The masters or slaveholders holding the power utilize food to assert their control over the slaves. For one, if the masters feel like doing so, they deprive the slaves of the basic necessity--food sustenance. Sadistically, the masters could also force feed the slaves and cram the food down their throat until they choke. This is the reason why the "cook" fears and trembles whenever she serves the master his dish because of the tendency that if the master happens to dislike the dish, he could order to have her whipped or compel her to eat the dish. To add, the slaves don't have an option when it comes to food because it's all in the hands of the master or the mistress. They eat what the master or mistress wants the slaves to eat.
The master also emphasizes power not only through feeding the slaves but also through consuming their black bodies. When we say that the master consumes the slave, we mean it in the sexual way. The master use the slave to satiate his sexual hunger and appetite.
2. How is food associated with a mother?
A mother is associated with food because she's a food provider. In the Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, not only does she provide food for her children but also for the master who owns her.
A mother nourishes her offspring and gives the child breast milk. In the case of a black slave woman, she also channels her milk into white mouths.
Likewise, the master sees a mother as a provider and a consumable, yielding and fertile entity. The master treats the mother as a provider of sexual pleasure and release, entertainment and service that can appease his hunger.
Furthermore, food can be associated with mothers because of their role as kitchen laborers and cooks.
