A debate on food culture.

Earlier today, I indulged in an awesome meal: Shrimp and grits from a small resteraunt in town.  It was absolutely delicious.  There is a certain art to the food culture of the south, based in strong flavors, large chunks of vegetables, meat, a good strong sauce, and a solid starch to pair it with.  It's something that I've always loved about the way that Southern cooking is -- it's home.  The best kind is when you can tell that a person actually prepared the meal instead of cutting open a package and putting it in a pan to warm.

Ignore my foot, I was eating sitting down.

But my love of grits sparked a moment between R. and I -- he being a good California boy who swears that the California border is covered with checks to keep people from bringing in contraband grits.  Obviously, he's not a fan.  I believe his words to describe grits is that they are "just like undercooked oatmeal sans any flavor, necessitating smothering with butter and cheese. The butter and cheese are what people like."  (Personally, my favorite grits dish is simply cooked plain with a swirl of good maple syrup.) 

Shrimp and grits vary from place to place in the south, with the versions as wide ranging as the land mass you cover seeking out the variations.  I love seafood, but I admit to being a snob and not really willing to eat it unless I know it comes fresh.  Having grown up watching seafood walk off the boats and into resteraunts, it's difficult for me to accept frozen seafood that has been trucked in.  The shrimp I had tonight were HUGE, and being as I see shrimping boats heading out each morning as I go to work, I know they're fresh and local.  The vegetables were chunky, and there was even a gratuitous chunk of andouille sausage floating in the sauce.  Mixing the thick gravy with the cheesy grits made it perfect for eating with a spoon.

Someday, I'll get R. to understand.  Grits are an acquired taste, and are only really good when they're made from scratch, not instant.  It's the same thing with oatmeal -- if it comes out of a little paper package, it's not going to be good.  My favorite breakfast these days is to make a half cup of oatmeal, then mix it with a cup of greek yogurt for protein.  I love how creamy it makes the oatmeal, and I get a great dose of fiber and protein which keeps me full until my lunch break.  The same thing works with grits -- I've been known to mix my grits with scrambled eggs in the mornings and eat them all together.  I don't think cream of wheat really works the same way, since it tends to be a bit thinner, but I do love the creamier texture some days.  It works really well with sweet toppings like strawberry jam, or Grandma Jelly.

That reminds me to do a post later this week on Grandma Jelly.  I went over to my Grandma's house earlier today and found a big bucket of ripe juicy figs from the tree in her back yard ready to be made into jelly, and a few new jars already sitting on the counter.

I missed summers at home. I'm glad I get to spend some time here, with the food and family that I love.
-A