ABSTRACT
The barbeque tourism boom is one of several entry points into understanding the racialization of travel, memory, and identity within America and the ethical consequences it holds for the lives and livelihoods of people of color. One should never underestimate the cultural power of barbecue and the extent to which slow-cooked, smoked meat matters to people. The incidents in Tennessee and North Carolina are just two of many examples of the fiery passions, literal and figurative, that surround barbecue as personal dietary preference, a deeply felt issue of tradition and identity, and thus as a source of cultural and culinary curiosity for the public. The eateries certainly fed and sustained protestors and Movement leaders, but they also provided resources for the formal political work of anti-racism. Identity, tradition, tourism, and racism have all influenced the way in which the pig is transformed, materially and symbolically, from an animal into the foodway and touristic commodity that is pork barbecue.
