Oh, man, no wonder I get weird looks in Cracker Barrel.
When Mrs Wolf found her real father in Alabama, we moved here. Her father gave me such grief for not only putting sugar in my grits, but for putting bacon and eggs on a roll with :eek: ketchup. Too bad - we get the last laugh. His daughter turns out to be a Yankee!
Bwa ha hah ha!!!
Last night for din-din I had pan-roasted quail, stuffed with sage, sausage, and chanterelles, served on a bed of polenta.
Here in NYC, we call our grits “polenta.”
This brought to mind a story: A friend who grew up in Georgia was hosting a northern friend. The northerner asked where grits came from and my friend, without cracking up, said “You see that stuff on that pond there? That’s grits. They skim 'em off and cook 'em up.” I would LOVE to have heard the northerner explaining grit ponds when he went back home…
I usually just put butter, salt, and pepper on mine, but I’d love to try muffinman’s recipe. And, I’m embarrassed to admit, my mom puts butter and sugar on hers. Damn Yankee! 
White Lightning:
Good thing you dumped her ass! I can’t stand it when people make issues of other people’s accents, colloquialisms, etc. Whoa, sorry to blow up there; it’s just that I’ve had some bad personal experiences along those lines. Ask me what I think of those classes designed to help you get rid of your accent. Go ahead, ask me.
Strainger
Say, Strainger, by the by, I’ve been meanin’ to ask you: What do you think of those classes designed to help you get rid of your accent?
Southernstyle: How great to meet a kindred spirit… not only do you eat grits like they were meant to be eaten (no sugar), but you eat them here in Tally!
I love real grits. Sometimes I’m forced to eat the instant crap, but that’s more due to the horrible traffic in Tallahassee than my tastes. If it didn’t take me so long to get where I’m going, I would make real ones.
Nah… don’t worry about it. My whole family puts sugar in them- not always, but most of the time. We’re Texans from way back, so it’s not some weird Yankee influence either!
(I figure it’s one of those Southern variations like barbecue- GA does it VERY different from TX, but both are wonderful!)
The only thing grits must have are butter, salt and pepper.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Hey Tatertot, email me a mailing address and when I go to the grocery store I’ll pick you up a box and send it to ya, grits are cheap here.
Make a batch of thickish grits, or leave the leftovers in the fridge overnight. Fry 'em up like johnnycakes in a bit of oil, and top with grilled shrimp, some chopped sauteed onion & green peppers…that’s the fancy way. Or you can put some grilled shrimp & salsa over regular grits. Welcome to the South Carolina Lowcountry, where grits ain’t just for breakfast no more.
(BTW, YUM!!!)
You have a grandma from Alabama that’s going to be making breakfast?
Well then, can I come over for breakfast? I’m real handy around the house. I can drive a lawn mower, fix gutters, paint fences, etc. please? please, please, please… plleeeaaaaaaassseee!!!
Another Tallahassee Doper??? You missed the Wednesday luncheon!
E-mail me with your e-mail address.
Grrrrrr…That’s about all I can say about it without taking it to the Pit. And I barely have an accent, if any! (Love those colloquialisms though.)
I got addicted to grits when I was at Biloxi Miss. Ya all gonna hate me, I put sugar and milk on them. Treated them like cream-of-wheat. Had them most morns for breakfast with whole wheat toast. Also loved my hush puppies and greens (NO bacon in them) for lunch.
Grits!!! No butter thanks, just salt. And mix it up with
my eggs over-medium!!! Good stuff! I’d kick the dog away if it fell on the floor!! And my accent the wife says I have? No my Love, I’m from the South! I don’t have an accent. You do!! That’s what I tell all my Yankees I meet around town.
Oh, you have a beautiful accent. NO I don’t, I’m from here!
Mmmm… grits! Fried okra! Biscuits and gravy! Chicken fried steak! Collared greens!
Okay… I may not be a Southern gal (unless Hawaii counts as south enough), but having been married once to a born-and-bred-raised-on-a-cattle-ranch Texan, I have a soft spot for Southern cookin’!
PET PEEVE: Why is it Yanks thinks that all that stuff is Black soul food? Folks, it’s SOUTHERN COMFORT FOOD. You’re only exposed to it from the Blacks who moved up north, but down south, EVERYBODY eats the stuff, m’kay?
Speaking of Southern food…
The Luby’s in Killeen, Texas (where the crazed gunman drove his pick-up through the window and shot up a bunch of people back in '91) closed its doors earlier this month. You can read it at http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/09/11/lubys.massacre.ap/. Having lived in Killeen, I’ve eaten there numerous times. Sad…
We’d do this, too; then top them with (get ready to cringe, folks) butter and maple syrup. Verra tasty. 
Alright, a downhome southern eatin’ thread.
Nothing much to add, just wanted to make sure that Virginia was included.
Grits with butter, grits with gravy, grits with eggs, grits with mushroom or chicken soup. Ummmmmmm.
Sugar?
Oh, Jeez…Biscuits & Gravy! Chicken Fry! I’m sorry, though, but those aren’t southern. In the last 3 years here in South Carolina, the best chicken fry I’ve found is at Chili’s, and I haven’t had sausage gravy worth using as wallpaper paste (except what we cook up at home). You’ve got to go to the southern midwest to get them good 
If they don’t use sausage grease in their gravy, pass. If the menu reads “country fried steak,” pass.
[blatant plug–or nostalgia]For those passing through central Oklahoma anytime soon, either Ann’s Chicken Fry on 39th St. in Oklahoma City (can’t miss it–there’s a 56 Caddy parked on the lawn) or Around the Corner on Broadway in Edmond. Run, don’t walk, for the best chicken fried steak anywhere.[/blatant plug]
Eat fiberglass insulation!
Eat ground up aluminium siding!
Eat unprocessed gelatin served to you on silver platters by monkey butlers!
But…
DON’T EAT GRITS! :eek:
(Besides, the others taste better.)
stofsky:
ohhh, nooo… biscuits and gravy, southern yes! maybe your folks don’t do it up right down there in south carolina, but if you want some sausage gravy sometime and are ever in the Richmond, VA area, give my papa a call.
Strainger, what kind of accent do you have? i appreciate your support. but i have to admit, the thing that bugged me most about my exgf’s insistence that i “talked southern” was the fact that i have NO accent. i was born and raised in california, for chrissake. but she’s a jersey girl, so, what do you expect.
Dire Wolf, Farina is nothing like grits. farina’s a nasty business. i went to college in new england and apparently there’s a whole host of cream-of-wheat variants up there that the locals eat with breakfast. but grits is a whole different bag of chips.
Doug Bowe and Sauron, you guys are wrong. this is something that i hear frequently about tofu that i disagree with, too. tofu tastes great with xxx ingredient, sure. but tofu tastes good with a spoon, too. it’s also a great addition to a chocolate shake. gives a unique thick texture, great taste, and a punch of protein. but the point is, grits taste great sans condiments or other ingredients, too. grits spooned straight from the pot are excellent. adding bacon grease and/or bacon itself doesn’t mean grits alone don’t taste good any more than putting mustard on a hot dog means hot dogs are nasty.
one of my favorite ways to eat grits is to put the leftovers in the fridge and get em out the next morning, when they’ve gelled up a bit. put the flattened wad of grits on bread or a bun, a thin layer of mustard, and bacon. the grits add a hearty texture and flavor to a great tasting combo. mmmmmmmm
White Lightning, my accent sounds like that of a guy who lived in the mid-West until the age of 10, lived in Georgia for 13 years, then spent the next 7 in Arizona. Seriously, though, my accent is very slight. I do embrace a number of Southern colloquialisms in informal conversation, such as “hey” instead of “hi,” “fixin’ to,” “y’all,” etc. This sometimes raised issues with my ex-girlfriend, who had a stick up her ass about what she deemed “appropriate” or “professional” behavior, talk, mannerisms, etc. (i.e. it was very difficult to be yourself around her). Needless to say, she is my ex-girlfriend now.