Features – RL Reeves Jr

Dynasties have been built. Rebellions have been quelled. Romances kindled. Reputations grown. Kingdoms overthrown.

Fortunes have been made.

The world of southern mayonnaise is as intriguing as any Tennessee Williams drama ever writ. Seismic rifts have jarred entire states over this fine emulsion.

Marie-Antoine Carême, the father of mayonnaise, emerged from the kitchens of 19th century France as a lion of haute cuisine.

Reflecting back on his life spent cooking over primitive, hot stoves he would exclaim: “Charcoal kills us, but what does it matter? The shorter the life, the greater the glory!”

Spoken like a true lover of mayonnaise.

The Birth Of Iced Tea In The American South

By rlreevesjr2@gmail.com

On May 17, 2025

In Features

1911 advertisement for Luzianne coffee and tea

A cold glass of iced tea is the saving grace that carries southerners through the sweltering days of summers that seem to stretch on forever in the American South.

And it’s due to the efforts of an 18th century French botanist and a Louisiana entrepreneur who built a beverage empire in the first half of the 20th century that ice tea is the common language of southerners across the United States.

When Andre Michaux, at the behest of King Louis XVI, arrived on the shores of South Carolina in September of 1786 he was set to make a centuries-long impact on the drinking habits of Americans and southerners in particular.

The French plant expert was on a mission. He had been commissioned in his home country to visit the young United States to secure new strains of trees for development in the war-depleted forests of France.

The Banh Mi Culture Of Vietnam Is Thriving On The US Gulf Coast

By rlreevesjr2@gmail.com

On April 30, 2025

In Features

The Banh Mi Culture Of Vietnam Is Thriving On The US Gulf Coast

The exodus started in May 1975.

Following the fall of Saigon to the Communist North Vietnamese, 130,000 refugees were evacuated from South Vietnam.

Operation Frequent Wind, the largest boat and air lift in refugee history was a rousing success that would lead to 1.4 million Vietnamese émigrés resettling in the United States between 1975 and 1994.

The Gulf Coast South was a favored destination.

A History of Birria From Jalisco, Mexico To The Trans-Pecos And Rio Grande Valley Of Texas

By rlreevesjr2@gmail.com

On March 16, 2025

In Features

The list of possible origins of birria is longer than a Mississippi preacher’s Sunday sermon

Mexican folklore claims that the tiny western state of Colima on the Pacific ocean is where birria was invented in the 16th century.

Legend has it that a shepherd had to abandon his goats in a cave and flee for his life due to a volcanic eruption. When he returned he found his herd had been trapped and cooked by the molten lava.

Writer documenting life in New Orleans 9th Ward. I'm eating 500 po boys at 500 different restaurants, gas stations, corner stores and cafes in New Orleans

Category: Features

A History Of Mayonnaise In The Southern Condiment Trade

The Birth Of Iced Tea In The American South

The Banh Mi Culture Of Vietnam Is Thriving On The US Gulf Coast

A History of Birria From Jalisco, Mexico To The Trans-Pecos And Rio Grande Valley Of Texas