My First Grits
Grits - have you heard of them? How about Shrimp and Grits?... Still no? Clearly you need to read more novels and watch more movies set in the southern states of America.
I first heard of grits, well, I'm not quite sure when, but they've been on my mind the past year since watching The Secret Life of Bees. I've also been fascinated with cornbread of late. And then I went and purchased The Help at the Airport on my way to the States in July and my obsession grew. I had to try these corny delights, starting with Grits.
Ok so what is Grits? Think polenta. It's made from coarsely ground corn that has been cooked in water, and resembles a thick, grainy porridge - sounds delicious, right? Well it was. I should point out that butter and cheese and oil are often added in the cooking process. Ergo, deliciousness.
After a night out dancing in NYC, my friends and I moseyed down to brunch at a local cafe in the East Village. Grape and Grain is a really cool place, reminiscent of our wonderful cafes in Melbourne. It's actually a wine bar, but they serve brunch on the weekends. Perfect.
My gorgeous friend Bhey is a real cereal girl. She loves her Cheerios. Late night post-dancing-snackage is always cereal, preferably Cheerios, in her house. Even when out for brunch she struggles to deviate from her love. And so, on this day she ordered Granola with Berries. Predictable, yes, delicious, absolutely. Cereal lovers unite.
Peta ordered a Breakfast Pizza, with House-Cured Salmon and Ricotta-Dill Spread. It sounded and looked amazing! But we didn't love the taste...personal preference I guess. Something about it was just not right. You can't win them all.
My breakfast was Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Salad Greens and a Biscuit. Those not familiar with biscuits should know that they are essentially a scone. I grew rather fond of them after initial feelings of apprehension/bring me my toast. Let's just pause for appreciation of the beauty that is American bacon, so crispy and far too delicious to handle. And salad greens, who knew? They love to serve greens with their brunches in the States. Potatoes too. I like it.
Ok so my breakfast was all incredibly delicious...but are you ready for my side order of Grits? Here it comes...
This is my excited/pinch me/slightly dubious/hoping that it tastes as good as I dream it would/first Grits experience face. Vicki was going for something vastly more attractive and even a little seductive - clearly she was excited about the Grits too (love you, Vickles).
I loved it. Grape and Grain had drizzled some lovely oil and generously seasoned the grits, which made it ahhhhmazing. I adored it. Others who sampled my Grits also agreed. I'm fairly certain that you can have bad and good Grits, depending on the seasoning and the care put into preparation (let's face it, presentation will always be rather sloppy). I am happy that my one and only grits experience to date was most definitely good.
The moral of this post? Try Grits. And read The Help.