expressions in the south. i think food is a sneaky way of getting at some of the serious stuff we've been talking about. >> geno: as i told you before, i didn't know what a cool job or what a cool restaurant i had until you showed it to me. i'm just making a living. you know, just like a lot of folks around mississippi. we're not trying to make history, we're not trying to increase tourism, we're not -- all we're doing is -- doing what we do. >> anthony: there is a discomfort level about exploring southern foodways, or particularly mississippi foodways. when you're talking about high-end, traditional southern cooking, you're talking plantation, slavery cooking, 'cause that's where these recipes came from. so to revel in that you don't wanna tumble into nostalgia you -- the potential for awkwardness, uh, and offense, is enormous. >> john t. edge: right. i wanna be careful. i'm not saying that's what i want the south to be. i'm saying that's what people come to the south looking for. >> anthony: right. >> john t. edge: they come to the south looking for the past preserved in amber. but the reality is something different. i don't wanna fix the past.