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Have just re-read "To Kill a Mockingbird" & had a few questions. I am from the other south. Sydney, Australia to be exact - waaaay more south than Alabama so I need a bitta help with a few things.

Scuppernongs What are they? Some type of fruit?

Asafoetida. The scent of this mixed with other scents in the church when Calpurnia took Scout to her service one Sunday. I only know Asafoetida as a spice in Indian cooking. What is it used for in that particular context, mixed with scents of hair oil, snuff, peppermint and talc.



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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

scuppernong

asafoetida
I would assume this would be a sweaty stink because it was hot there...

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Scuppernongs are a wild species of grape, indigenous to the southastern US. They are usually yellow, sometimes with a green tint or brown speckles on the skin....basically a "white" grape. Their "red" (or purple) skinned cousins, muscadines, also grow wild. Both are cultivated on trellis's by southern gardeners for their fruit and their ornamental value.

Thanks for the scuppernong description Aqua Newbie.

Superlion I know about the spice asafoetida. I use it in cooking but wanted to know if it was used also in southern cooking or perhaps incorporated into cosmetics, furniture polish or something. I seems a somewhat incongruous inclusion.

Anyone know? Wish-ga's literary tranlation award up for grabs...

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

"Bouquet: a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulfur. The smell dissipates with cooking.
Flavour: on its own, extremely unpleasant, like concentrated rotten garlic."

I would assume this means that the spice smells like this before cooking, and I think it'd be fair to say it's a analogy to the smell of a bunch of sweaty people in a church building. I don't know why anyone would put something that smells like that into cosmetics or furniture polish, and although I'm not a big Southern cooking buff, I don't imagine there being much cooking in a church sanctuary during the service... although if it is used that'd give more credibility to the character making the connection between the smell of the spice and the smell in the room.

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Asafoetida was also used to treat cattle illnesses in the past, painted on udders for Mastitis, rubbed onto the skin for fungus, etc. Was one of those catch-all remedies before antibiotics came along.

Dunno if that helps/.

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

Asafoetida seems to be a terribly obscure reference, especially one being made by the narrator of the story, an adolescent girl. My grandfather was born and raised (in the 1910s and 1920s) in the same area as where the story is based and I don't recall him or anyone of his generation ever talking about it. Although I don't think the town of Monroeville, Alabama is ever mentioned by name, it is generally accepted to be the inspiration for the story as this is where the author grew up. Also, many of the descriptions of the area seem to be too close for mere coincidence. This may be a case of one of those "old fashioned" remedies/ingredients from the 19th century (and early 20th century) that has been long forgotten. Like everyone else, the only modern reference I can find for it is one relating to Indian cooking. To the best of my knowledge the author, Harper Lee, is still alive. One of my grandfather's cousins who still lives in the Monroeville area is friends with her (actually I think he explained it as that they had "mutual friends" ) and that she had visited his home for dinner on one or two occasions. He has several autographed versions of the book as well as a copy of the original movie. The last time I saw him (coincidentally, to return the movie I mentioned earlier) he said her primary residence was in New York but that she still owned property in Monroeville and she visited the area several times a year. I suppose if the curiosity was great enough, one could send her a letter through the publisher asking for clarification on the reference to asafoetida.

I know I could goodle but isn't asking real people just so much more interesting? Thanks to Aqua Newbie and Tiny Clanger

Aqua newbie thank you for sharing. That is so cool that your grandfather has some signed copies. Unfortunately Ms Harper Lee passed away only recently. Last year or so.

I think Tiny_clanger may be onto something! If asafoetida was a remedy used for cattle it would cling to your clothes and skin. It is a more obscure reference than just saying the smell of hay or manure clung to the skin of the farm labourers. Fascinating.....

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

I'm surprised to hear she has passed away. I would have expected to have heard more about it in the local media. Thanks for the information.

Seems I am wrong. I was sure I saw it on IMDB last year. On the RHS of the scren they have obituaties if someone passes away (screenwriter, actor, director etc)

Please someone let me know

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Thanks for the explanation Aqua Newbie. I am from Birmingham, Alabama and I've read the book in high school, but I didn't know what those words meant.

Wish-ga, I found a website that has recently been updated and says Harper Lee is still alive. She is probably about 80 years old now. I love that book by the way...its really good.

edit: I have found 2 websites now that say she is alive, and 79 years old. And it says she does in fact live in New York, but her sister still lives in Monroeville, AL.

*Kristin*