Smothered and Covered

Waffle House and the Southern Imaginary

Waffle House has long been touted as an icon of the American South. The restaurant's consistent foregrounding as a resonant symbol of regional character proves relevant for understanding much about the people, events, and foodways. Whether approached as a comedic punchline on the Internet, television, and other popular media or elevated as a genuine touchstone of messy American modernity, Waffle House, its employees, and everyday clientele do much to transcend one-dimensional characterizations, earning distinction in ways that regularly go unsung.

Smothered and Covered: Waffle House and the Southern Imaginary is the first book to socioculturally assess the chain within the field of contemporary food studies. In this groundbreaking work, Ty Matejowsky argues that Waffle House's often beleaguered public persona is informed by various complexities and contradictions.

Matejowsky discusses Waffle House's roots in established southern foodways and traces the chain's development. He also considers Waffle House's place in American and southern popular culture, highlighting its myriad depictions in music, television, film, fiction, stand-up comedy, and sports. Altogether, Matejowsky deftly and persuasively demonstrates how Waffle House serves as a microcosm of today's South with all the accolades and criticisms this distinction entails.

©2023 the University of Alabama Press (P)2023 Tantor

I wanted to like it.

The book starts off strong, but quickly loses steam. For the audiobook format, it felt like I was listening to an academic paper for the majority of the time. The strongest part of the book is the chapter on third shift. The remainder of the book is either boring or veers off course to topics that are not related.