DOI 10.60531/INSIGHTOUT.2023.1.3| WILLIAMS-FORSON: SEEKING THE ABSENT POTENTIAL_ INSIGHTOUT 1(2023) 51 rationale for their inclusion and, by extension, how they serve to offer juxtaposing meanings and inter­pretations. Under this banner of“Freedom”, I have already di­scussed the runaway ad for Marcus and explained that some enslaved chose escape over extra privile­ges like making money, regulated movement off the plantation or farm, and even a small convenience like razor shaving, an extra privilege afforded someone with Hercules’ stature among the other enslaved men. We included this tool along with the grease skil­let and a canister because Hercules was“as highly accomplished a proficient in the culinary art as could be found in the United States”. As a result, he had the role of overseeing Washington’s kitchens. He would have mastered hearth cooking, knowing the proper amount of oil and lard to fry foods, and how to wield long-handled skillets to deftly maneuver hot pans while roasting meats. The grease skillet is a utensil placed below the spit to catch drippings from pieces of meat roasting on the hearth, including a turkey, and the canisters were used to contain flour, rice, corn meal, and other dry goods to keep out insects and vermin. They had a tight-fitting lid, making them difficult to access, and were closely guarded and ca­refully rationed by Martha Washington or another person in charge of the house servants, quite possi­bly Hercules. king, complete with a sugar drop, an expensive com­modity. Some of the enslaved even knew of the value of this performance and would earn enough money to purchase teacups and a teapot or kettle for them­selves. Though their tea was taken without sugar, the performance and the implements alone would have elevated their status among those in the enslaved community. The evidence of such sweetness, however, often be­lied the actual tensions that existed in the dining room. Amidst the finery of the china and other tea­taking trappings was the dire reality that the ens­laved had no such time for extended leisure. While the Washingtons relaxed, the slaves’ day continued. They could not eat until the dining room table had been cleared and cleaned, the teatime meal prepa­red and the tea brewed, the wood chopped for the next day, the dough kneaded, and the hoecake bat­ter ready for breakfast the next morning. Thus, even amidst the beauty of the table setting lay a stark rea­lity for those who served and were rendered invisible by their race and social status. Nonetheless, many enslaved people used their perceived indistinctness to their own advantage. While tending to the com­forts of the plantation family, enslaved women, men, and children simultaneously studied these habits of dining and leisure both to avoid punishment and to be aware of opportunities for them to escape. A fine china sugar bowl and saucer were included be­cause, for one, they were among the assets available to us. As a result, I had to conceive of a story and tie them to the theme of the exhibition and, more im­portantly, to the notion of Black freedom. Given that George Washington followed rules of polite society and behaviour at his dinner table, large meals would feature desserts of fruits, nuts, and sweet wines. La­ter, the Washingtons would enjoy a light repast of bread and leftover meat known as“tea”, which was viewed as a necessary social performance among the social elite and often included actual tea drin­Oh Freedom! During enslavement, food and freedom were often intertwined. Not only did some slaves use moments of distraction during celebrations to escape, but many more actually used food as a means of resistance. The forced labour of slavery affected everything from work routines to food distribution, preparation, and consumption. The enslaved often registered re­bellion by feigning illness, breaking tools, or finding other ways of sabotaging production. In the kitchen, food could be slowly cooked, burned, and even filled with poison. This kind of culinary maneuvering is a