Some people say southern culture won’t disappear until southern food is unrecognizable as distinct from that of other regions. Others say southern cooking won’t disappear until we quit talking about it.

From Mary Randolph’s Virginia Housewife written in 1824, to the twentieth century, southerners have written, argued, and reminisced about food. Dr. Mary Gibson, professor of English at UNC Greensboro, traces the history of southern “foodtalk” in cookbooks and in fiction asking why southerners are so obsessed with eating together, and why they find it even more important to remember and talk about the meals they have shared.

Come sample some southern hospitality and some down home cookin - ’Still Cookin’: Food and Memory in Southern Literature on April 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holly Springs Branch Library sponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council and co-sponsored by the General Federation of Women’s Club of Holly Springs. Registration is required. To register please call 577-1661 or email: Lisa.Locke@wakegov.com

Hankering for southern food? Check Out these cookbooks at your library.

The following books feature southern cooking tips and hints old and new, local and regional.

Mama Dip’s Kitchen by Mildred Council

Paula Deen and Friends: Living it Up Southern Style

Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Foose

Seasoned in the South by Bill Smith

New Southern Basics by Martha Stamps

Bon Appetiti Y’all by Virginia Willis