OT: Grits

Even saw dust with cheese and bacon topping would be good.

Hmm, lemme get back to you.

Texan waitress who takes the order: "Hominy?"

Non-Texan patrons: "Well, there's five of us and we all want grits".

I eat grits for breakfast at least three times a week... love 'em! ...Jim Thompson

:-) Took me a couple of seconds to get that.

I first heard of grits in the comedy film 'My Cousin Vinnie'. For quite some time I subconsciously associated it with parts of an animal that's eaten only by the less sophisticated class of Americans. Probably because of the word's similarity to gristle and the small-town setting of the movie.

What /are/ grits? Why are they always mentioned in terms of "ain't good, but I/you /ought/ to like'em"?

Grits is never off topic!

Plain white or yellow grits, with lots of salt and pepper and butter, is wonderful with bacon and eggs. Savory grits (chicken broth, cheese) is a great dinner side dish.

Shrimp and grits is world-class food.

I am impressed that someone in Rhode Island has finally heard of grits. After Hurricane Katrina, there was a mass exodus from New Orleans, a culinary disapora. The country is better for that. There is a visible cajun/creole influence here in San Francisco that was not visible before the storm. Some fru-fru restaurents used to offer a tiny bowl of "polenta" for $7 but wouldn't use the word "grits."

But sawdust isn't good alone; grits is.

Damned yankee! "Grits" is always singular.

You mean What /is/ grits?

Simmered corn meal, yellow or white. The Italians call their version polenta.

Fried grits is a variant:

Crunchy on the outside, soft and grits-e on the inside. Wonderful.

I think the name puts people off.

Did I use plural ?:-}

Actually... officially (geographically) I AM a Yankee... raised in WV... I just happen to love grits... first introduced to grits by a waitress (with a German accent :-) in Huntsville, AL. ...Jim Thompson

Anybody who lives north of Shreveport is a yankee.

OK; got it, thanks for an explanation /I/ can understand :)

I've got some polenta in the cupboard, and have it occasionally. Fry-up is usually reserved for left-overs at breakfast.

Yes. Make too much, mold the extra into a pan, smooth the top with plastic wrap, put in the fridge to congeal overnight; just one night.

Cut up into squares and fry in butter. Serve like my pic.

New Orleans grits is bleached and white, semi-coarse grain, not as smooth as polenta usually is. Its native taste is subtle, corn flavor but slightly bitter; it's a substrate for salt and pepper and butter. Maybe you need to be raised on grits to appreciate it.

I had some Swedish and French people up at the cabin for breakfast, and they ate all my grits. I'm told that I also started a minor epidemic of Bananas Foster in Sweden.

Wasn't Vinny an Italian-American with a thick accent?

People in the south or sometimes here in the wild west and their food are often assumed to be less sophisticated. Though in reality most aren't at all, they just have different tastes and stuff. That doesn't just go for food. I still remember the shock in the faces of some tourists:

Small town in the boonies, I was done with work, went to the saloon. Yep, they also served grits. The band was playing "Fire on the Mountain" at full tilt, loud. The dance floor was packed, everyone singing and hollering, stuff flying around, the rafters were shaking. That's when they came in, with the deer in the headlights looks, is everyone freaking nuts out here? I told them it's ok, to come in, that the beer ain't great but it's on tap, the music would be good and this is where they'd experience the real Americana. I didn't tell them about the saloon fight the other day in Mariposa though ...

In case someone doesn't know the song:

"Do you also play other music?" ... "Oh yeah, sure. We play country _and_ western here". Often the highlight of the month out here is a rodeo. Or a parade with lots of horses. People have fun.

I would probably appreciate the extra texture, in the same way I prefer rough oatcakes to smooth ones. (N.B. "cake" is misleading; (UK) biscuit is more understandable

I'd probably appreciate it, but not idolise it.

Since I loathe bananas (except ice cream and plantain), that sounds disgusting :) There's a synthetic concoction called banoffee pudding over here; I won't touch that either.

I don't worship grits; I just like good food. There's lots of good stuff in California too.

Cooked bananas are different from raw ones, but you probably wouldn't like that either. People have different chemistry, which is probably a survival trait.

I've eaten some mighty fine Cajun food there!! ...Jim Thompson

Yep, superbly done by Joe Pesci. His girlfriend (Marisa Tomei) was cute.