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The waitress asked If I wanted grits with that. I said, "Ok, I'll try a grit."
My friend from NH did the same thing. Her husband loves to tell the story about her first time in the south when she went to a diner for breakfast and when asked if she wanted grits, she replied 'sure, I'll try one' ... the waitress yelled back into the kitchen 'hey y'all, we got a yankee out here who wants a grit' ... much laughter ensued at her expense.
However, if the the truth be known, I was in my 30's before I had ever tasted 'em.
Grits...yummy. I like mine with fried apples. I don't know of a restaurant in ME that has them on the menu, closest place I know of would be the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Londonderry, NH, about 183 miles from Bangor.
(Rt. 95 south to Rt. 101 west in NH to Rt. 93, NH exit #4, turn east, about 1/2 a mile on the left, just before Burger King.)
... Can one find grits in Maine?... good, steaming, buttered white corn grits, that come with your eggs, sausage, toast, good coffee and juice, served in a diner breakfast, that one enjoys among your fellow man...
Wow, I have enjoyed all the great opinions and posts by the group. This is _fun_ I see that there are two consistant themes: "I don't like grits" or "I like grits with... butter, sugar, salt and pepper, cheese, gravy, etc, etc." I think I see the second theme is "I like grits with taste from other foods that are mixed with them." Yes grits are very Zelig like in the food world, appreciated for the added flavors. For me they are comfort food, frequently encountered on work trips to the South. I like them with butter and salt, but especially on the plate with all the other items. When you fork a piece of a tasty sausage pattie, you drag it into the grits and load it up, eggs too, Oh My! that's good! And if you are in the South, you are probably also enjoying a heavenly buttered drop biscuit, maybe with some honey which is served at the table
And maybe another appeal for me is because I am usually enjoying them in a diner (where they are meant to be) along with "your fellow man" the best of all added "condiments"
Like in "my cousin vinny" when the lawyer asks dead seriously, 'what's a GRIT?' in a strong new york accent. VERY funny... My fave is hot with butter salt and pepper...Technically we're supposed to be oatmeal people... And, I like that too with cinnamon and sugar and butter hot and milk...
And better yet is Fred Gwynne (God bless him) as the Alabama judge who inquires of the Brooklyn lawyer "What is a yute?" Seriously though, I'm glad to see that oatmeal (in this and other posts) is appreciated in Maine. It is powerful stuff, not to mention, _good_ too! I like mine (the real stuff - not instant) with butter and maple syrup or butter and raisins. I work on track at a local trolley museum, replacing rotted ties. I do this as a volunteer as the work is so hard you couldn't pay me enough to do it. Dig all that stone, and pull that 8 foot tie out, shove another one in, and pry it up and dig stone again, shove it under and pack it in around. Then spike it down. Our group always consists of old guys like me and new young fellows. The young guys are full of stuff early but the old farts always seem to be still steadily carrying on a few hours later when the others are spent. An informal inquiry reveals that the old guys are all running on a double serving of oatmeal. I like mine a little less mushy, "al dente" like that texture...
...New England has great hot cereals, not just oat meal. I can't get hot ralston out here and I don't think I've seen Cream of Wheat...
I haven't seen hot ralston for a long time. When I was a kid we called it "Ralston Purina" I have looked for it over the years, and especially now that I am older and really like robust hot cereals. And now (!) my grocery store chain has stopped carrying Cream of Wheat. Or more exactly the plain, original item. Oh they have "instant" (in paper envelopes) "c/o/w" in wretched "flavors" like "artificial blueberry flavor" with "artificial blueberries." I tried one once and had to spit out the first bite - it was awful.
Now the stores around here are no longer provide many of the good basic foods I love, instead selling "artsy-fartsy" trendy stuff. Reminds me of a good friend at work, who went to the vegetarian food coop nearby. He said "I went there but I couldn't find anything to eat!"
I am watching fat snowflakes fall down here in Virginia. Its' quiet. Nice fire in the fireplace and sleeping cat on the sofa. So now I am thinking about food
Hello, I came here to this forum some months ago. And had the great idea that this would be a good place to ask all kinds of questions about "moving to Maine." Like so many others, somehow found Maine as a possible destination from a place I would like to get away from. Then found that _lots_ and _lots_ of others have and are, all seeking the same things and posting the same questions. I am somewhat embarrased
But since then the forum has shown itself to be a place where there are a lot of well written and thoughtful people who post and discuss many and diverse issues about living in Maine. Watch, read and learn.
Well I don't live in Maine, don't have any ways to in the immediate future (but keep working on it) but am grateful for this forum, its' people and ideas, and especially for you all letting me read and occasionally even post something that I hope is not too inappropriate, etc. I enjoy this place.
SO... back to food (yea!) Can one find grits in Maine? And not the trendy like "shrimp and grits" that seems to be the du jour fad of the month here in DC. But good, steaming, buttered white corn grits, that come with your eggs, sausage, wheat toast, good coffee and orange juice, served in a diner breakfast, that one enjoys among your fellow man (persons) I should note that I have absolutely nothing against home fries! With ketchup...
I enjoy the great threads here that confirm the appealing qualities of Maine. This post is intended to find out some more detailed and specific information
... Go to a restaurant here and you can get poutine, come on now, you are in Maine, have a local breakfast side. Plus what could be better than a pile of french fries covered with cheese and gravy
Poutine? Oh those French I remember traveling in Quebec when I was a kid and hungering for "potates frites" when I saw a sign. No McDonalds in those days.
Now french fries and gravy is a delicacy from my past. There is a wonderful restaurant in Hancock MD (about an 1 1/2 hour trip from me - but worth the trip) called "Park-N-Dine" (Been there forever - don't even ask about nearby "Weavers" restaurant and bakery where they have about 20 kinds of pie) When you ask for french fries and gravy they ask you "beef, turkey or chicken" Oh My! And when you get a milkshake at PnD they put milk, ice cream and sauce into one of those stainless steel canisters and plug it into a vintage Hamilton Beach milkshake machine. And then you get the stainless cannister as well as your milkshake glass. The glass does not hold all the goodness and there is another refill in the canister
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Thank You for all the fun answers!
I see that there are two consistant themes: "I don't like grits" or "I like grits with... butter, sugar, salt and pepper, cheese, gravy, etc, etc." I think I see the second theme is "I like grits with taste from other foods that are mixed with them." Yes grits are very Zelig like in the food world, appreciated for the added flavors. For me they are comfort food, frequently encountered on work trips to the South. I like them with butter and salt, but especially on the plate with all the other items. When you fork a piece of a tasty sausage pattie, you drag it into the grits and load it up, eggs too, Oh My! that's good! And if you are in the South, you are probably also enjoying a heavenly buttered drop biscuit, maybe with some honey which is served at the table 
I should note that I have absolutely nothing against home fries! With ketchup...
