Grits

G.R.I.T.S. to many of us eternal girls know these initials stand for “Girls Raised In The South,” an exclusive sorority and you know who you are. We understand the high standards and responsibilities of the title,.

“You can only trash talk about those NOT at the table with you..” To the rest of the folks, GRITS is a side dish for breakfast, but sometimes slips in at dinner as “gussied-up GRITS” with shrimp or fish.

The most famous movie ever made in these environs, “My Cousin Vinny” has an equally famous scene about GRITS. Lou Walker, a veteran character actor, who played the cook in the scene was from Decatur, Ga. I worked on his campaign when he ran for Dekalb County Commission race and he won. He had a great sense of humor and timing as is evident in the GRITS scene as he schools Vinny Gambini and Mona Lisa Vito on How-To cook GRITS.

Before moving to Georgia, I had never seen or eaten GRITS. We considered rice a breakfast cereal only since right across the river from Memphis, my hometown, is the state of Arkansas where 49% of the rice consumed in the United States is grown. They export over a billion dollars worth each year. Rice is to be eaten for breakfast only with ?healthy? dollops of margarine, spoonfuls of sugar and a douse of milk.

Don’t get me wrong, the science of cooking GRITS is a talent. Not just anybody can dump some ground up corn in a saucepan, add some water and a dash of salt and get it right. Bad GRITS are usually described as too creamy(overcooked) or al dente(crunchy), Instant GRITS is often referred to in the South as the eighth deadly sin.

For years I have wondered why some public works road repair crew has not been able to see the perfect answer to fixin’ potholes. If you have ever cooked GRITS, you know that the leftover GRITS in the pan turn rock hard and even after a suitable soak, they are hard to extract. Pothole problem solved, just add some GRITS.

GRITS, they’re not just for breakfast anymore.