Food, Funerals & Mourning in the American South - An Interview with Ashley-Anne Masters

Food, Funerals & Mourning in the American South - An Interview with Ashley-Anne Masters

Author: Rachel Mosses September 12, 2023 Duration: 47:24

My current research is around the areas of food and death and the rituals around both. We talk so much about food being a huge part of life but it is also a large part of death and the rituals we have developed to help us cope with loss. The American South is well known for its traditions and rituals around food and funerals and funerary practices so I interviewed Ashley-Anne Masters, a Presbyterian Pastor from North Carolina and we discussed how food can bring us together in grief just as it does during times of great joy.

I found this an incredibly comforting and uplifting discussion even though we were discussing nominally sad topics. However, we do talk openly about death, grief and the loss of a family member so if you are not in the right space for that right now, you may want to wait before listening.

We also discussed how food and humour and ritual can really be of help during difficult times. Ashley-Anne is a wonderfully warm, incredibly kind, human being and I cannot thank her enough for taking the time to share her thoughts, experiences and memories with me.

If you want to know more about Ashley-Anne, you can find her on Instagram or her blog.

You can find more about me and Folklore, Food and Fairytales via my Linktree

You can find the interviews in my newest interview series here: How Food Frames Stories. You can find my interviews with storytellers here: Vernacular Voices of the Storyteller 

You can also subscribe here (or just read) my free newsletter for further snippets of folklore, history, stories, vintage recipes, herblore & the occasional cocktail.

You can also find out more at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog.  


Rachel Mosses hosts Folklore, Food and Fairytales, a podcast that sits at the comfortable, worn-in table where narrative and nourishment meet. Each episode begins with a story-a piece of folklore, a fairytale, or a lesser-known myth-and then delves into the culinary world hidden within its lines. The discussion isn't just about whether the porridge in a tale is symbolic or simply a relatable detail; it's about unearthing the real food history and traditions that those fictional meals echo. You'll hear about the rituals of both eating and storytelling, and how each feeds a different kind of hunger. This podcast naturally explores how recipes are themselves stories passed down, and how the history of a dish can be as compelling as the plot of a legend. Listen for a thoughtful blend of narration and analysis, where a great story is always served with a side of fascinating context, leaving you to ponder the deep, savoury connections between the tales we tell and the food we share.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 50

Folklore, Food and Fairytales
Podcast Episodes
The Dark Spectre or the Elusive Elderberry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:57
In which we discover that you should stick to your path, no matter what others say, that you shouldn't let an elderberry pudding get in the way of the rest of your life and that perfectly good castles only lie empty for…
How Food Frames Stories - Anna Kharzeeva [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:20
In these fractured times l wanted to continue to look at how stories and food can overcome the distance between people and enhance our shared experiences so earlier this year I spent time exploring storytelling through f…
How Food Frames Stories - Robbie Armstrong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:59
In these fractured times l wanted to continue to look at how stories and food can overcome the distance between people and enhance our shared experiences so earlier this year I spent time exploring storytelling through f…
How Food Frames Stories - Olivia Potts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:50
In these fractured times l wanted to continue to look at how stories and food can overcome the distance between people and enhance our shared experiences so earlier this year I spent time exploring storytelling through f…
How Food Frames Stories - Aaron Vallance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:46
In these fractured times l wanted to continue to look at how stories and food can overcome the distance between people and enhance our shared experiences so earlier this year I spent time exploring storytelling through f…
Cap O'Rushes or The Salt Significance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:39
In which we discover that when you are forced to leave home you should always try and take your best frock, that salt can spark both joy and anger and that there is a little Cinderella everywhere if you look hard enough.…
The Farmer and the Bogle or the Lore of Lammas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:42
In which we discover that the trickster can be tricked, that a good knowledge of crops is essential if you want to best a bogle, that everyone needs a wiffle waffle occasionally and there are few situations in which fest…
The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle or The Pickle Controversy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:24
In which we discover the connection between unmanageable women, good strong vinegar and the importance of good manners. We also learn that happiness can be found anywhere but chances are improved if there is a rocking ch…
Petrosinella or The Parsley Prescription [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:54
In which we discover that having long, strong hair doesn’t mean you can’t think for yourself, that you can learn a lot of incredible things from books, that parsley is both useful and tasty and that you should always rem…