# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/21 "2013-07-05T16:31:14Z")
I like 'em all sorts of ways. Plain, with butter and pepper; mixed with egg / sausage; or perhaps shrimp and cheese. A dash of Tabasco, maybe. I once was having breakfast with a grad school colleague (northern transplant) and he started to put sugar and milk on his grits. Me: STOP! For God’s sake, what are you doing? Him: ?? Fixing my breakfast?? Me: You can’t treat grits like that! Grits is not cream of wheat!! I see that from time to time. Even here in the South. It’s shameful. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/22 "2013-07-05T17:14:26Z")
Messy eggs are the only way to eat them. It used to really upset my ex-wife. The Most Wonderful Woman in the World, however, either doesn’t care, or is just really good at hiding it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/23 "2013-07-05T17:19:11Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t know too many people who even eat eggs and grits at the same time. Possibly you could add some powdered sugar. Of course, I wouldn’t know a snowy egg-grit if I were pissing on one. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/24 "2013-07-05T17:40:20Z")
I like a fried egg with a runny yolk on top of the grits and a side of scrapple; born and raised in VA, live in DC. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/25 "2013-07-05T17:44:58Z")
Eggs scrambled and separate. They might share fork space with the grits, but they aren’t mixed together. Og made the foods separate, and separate they shall remain! ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/26 "2013-07-05T18:01:05Z")
When it comes to mixing separate foods together, I’m an anal retentive goofball. Grits and eggs are no exception. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/27 "2013-07-05T18:14:16Z")
> [@Red\_Stilettos](#): > > 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… Same here. I’ve lived in Alabama my entire life and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone mix grits and eggs. Cheese grits are the best. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/28 "2013-07-05T18:16:43Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > Scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked of course The only way to fly, baby. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/29 "2013-07-05T18:46:52Z")
Seperate. I will mix bacon and sausage into the grits though. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/30 "2013-07-05T18:51:53Z")
I like mine in a bowl, heaped upon with butter and a little sugar. Milk would be wrong. From time to time, I’ll let runny yolk into grits if they put them together on my plate, but I’m serving myself, bowl. South Texas Swamp Baby ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/31 "2013-07-05T18:58:06Z")
If the butter is unsalted, I’ll also add salt. Only a little sugar, mind you. Corn has a good sweetness all by itself. Some REALLY good grits are already perfectly sweet, thus needing no added sugar. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/32 "2013-07-05T20:00:37Z")
I’ve never tried grits, but I’m a born and raised southern, really! ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/33 "2013-07-05T20:07:27Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I’ve never tried grits, but I’m a born and raised southern, really! Southern what? Canada? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/34 "2013-07-05T20:26:17Z")
I’m straight up butter, salt and pepper in my grits. Lots and lots of fresh ground black pepper, a moderate amount of salt, and enough butter to keep it rich tasting and not all glommy. A hit of chili pepper sauce is nice, too. ---
**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, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/35 "2013-07-05T20:56:13Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Southern what? Canada? Exactly! 😃 And of course the questions were slanted. It’s my poll! I find the numbers interesting. I’ve been asking different Waffle House servers this question lately - who would know better than someone who sees a hundred breakfasts a day! The majority opinion I get from them is that roughly 85% of diners served grits and eggs (any style) mix them together before consuming them. I understand that the Waffle House chain is not universal, or [even national](http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18pdubil1kys3png/k-bigpic.png) so I was assuming it would be a cultural thing. I wonder if IHOP diners are any different in the south… On a different note, one of my great regrets in life is not discovering the wonder that is Cheese Grits more than about 4 years ago. The [Copeland](http://www.copelandsofneworleans.com/locations.html)’s restaurant next to my office closed a while back, and is where I discovered this culinary treat. I now have to drive 30 minutes or more to the other locations for my fix. If anyone has a similar or preferred recipe they would like to share, I’m open to suggestions. I’ve been meaning to add this to my repertoire, but I’m so damn lazy. I hate waiting 5 minutes for my grits, much less an hour in prep and oven time… ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/36 "2013-07-05T21:10:39Z")
I’d don’t think I’ve ever even seen or heard of grits being mixed with eggs prior to this thread. The dining hall in my college (in Virginia) regularly served grits for breakfast and always had eggs, so I had plenty of opportunity to observe how people outside my immediate family handled this, but I can’t think that I ever noticed anyone mixing the two foods together. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/37 "2013-07-05T21:17:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Eggs scrambled and separate. They might share fork space with the grits, but they aren’t mixed together. Og made the foods separate, and separate they shall remain! Dear God, this is the only acceptable answer. What barn were the rest of you reared in? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/38 "2013-07-05T21:23:20Z")
Separate. Grits should be salted peppered and then doused with either butter or cheese. Mixing up a good farm-fresh egg with anything that might mask it’s flavor is a sacrilege. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/39 "2013-07-05T21:32:53Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > 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. I never thought I’d be saying this on the Dope, but you, sir, need better grits. If you know of a safe location to post them to, I will be happy to send you a packet of my stepfather’s handgrown, handground, yellow corn grits (from last year, this year’s grits are still growing) to remedy the gaping void in your culinary experience. I prepare and serve them apart, and then maybe take two or three bites with a bit of egg and grits together - it’s a nice texture and taste, but I do prefer them apart. And honestly, shrimp and grits are DINNER, not breakfast! Breakfast grits are either salted and buttered, or salted, buttered, and cheesed. ---
**Author:** ![prettydorky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@prettydorky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prettydorky)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693/40 "2013-07-05T21:48:12Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Separate. Grits should be salted peppered and then doused with either butter or cheese. Mixing up a good farm-fresh egg with anything that might mask it’s flavor is a sacrilege. Pretty much this. In Pensacola here, which is basically Lower Alabama. Born in TX. My dad would sometimes mop up spare grits with the crust of his white bread, if he was out of egg, but he’s a lifelong sopper and all on one plate kind of guy. I eat my grits in a bowl. Even ask for them that way specifically at the Awful Waffle. Can’t stir grits good on the plate. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-my-southern-bretheren/662693.md?page=3)