September 30, 2026

Good Dirt, Good Bar, Good Bookstore

Tennessee is third in the nation for farmland loss.

Writer:
Words by
David Cook
Photographer:
Photography by
Sarah Unger

Food as a verb thanks

Clumpies

for sponsoring this series

Three words to open:

American Bacon tonight.

‍

Join us at the beautiful The Reading Room bar + bookstore in Brainerd for an engaging, thoughtful and funny conversation among friends: one is a scholar (Dr. Mark Johnson) and the other isn't.

Mark's just released his newest book: American Bacon. It's thick, every page with stories about the roles bacon has played in American history. Stunt food, soul food, gender, class, colonialism to 20th-century industrial to pop culture. And much more.

We'll chat among the bookshelves, answering questions and talking with you, our beloved community.

Join us at 6:30 pm tonight. No tickets required.

On your drive over, here's a new podcast we're promoting:

Good Dirt: Southern Farmers and Their Search for Land.

‍

Chapin Montague and Mattie Sienknecht are talking with regional farmers about the ongoing search for land in the South. The first episode's out and opens with the doozy we keep repeating: Tennessee is third in the nation for farmland loss.

‍

This Sunday, we'll send you part two of our "Trouble with Claude" discussion on AI. Part one generated some good response, especially the kit-and-caboodle line about shutting the whole thing down.

Anybody want to share the ways they're going analog? Killing the machine? Unplugging?

Last night, I yanked Instagram off my phone. Ten pounds lighter, just like that.

Hope everyone's well. See you Sunday, or maybe, tonight!

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.

‍

food as a verb thanks our sustaining partner:

food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:

Clumpies

X

keep reading

September 27, 2026

"The Trouble with Claude" -- Part One

read more
September 23, 2026

Teary. Amazing. Love.

read more

Three words to open:

American Bacon tonight.

‍

Join us at the beautiful The Reading Room bar + bookstore in Brainerd for an engaging, thoughtful and funny conversation among friends: one is a scholar (Dr. Mark Johnson) and the other isn't.

Mark's just released his newest book: American Bacon. It's thick, every page with stories about the roles bacon has played in American history. Stunt food, soul food, gender, class, colonialism to 20th-century industrial to pop culture. And much more.

We'll chat among the bookshelves, answering questions and talking with you, our beloved community.

Join us at 6:30 pm tonight. No tickets required.

On your drive over, here's a new podcast we're promoting:

Good Dirt: Southern Farmers and Their Search for Land.

‍

Chapin Montague and Mattie Sienknecht are talking with regional farmers about the ongoing search for land in the South. The first episode's out and opens with the doozy we keep repeating: Tennessee is third in the nation for farmland loss.

‍

This Sunday, we'll send you part two of our "Trouble with Claude" discussion on AI. Part one generated some good response, especially the kit-and-caboodle line about shutting the whole thing down.

Anybody want to share the ways they're going analog? Killing the machine? Unplugging?

Last night, I yanked Instagram off my phone. Ten pounds lighter, just like that.

Hope everyone's well. See you Sunday, or maybe, tonight!

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.

‍

Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:

Food as a Verb Thanks our sustaining partner:

Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:

Join our table

Regional Farmers' Markets

Brainerd Farmers' Market
Saturday, 10am - noon
Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave, Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga Market
Sunday, 11am - 4pm
1820 Carter Street
Dunlap Farmers' Market
Every Saturday morning, spring through fall, from 9am to 1pm central.
Harris Park, 91 Walnut St., Dunlap, TN
Fresh Mess Market
Every Thursday, 3pm - 6pm, beg. June 6 - Oct. 3
Harton Park, Monteagle, TN. (Rain location: Monteagle Fire Hall.)
Hixson Community Farmers' Market
Saturday, 9.30am - 12.30pm with a free pancake breakfast every third Saturday
7514 Hixson Pike
Main Street Farmers' Market
Wednesday, 4 - 6pm
Corner of W. 20th and Chestnut St., near Finley Stadium
Ooltewah Farmers' Market
The Ooltewah Nursery, Thursday, 3 - 6pm
5829 Main Street Ooltewah, TN 37363
Rabbit Valley Farmers' Market
Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, mid-May to mid-October.
96 Depot Street Ringgold, GA 30736
South Cumberland Farmers' Market
Tuesdays from 4:15 to 6:00 p.m. (central.) Order online by Monday 10 am (central.)
Sewanee Community Center (behind the Sewanee Market on Ball Park Rd.)
Walker County Farmers' Market - Sat
Saturday, 9 am - 1 pm
Downtown Lafayette, Georgia
Walker County Farmers' Market - Wed
Wednesday, 2 - 5 pm
Rock Spring Ag. Center