[Leica] Grits

[msmall at infionline.net (Marc James Small)]

Folks from Florida keep fussing about Grits but, then, what would they know?

Four or Six years back, there was some sort of disaster in New England and
the Virginia National Guard was called up to send aid.  I forget just what
the disaster was -- heck, I spent four years in New England and they are
ALWAYS having emergencies, imaginary or otherwise.  In any event, the
Virginia boys started complaining that they couldn't get real grits in New
England (and, yes, they had run through oats and creamed wheat and the
like, all of which have their virtues but the are NOT grits.)

The Virginia Air National Guard, in the end, had to run emergency supplies
to their boys stationed in the far Northlands.  

Now, undersand, I am of dual parentage and I can scromph up a bowl of
Quaker Oats with the best of them.  But, to get to my heart, let us speak
of grits, grits with some red-eye, or grits with butter and salt.  What a
magnificent feast!

And I will hardly be the first gormand to tell you that grits work
magnificently with coddled eggs, as they do with scrambled eggs, omelettes,
and eggs in every other variety.  My personal choice is grits with red-eye
gravy and some side ham and an omelette of three eggs, salt, pepper, onion,
and , perhaps, some of the milder herbs.  (Understand, though, that the ham
ought to be cooked inthe iron skillet in which the eggs will be cooked:
the omelettes require only a little lubrication but that ham slice ought to
cough that up without a need to dip into your bacon-grease can.

The Europeans have grand culinary delectations but they hold no warrant on
it.  Good (mind you, not Great) Southern US cooking tops anything the Haute
Cuisine can produce and, as my large gut shows, I have earned the right to
make this statement.  I will stand any group of French students of the arts
culinary to a day over a catfish fry, a meal of fried chicken and mashed
potatoes, or a simple steak cooked over an open grill.

Haute Cuisine deals with the subtilies of material, spice, and minereal and
than heavens it exists, as I love the occasion.  But Southern US cooking is
a lot less about the spices than the material.

It is truly a universive wider than any of us can imagine.

Marc

msmall@infionline.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!