What's for suppah? (buy, school, bars)

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by Maineah

I've heard of grits but never had them. I didn't even know they were corn until I googled them. They're definitely a Southern dish. I saw them on the menu at Denney's in Virginia once and was tempted to try them though the waitress told me if I never had them before that the ones at Denney's would not be leave a good first impression. So I ALMOST had them. The recipe I saw said to cook them in milk in a double boiler for 45 minutes to an hour and a half! I guess I'd have to eat them for lunch then! The whole hominy thing was a bit strange to read about. Soaking the corn in home made wood ash lye. Interesting tradition though. Any good instant ones?

Good for your waitress! I imagine they would not have been very good. Used to work for a company that has a lot of big gray ships and black submarines. And spent a lot of time on the road installing the da*mdest impossible test instruments on those ships and subs for sea trials. And frequently the shipyard or base would be down south where the weather was good for a lot of the year. South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisianna. When on the road, a man takes some extra pleasure in a good meal served by a friendly waitress. And what is it about those southern girls? They're all pretty and that accent just makes me melt.

But I digress In southern restaurants, they know good food. And grits are a staple. In describing the region there is a grits line, a biscuit line, and a fried pie line which are all slightly different. Kinda like the Volvo line in Maine.

Grits are good wholesome corn food. And they are zellig like, taking on the tastes of the food they are served with. They are the pasta to the sauce, the rice to the chow mein. I like them at breakfast, with sausage and eggs. They are lighter than home fries. You take a piece of sausage and drag it into the grits, take a forkful of egg and drag it through. And actually good coarse milled grits have a pleasant mild flavor and compliment what they are served with.

As far as instant goes, most wouldn't be any better than the bad ones at Denny's, especially those in microwavable or single serving packets. A passible one is Quaker Quick Grits in the 1 1/2lb round "oatmeal" box. Don't even try the square boxed, singles packages. They're nasty.

[RANGER.101ST]

oh my! my wife is teaching our daughter how to cook .
when i got home tonight supper was all ready.so we sat down and it all looked so good.but looks can be deceaving the meatloaf tasted like -------- well i wont say.
the taters where 1/2 raw but the veg was good.after supper she asked how was it dad.
good i said but honestly she has a long way to go.i ate it and i didnt like it but i wasnt going to tell her that.

[moughie]

LOL, qw!!

I love your reference to the infamous "Maine Volvo line" and its comparison to the grits, biscuit and fried pie demarcations down South.

By the way, what is fried pie?

My folks used to have a place on Hilton Head Island. I'll never forget the first time I tried grits- I felt like I was chomping on the colored pebbles found in fish bowls Acquired taste, eh?

[Maineah]

[quote=moughie;3866187 I'll never forget the first time I tried grits- I felt like I was chomping on the colored pebbles found in fish bowls Acquired taste, eh?[/QUOTE] Maybe I DON"T want to try them after all!

[Easybreezy]

We always called it Breakfast, lunch and supper for all days with one exception. The noon meal on Sunday was always served at precisely noon, and was called Sunday Dinner.

Tonight's supper was all leftovers, chicken breast, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans (frozen, fresh too expensive, and not that good, and I don't like canned) and salad (lettuce, tomato, cuke, and carrot). Nothing exciting.

Grits are an acquired taste, but you've got to have good grits to appreciate them. My favorite grits are with shrimp, lots of butter, and some cheese, maybe some green onions sprinkled on top.

Stay away from the instant packaged grits. They are worse than instant mashed potatoes, if imaginable.

[dramamama6685]

My mom told me (I was maybe 10) that grits tast just like cream of wheat. Lies, all lies, I tell you. They are DISGUSTING> And I will eat most anything, provided it stands still long enough.

Dinnre tonight, will be cookout food with our more local online friends ( woxy.com (http://www.woxy.com - broken link) ). Yard games and beer!!! What more could a girl want?

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by moughie

... By the way, what is fried pie?

Dessert Article - Making Warm Fried Pies With Recipes

Mrs. Armstrong's Fried Pies, Centerville TN

Those wretched Hostess fruit pies are fried pies that taste strongly of the lard in which they are cooked. I have been in long detailed discussions of southern cuisine and remember a description of the fried pie line and its variation from the grits and biscuit lines. Strangely this information seems absent from the usual Google sources. All I remember is that it passed through Tennessee. Same with the biscuit line, which I remember is usually somewhat north of the grits line. These "lines" denote areas where you will be served these foods, with your meal, without asking. There is the standard joke of a southern man asking "for a pack of Chesterfields, and hold the grits"

My folks used to have a place on Hilton Head Island. I'll never forget the first time I tried grits- I felt like I was chomping on the colored pebbles found in fish bowls Acquired taste, eh?

Well you are supposed to cook them before they are eaten

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

oh my! my wife is teaching our daughter how to cook .
when i got home tonight supper was all ready.so we sat down and it all looked so good.but looks can be deceaving the meatloaf tasted like -------- well i wont say.
the taters where 1/2 raw but the veg was good.after supper she asked how was it dad.
good i said but honestly she has a long way to go.i ate it and i didnt like it but i wasnt going to tell her that.

There is a no better tasting meal than that which is served with pride and love of a small child. Thanks Ranger for your heartwarming story.

[RANGER.101ST]

i have had grits and they are not to bad if they are cookd right.

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by quiet walker

In southern restaurants, they know good food. And grits are a staple....Grits are good wholesome corn food....And actually good coarse milled grits have a pleasant mild flavor and compliment what they are served with.

Amen, brother! I had no idea you were discussing grits on this thread! Grits are "good wholesome corn food"! Many southern meals would not be complete without grits. When properly prepared, grits are just wonderful. If your first introduction to grits was up north here, or by someone who lives or has lived mostly up north, you don't know what you are missing! I don't know how to prepare them myself, so I don't get a chance to enjoy them unless travelling in the south. But when I'm down there, I look forward to mealtime. The southern folks know how to prepare grits...RIGHT!