I have never heard “grits” used as a synonym for “food,” and I have lived in south central Texas all my life. For that matter, finding a place that serves grits in these parts can be a bit of a trick; most places will try to serve you either traditional breakfast foods, or Tex-Mex concoctions like huevos rancheros.
Throughout much of what Texans think of as “the South,” though (Alabama, Mississippi, and so forth), though, grits are easily obtained for breakfast, and some truck stops will serve them at any time of day.
A “sub” is a large sandwich, made using a small loaf of bread. Its contents are irrelevant; it is the serving of food items between the halves of a small loaf of bread which makes it a sub. I’d never heard of hoagies or grinders until I visited the northern states.
A “poor boy” or “po’boy” is similar to a sub, but specifically refers to a sub made with barbecued beef and barbecue sauce, served between halves of a small loaf of white bread. In recent years, the definition has expanded to include barbecued sausage and chicken sandwiches, and even shrimp in one restaurant I know of.
“Barbecue” and “cooking out” are two entirely different things. “Cooking out” simply refers to the building of a fire of some sort, and the heating of foodstuffs thereupon. “Barbecue,” on the other hand, is a complex ritual involving the slow broiling of meats (almost invariably beef brisket, sausage, and/or chicken) over a slow, steady wood or charcoal fire, with no small amount of attention paid to the type of wood used, blend of barbecue sauce, smoke, and so on. It is pretty much taken for granted that the meats will be served with some combination (if not all) of the following side dishes: sliced raw onions, pickles, white bread, potato salad, coleslaw, pinto beans, barbecue sauce(s) and/or potato chips. In south Texas, jalapenos (whole or sliced) will be made available, as well.
“Cooking out” is simply cooking. “Barbecue” is an art, steeped in tradition, with a thousand nuances and personal flourishes. Not kidding. Most Yankees I have met, regardless of their other virtues, don’t know much about barbecue, including some who were in the restaurant business.
The term for “carbonated soft drink” is “soda” or “coke.” Note the lack of capitalization on the trademarked term. “Coke” means “Coca-Cola,” whereas “coke” means “soda.” Neither term is used if the soft drink in question is not carbonated. Most Texans will not know what the hell you’re talking about if you try to bring up the subject of “pop.”
One odd Northernism I have noticed in my travels is the “burrito.” Everywhere I have gone, the “burrito” refers to a Mexican delicacy, made by wrapping Mexican food in a little pocket made from a flour tortilla. The food in question invariably includes bean paste, but may include ground beef, cheese, chili gravy, and various other stuff.
This definition does not change, regardless of where you go… but only in Michigan was I offered the opportunity to partake of the famed Wet Burrito.
My first response was to snicker, as “burrito” is also Tex-Mex slang for “penis.” Michiganders, however, regard the basic burrito as a kind of microwaveable finger food, a sort of Mexican sandwich. Their “wet burrito,” on the other hand, is a restaurant meal, a large burrito which has been doused with chili gravy prior to serving, and can only be eaten neatly if one uses a knife and fork.
(Oh, yeah: while I’m thinking about it, “burrito,” literally translated from the Spanish, means “little donkey.” Make of that what you will.)
