Instructions

1. Before you begin, please ensure that you are familiar with how to synthesize sources (MLA-3d in A Writer's Reference) and with The Carolina Table. Review these resources if needed. You should also view the UNC Writing Center's resource on Comparing and Contrasting. as that is the organizational pattern (specifically, point-by-point in most cases) that this essay will follow.

2. View Synthesis Essay Topics and Sources. Choose ONE of the topics listed and read the prompt carefully.

Choose ONE of the following topics.

1. What does food mean (in terms of cultural significance, emotional significance, personal identity, etc.) to North Carolina writers? Compare and/or contrast writers' food experiences/memories using essays from The Carolina Table to answer this question.
2. Is there a "North Carolina cuisine," or do the state's different regions have their own distinct cuisines? Compare and/or contrast culinary traditions from different regions in North Carolina using essays from The Carolina Table. Consider ingredients, preparations, rituals/celebrations, etc. See "Our State Geography in a Snap: Three Regions Overview". for a breakdown of the Coastal Plains, the Piedmont, and the Mountains. Then, refer to essays that are representative of each region: "Hard Crab Stew" and/or "An Onslow County Tradition" (Coastal Plains), "Mama Dip's" and/or "The Mesopotamia of Pork" (Piedmont), and "Mountain Cooking" and/or "Appalachian Food: Defining Generations." (Mountains).
3. What are the different types of barbecue found in North Carolina, what do they have in common, and how do they differ? Compare and/or contrast North Carolina barbecue styles. Consider cuts of meat, methods of preparation, sauces, etc. See "The Mesopotamia of Pork" by Daniel Wallace in The Carolina Table as well as "Why Are There Two Styles of NC Barbecue,". "Our State Knows Best: Barbecue,"Barbecue Lover's The Carolinas, and/or Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue.
4. What cultures have influenced traditional North Carolina cuisine and how are those influences similar and/or different? Compare and/or contrast Native, Black, and European influences. Consider ingredients, preparations, and other aspects of food. See "Mama Dip's" and "Putting on the Grits" in The Carolina Tableas well as "Your Food Has Ancestors, Too," "Honoring Native Foodways ," "Food Historian Reckons with the Black Roots of Southern Food," and/or "Eating Moravian Food in Winston-Salem, North Carolina."
5. Read as many of the source texts listed as needed in order to familiarize yourself with the topic. If the topic is one that you are already familiar with, you will need to familiarize yourself with at least two assigned sources regardless as this essay will require you to synthesize them.

3. Determine your answer to the topic question. The prompt indicates the subjects that you will be comparing and/or contrasting. You should consider whether you will be exploring similarities, differences, or both. Your thesis statement will reveal the subjects (who or what is being compared) and indicate what similarities and/or differences exist between them.

4. Next, brainstorm similarities and/or differences.

5. Once you have a list of similarities and/or differences, choose at least three that you can elaborate on. While you may use some prior knowledge, you will be required to use assigned sources as well. At least one body paragraph must demonstrate synthesis by including evidence from multiple sources. You do not have to use multiple sources in every paragraph, however.