up, where the roots of not only my food knowledge but the essence of my being belong.”
Peppered throughout the book are around 170 family recipes beginning with traditional mountain cornbread, regularly found on the table and often enjoyed with a glass of milk. His stories illustrate how food so often equates to family. Readers come to meet and enjoy the teachings of Grandma Minnie, Grandpa Joe, Momma Casada and more.
As many Smoky Mountain Times readers know, food wasn’t just about eating, Casada shares stories around hunting for wild game and fishing for trout, as well as canning and preserving.
Several of these stories will be familiar to readers, as Casada has written on similar topics in his weekly column. “Fishing for Chickens” is a companion volume to Casada’s 2020 book, “A Smoky Mountain Boyhood.”
Early copies of the recent publication have received praise from scholars, chefs and fellow authors knowledgeable about Appalachian fare.
“‘Fishing for Chickens’ sagely, entertainingly and deliciously reveals that our region is far broader and much more diverse in its stories and experiences than we have yet recorded. By delving deeply into a specific region and using compelling personal narrative and detail, Jim Casada gives us a rich picture that expands, and occasionally challenges, what we think we know about this much storied part of the southern mountains. With a voice inflected with expressions, words and cadences that are regionally specific, Casada writes with an intimate, conversational feeling that makes this book a pleasure to read,” wrote Ronni Lundy, James Beard award-winning author of “Victuals: An Appalachian Journey.”
The author said signed, inscribed copies of the book can be ordered directly from him, at Jim Casada, 1250 Yorkdale Drive, Rock Hill, SC 29730 for $28.95+$5 shipping.