I believe it was the author who said that her grandmother feels as though all white ppl are racist. Many folks feel that way today. Just like her, they have the right. Back then, older folks were young adults, and I was a child. I had no inkling as to the personal experiences of racism they went through during that time period. But I’ve experienced some type of drama w/ black and white. Would I call it racism or reverse racism? Maybe, maybe not. I just don’t dwell on much drama b/c it’ll stress me out.

And one way I deal with any type of stress is cooking. If Paula was on BET, I’d watch her show. Hell, if BET televised any cookig shows w/ a black chef/cook/host, I’d watch for sure. Ccoking and learning how to cook, IMHO, has nothing to do w/ the race or color of a person. I’m just determined to knock their socks off!

When I became grown and on my own, the one thing that really bothered me was not knowing how to cook. Made me feel inadequate. My cooking was a hot mess b/c nobody took the time to teach me. This was during the times when females were still running the streets at night and sleeping all day. So I began purchasing cookbooks–the cheap ones. The recipes were okay, but they didn’t have that uumph! I wanted to prepare food that knocked ppl’s socks off, ya know? Enter the cooking shows. Emeril, the BAM guy is awesome. There were other cooks, but when Paula’s show hit the screen, I was hooked. She had the recipes for the kind of food I wanted to cook. Fried chicken, of course. And her recipe is simply wonderful. Now, I prepare roast and oxtails that are moist and tender, homemade biscuits and pound cake that knocks ppl’s socks off. I’ll except the compliments, but I gotta give Paula the credit. Definitely. I’m the type of woman who really likes preparing food from scratch or homemade. I found out the hard way that its extremely intimidating, especially when you have no advice/tips or guidance b/c then you have no confidence. Paula gave me confidence b/c she’s a woma and she has a welcoming voice. It’s kinda high-pitched, but she its a down-home, southern hospitality type voice.

From my unerstanding, Paula said the word ni**er back in ’86. While working at a bank, a black male(surprise) walked in attempted to rob the bank. During the robbery, he placed a gun to her head. Without a doubt, this scared Paula. I’d been scared too. It wasn’t until she got home and told her husband the ordeal that she said ni**er. What, a woman can’t talk to her own husband about a horrific situation? Paula and the other ppl present are blessed to be alive. And she’s blessed to have someone to talk to about it. People don’t need permission to conversate in the privacy of their homes and they can talk about whatever they want. She didn’t have to mention that she said it. But then again, lying and covering up stuff does have the tendency to come back and haunt you, so I can understand why she confessed. Anyway, a white, female manager is suing Paula for racial discrimination among other things. When asked if she ever used any racial slurs, Paula stated that she had said ni**er back in ’86 during a conversation with her husband. After leaving the bank that day, she was very shook up, and yes, Paula went home and talked with her husband about the ordeal. Most likely, I would’ve done the same thing. At least she didn’t say it to the robber’s face nor did she say at the crime scene. I don’t think she should be punished for this. She’s lost big money. Walmart, Sears, Walgreens, QVC, and other corporations have severed ties wit her. Her cookbook is #1 in the US right now and she was dropped by her publisher. Oh, and Food Network refused to renew her contract. Bummer. Lots of ppl(mostly fans) feel like Paula put Food Network on the map.