The State of Things

Edna Lewis changed the perception of Southern food in American culture with her cookbook, “ The Taste of Country Cooking” (Knopf/1976) . She touted the use of fresh, local ingredients before the farm-to-table movement began. But many people know very little about the chef and cookbook author, despite her many contributions to food culture.

From sappy to silly to downright vile, Hollywood has tried for generations to capture the many facets of the American family. Just in time for Thanksgiving, and for this month’s Movies on the Radio program, we asked our listeners for their favorite movies about families. In their choices, listeners often saw a version of their own family struggles splashed across the silver screen. Host Frank Stasio discusses our listeners’ favorite movies about families, from “Parenthood” to “Star Wars” and

Two recent law enforcement interventions in Greensboro and Winston-Salem have prompted questions about police use of force. In Greensboro, Marcus Deon Smith died in the hospital hours after he was restrained by police in a position his family described as being “hogtied.” The family’s lawyer says the position left Smith unable to breathe. Smith’s family recently made a public request for Greensboro City Council members to review the police body camera footage from the incident.

The family Thanksgiving meal does not look quite like it used to for Winston-Salem chef and restaurateur Stephanie Tyson . Tyson is the chef and co-owner of the award-winning restaurant Sweet Potatoes , best known for its twist on Southern staples like sweet potato cornbread.

The Burlington Boys Choir is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year. The choir features boys between the ages of 8 and 15 from Alamance County and is the oldest organization of its kind in North Carolina. The choir began rehearsals in the late 1950s under the direction of Eva Wiseman, a music education supervisor in the Burlington County Public School system. In the last six decades, the choir has visited the White House four times and performed on three different continents.

Asheville-based chef Meherwan Irani has been nominated for three James Beard Awards and co-founded a restaurant group with his wife, but he has no formal culinary training. He started cooking Indian food as a hobby born out of frustration with the lack of good Indian food options in the United States. With guidance from his mother, Irani recreated his favorite childhood foods in his own kitchen.

Blood tests of New Hanover County residents showed no GenX , but they did reveal several newly-identified perfluorinated compounds. On Tuesday officials held a public meeting in New Hanover County to explain the test results.

The mere mention of the five second rule conjures up images of all the kernels of popcorn, slices of pizza, and peanut M&Ms that hit the floor without warning. And then there is the mental debate that followed: Is it safe to eat? How dirty is this floor? Is there any hair on it? But it’s the last slice!

The Ciompi Quartet is known for its technical brilliance and for keeping a long-standing tradition alive. The group was founded more than 50 years ago at Duke University, and is comprised of Duke professors. This year they welcomed a new member for the first time in 23 years: Caroline Stinson joins the group on cello after her long-running career with the Lark Quartet in New York. Host Frank Stasio speaks with Stinson along with Jonathan Bagg (viola), Eric Pritchard (violin) and Hsiao-Mei Ku

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for many members of the media. Last week his administration revoked the White House press pass for CNN’s Jim Acosta and threatened to retaliate against other reporters if they did not “treat the White House with respect.” His recent attacks on three female African-American reporters highlight what some analysts call an ongoing trend: Trump singles out women and minorities.