How do you eat them

[Headrush]

I was eating breakfast in a a Waffle House in Georgia and a family of Yankees came in and sat at the table beside me and they asked the waitress what grits were and what they were made from and nobody that worked there could tell them what they were made of so I told them they were made from ground corn and they were fascinated by them and they all ordered some and were trying different toppings on them but they seemed to like them or liked trying some southern soul food because it was something new to them

 

[tenngun]

I was eating breakfast in a a Waffle House in Georgia and a family of Yankees came in and sat at the table beside me and they asked the waitress what grits were and what they were made from and nobody that worked there could tell them what they were made of so I told them they were made from ground corn and they were fascinated by them and they all ordered some and were trying different toppings on them but they seemed to like them or liked trying some southern soul food because it was something new to them

My mother was from Rhodes Island and wouldn’t eat them. My Dad grew up in Wisconsin and he thought they were just a southern food and rarely ate them. Both loved fried mush and my mother loved polenta. But laughed at me for eating grits.

 

[rp77469]

I use the same process for fixing grits as I do fixing up a batch of kale.

 

[Marshhawk]

Being from the Ohio River Valley across from Louisville our take on grits was a little different. The basic grits came compressed into a refrigerated block called "mush." Our moms would cut slices off the block and fry them til browned in in the grease left from the fried bacon. YUM! My New York wife first encountered fried mush at my sister's house. This brand was compressed into a roll rather than a block. My wife saw my sister take the roll out of the fridge and start cutting slices off it. She thought "slice and bake cookies with breakfast? OK, must be a Hoosier thing." Wife still won't touch mush.

 

[Steven Van Kauwenbergh]

Grew up in Superior Wisconsin. Born in Green Bay. My relatives came over in the 1890s from Belgium long before the War of Northern Aggression. I'm Flemish Belgian by name. My mothers a Walloon, French speaking Belgian from Wallonia Relocated to NW Alabama for a job. Was in Lakeland Florida for a conference in 1984. Stopped at a local Steak and Eggs restaurant with a gent named McClellan. Both sides of his families came over in the late 1700's. Ordered breakfast and got a little bowl which I teated like Cream of Wheat, put sugar on them and milk. Dr.McClellan started razing hell about ignorant Yankees, ordered another bowl of grits and proceeded to show me how to put real butter on them and salt and pepper to taste. Got to be a grits fan. No real grits fan would use instant grits!

It wasn't my fault the relatives moved to the wrong end of the country. Been in Alabama 39 years. Love it. When the war starts up in earnest again, I'm not going anywhere. Roll Tide!

SJVK

 

[springfield art]

I had grits for breakfast this morning
My wife got up a little later and asked what I had. She usually chooses something different
But she thought grits sounded real good
So I made hers.
Mine, grits a little butter, some cheese, pepper flakes and ground hot pepper
Her
Grits, butter,sugar and milk
Do you like your grits savory or sweet?

I was introduced in the South, in the Army! You acquire a taste for them; I haven't had them in years! Thanks for the mention!!

 

[cynthialee]

Not a fan. If it is what is available....I want a big spoon of butter and a little brown sugar. Will settle for white sugar.
Grits makes a better filler for a load build up than it does as a breakfast option.

 

[Kmcmichael]

Nope, not every southerner likes grits. I don’t like turnip greens either.

 

[Bill Bryan]

With pork chop gravy. The only way. Bill

 

[Ohio Rusty]

At Ft. Polk in Louisiana we had grits every morning. Crappy army breakfast. The only way I could eat that trash was with butter and syrup. Today I still eat my grits that way.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[TDM]

We, my Wife and I, usually eat grits in the winter. Mostly with butter, sharp cheddar cheese, and extra pepper. But there are many recipes in southern Louisiana that are outstanding. Shrimp & grits and Grits & Grillades are local favorites. The Grits & Grillades are made with strips of steak or roast beef, with lots of onions, bell peppers, and seasoning. Both dishes are spicy and delicious.

 

[BackDraft]

Why do you consider being born a Yankee a misfortune?

He does make a good point. I may have been born a Hoosier, but my heart belongs across the river in the state of good-looking horses and and fast running women. Both sides of my family are from KY, as is both sides of my wife’s.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I love grits. My dad was a firm believer in big breakfasts. Bacon (or sausage, or fried ham), eggs, and grits were staples. Biscuits were optional. Toast or English muffins were novelties occasionally tolerated. Mom was happy to accommodate. Boxed "breakfast cereals" were junk food, as far as Dad was concerned, with the possible exception of Cheerios because he liked the ad they played on TV ("...and the sheriff got back to his Chee-ri-os...").

Mom and dad were both from Alabama, but they moved to Florida after the War, and my brother and sister and I were all born here in Florida.

So, I grew up with grits, and I love 'em. However, I think I would like them anyway, even if I had been born someplace else. I love Japanese and Mexican foods, also. You don't have to be from someplace to like the food, and when I travel, one of the high points of every trip is trying out the local food specialties (and beers). We can joke about the "misfortune" of being from some place, but you have no control over where you were born. I think the ordinary rural people of New England actually had a lot in common with my southern ancestors, who were all country folk from South Carolina, Georgia, and eventually (1830's) Alabama. The common people of New England as well as the southern colonies, later states, were all hard-working, self-reliant farmers of primarily British, Irish, and Scots stock. Okay, in my family tree there was a Dutchman and a French lady, too, but they were genetic outliers. All cheapskates, too... A genetic trait carried on to this day. They adapted to different environments, but they ate what they grew and you can bet they all grew corn, whether in New England or the Deep South.

I used to do business with an outfit called Liberty Banjo Company, some place in New England. I forgot what state they were in, but I remember the address was "Samp Mortar Station." I remember wondering, "What the hell is a samp mortar?" So, I looked it up. We all know what a mortar is, as in mortar & pestle, but it turns out "samp" was an old-timey name for coarsely ground corn, which was prepared by boiling in water to make a mush. As the Bard said, "A rose by another name would smell as sweet..."

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[COTNTOP]

I like mine on a plate and plenty of them.

 

[BackDraft]

…but it turns out "samp" was an old-timey name for coarsely ground corn, which was prepared by boiling in water to make a mush. As the Bard said, "A rose by another name would smell as sweet..."

And the area around Pennsylvania gave us Scrapple . My daughter is the only one besides myself that like it. ‘Course I told her it was made with cornmeal, flour, and pulled Pork. I just have never told what parts of the pig were pulled for the recipe.

 

[Celt5494]

One morning I was having grits in the chow hall for breakfast. I noticed the guy across the table had the same on his plate. I saw him pour sugar on the pile of grits. I asked him what in the wide wide world a sports what was a goin on. He said he likes sugar with his cream of wheat. I started laughing and informed him he was eating grits and not cream of wheat. He looked up and asked "What's grits"

 

[büchsenmacher64]

Butter, two eggs over easy, and bacon all mixed together. Salt and pepper. Heaven in a bowl.

 

[Sentry44]

Grits + butter, milk, salt and sour cream.

Sentry44

 

[Edm]

I like them with butter and hot sauce. Shrimp and grits is also one of my favorite meals. When I was at Ft Lewis in the 90s, I wanted grits. The mess hall had a box on the wall for requests. I got my whole platoon to ask for grits. I was probably the only person who had had them before. They ended up making them for us. Yum. Even Army grits are good.

 

[Denver McIntire]

I like mine on a plate and plenty of them.

Grits are not real food.