# A question for my Southern Bretheren **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693 "2013-07-05T05:00:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/1 "2013-07-05T05:00:14Z")
And Sisteren. For those of you North of the Mason-Dixon line, go have a pop down cella, ya chuckleheads. You Confederates, listen up. Pop quiz. What do you do? It’s breakfast. Naturally, you’re having a complete Southern breakfast with grits, eggs, bacon or sausage, and a waffle, pancakes, or even hash browns. Scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked of course. The hell you Yankees looking at? Take a hike! Sorry about them. They’re so nosy. Anyway. Our poll concerns the grits and eggs portion of the program. Now, there’s only two ways to eat 'em. Mixed together, or separately. How do you eat them? Mixed or not? Who taught you this? Where you stay at? ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/2 "2013-07-05T05:05:29Z")
Mixed. Nobody taught me, I just did. Course, not at all these days, as I am more Southern than everybody else, residing in Sydney. But in my yoof I did so mix my grits n eggs, with plenty of butter or bacon drippings. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/3 "2013-07-05T10:25:52Z")
Grits should be mixed with butter and perhaps shrimp. Leave the eggs out if it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/4 "2013-07-05T10:35:13Z")
I don’t generally eat grits myself, but no one I know eats them with egg in them. Though, honestly, it doesn’t sound like that bad an idea. But I would consider it more of an egg dish than a grits dish. I don’t know too many people who even eat eggs and grits at the same time. That would be like eating cereal and eggs. Granted, I just barely qualify as a Southerner–I’m less than 20 minutes from the line, and I’m in Arkansas, of all places. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/5 "2013-07-05T11:29:26Z")
Separately. I’m originally from Wisconsin, but have been in N.C. for 36 years. Technically that makes me a “damn Yankee”.😉 ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/6 "2013-07-05T12:40:24Z")
I’m not Southern (grew up in Missouri), but grits are best eaten with fried eggs with runny yolks, all mixed together. My husband, who spent many childhood summers in South Carolina, believes that grits are eaten with shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/7 "2013-07-05T12:43:55Z")
I might let my grits and sausage share forkspace. But otherwise, I eat them alone. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/8 "2013-07-05T13:09:43Z")
I answered ‘separately,’ since the question implies eggs that have already been prepared (probably scrambled). However. . . When I make my morning grits at work, I toss in a fresh egg to mix along with it. As grits are pretty much tasteless, other than the starch, you have to add something to give them some taste. I add a freshly broken egg, as well as some other condiments. ---
**Author:** ![Matt37](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@Matt37](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt37)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/9 "2013-07-05T13:42:37Z")
Having been born and raised in the south, and a lover of grits, I always eat mine separate. I’m not gonna vote in the poll because of the slanted nature of the second option (“like some anal-retentive goofball”? Really?). My wife, however, who was also raised in the south, combines hers together and eats them that way. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/10 "2013-07-05T13:42:42Z")
Separate. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/11 "2013-07-05T14:05:50Z")
Separately, but with butter or gravy on the grits. I have been known to make a big mess with grits, scrambled eggs, patty sausage (or crumbled bacon – bacon bits even) all chopped up, and all mixed together, but that’s more of a special occasion thing. My wife makes a big deal of butter and sugar on her grits, but that’s not my taste. (She also puts mayonnaise on most anything, corn-on-the-cob especially.) Thanks for the topic! I’d been trying to think of a Southerners Only thread topic, and this one works fine! How many different kinds of _greens_ can you name that you have at least eaten, if not liked? Maybe not so much for breakfast! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/12 "2013-07-05T14:42:23Z")
Separate. Actually I am from Connecticut, but I did live in the south for a number of years, I just don’t eat grits because I don’t like them. I would much rather have oatmeal. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/13 "2013-07-05T15:01:30Z")
Madame Pepperwinkle’s from southernmost Kentucky. She, her family, her grandmother, her grandmother’ tenants (she has a rest home), and now me, all have grits and eggs separate, along with jowl bacon at every conceivable opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/14 "2013-07-05T15:15:48Z")
Grits with butter, salt and pepper are too delicious on their own to adulterate. (Cheese grits or grits n gravy are a separate thing.) I will, however, use the last few bites of grits to sop up the egg yolk residue. +1 on scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. ---
**Author:** ![listedmia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@listedmia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/listedmia)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/15 "2013-07-05T15:19:04Z")
Seperate. I’m from Chicago and live in New Orleans now, but for some reason, my dad would feed us grits for breakfast up there sometimes. Anyways, now I associate them with childhood and being a picky eater who didn’t like different foods touching. Sometimes I put some cheese, butter or salt and pepper in there. ---
**Author:** ![Tara57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Tara57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tara57)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/16 "2013-07-05T15:19:38Z")
I mix a few bites of grits and egg, but eat most of them separately. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/17 "2013-07-05T15:23:03Z")
Separate. Other than my 97-year old grandfather who always mixes everything on his plate together, I’ve never seen anyone in my family mix their grits and eggs. And I’m as Southern as they come. Both sides go back at least 5 generations as poor farmers. One side in northern Alabama, the other in South Georgia. Now I’m craving scattered, smothered and covered… ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/18 "2013-07-05T15:28:25Z")
As with these grittier subjects, it’s better handled in Cafe Society. 😃 From IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/19 "2013-07-05T15:46:14Z")
Born and raised in Tennessee and I don’t touch the stuff. I’ll take my eggs fried in bacon grease,praise Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/20 "2013-07-05T16:24:00Z")
My absolute ideal: mixed together and covered with red eye gravy, followed by a ham biscuit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693.md?page=2)