Re: [Harp-L] blues history (and the Barbecue)

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Jonathan,

I enjoyed your treatment on the historical origins
of blues music. Very illuminating. I believe that
the origins of blues harp as we know it is
indelibly intermixed with the cultures and musical
influences that you described.

However, I must interject another perspective
regarding your ideas on the origins of the
"bar-be-que", or as I like to call it, "barbecue."

You wrote:
--- Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Another interesting mix of culture in the South
> is bar-be-que.  Again it shows a mix of both 
> African and European origins and was (and is)
> practiced by both the black and white 
> populations.  Indeed, again similarly to the 
> early musical forms there is more variety 
> regionally than racially in terms of bar-be-que.

Although I'll admit that in today's society the
barbecue is a multicultural phenomenon enjoyed by
both blacks and whites, it does NOT show a "mix of
both African and European origins."

It is my understanding that the barbecue, as we
know it, has its origins in Mexico. The word
"barbecue" was derived from the word "barbacoa"
which refers to meats slow-cooked over an open fire
and/or meats wrapped in leaves which are buried and
cooked in a coal pit. The idea of barbecue sauce
came from the mole sauces that are often used with
barbacoa meats (mole sauces actually have their
origins in the Caribbean). The barbacoa in Mexico
pre-dates Columbus, therefore eliminating any ties
to Europe or Africa.

The barbacoa came to the United States by way of
Texas, and in typical gringo fashion, was
transformed into what we know as the "barbecue" and
called an all-American tradition. 

(Sorry for the non-harp content.)

Hope to see you all at SPAH! 

Harpin' in Colorado,
--Ken M.

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