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I suppose the Brit in question is only familiar with the Buffetts served in some hotels, or the chain restaurant type placres found not far from the interstate.
Grits to me are an entirely regional thing. I'm not a fan, but I'm sure there is a drastic difference in quality.

Never put syrup on eggs myself (I'm a ketchup guy), but If having pancakes, if syrup gets on the bacon or sausage it's fine with me.

(I almost never get Pancakes unless I know they have genuine maple syrup -"pancake syrup" is foul.).

My main scope of going out for breakfast is a North-east and NYC style diner breakfast, or brunch. Not a buffet. An NYC area diner is a thing to behold (breakfast served all hours). They are usually innexpensive. (make sure it is Greek-owned and operated -the efficiency is amazing)
We don't do grits, we have potatoes, seasoned and fried with onions, and sometimes peppers. Eggs any style, etc.

I've been to the UK and Ireland. the English and Irish breakfast is FOUL.
For some reason they LOVE really runny eggs --I'm not talking "over easy" -I'm saying even the whites are runny -yuck).
The bangers are bland and fatty. Gross. Until recently I lived in an area of Queens heavily populated by Irish nationals. Many places around featured the irish breakfast. I can't see that as a selling point.
Beans on toast is what we would opt for.
As a matter of fact I adopted baked beans into our family breakfasts (as a side).

The only GOOD breakfast we had in the UK was at a B&B run by a German ex-pat. Lots of fresh fruit, excellent yogurt, meusli, granola and lots of nice baked goods.
One B& B in Ireland had a proprietor who was also an excellent baker.

- Properly made grits is good.
- Poorly made anything is bad
- The British have no room to complain about anyone's regional cuisine.

Grits is a sourthern dish. Some people from the west and north have come to like grits.

But, it's not something that appeals to me. In fact, oatmeal doesn't appeal to me either.

If grits is just corn mush, isn't it the same as Polenta?

The Italians have been eating that in some form since before the Romans built Hadrians Wall.

grits will typically be coarser but yeah they are essentially the same thing.

So are you going to say that polenta, grits, and farina are the same thing?
How about beer, wine, and mead?

Last edited by Tallgeese (2008-11-24 2:24 pm)

Anyone who thinks that because of the process similarities, grits and polenta are the same thing.

Tallgeese wrote:

Anyone who thinks that because of the process similarities, grits and polenta are the same thing.

grits will typically be coarser but yeah they are essentially the same thing.

They are both boiled cornmeal.  Just prepared and ground differently

"essentially |iˈsen sh əlē|
adverb
used to emphasize the basic, fundamental, or intrinsic nature of a person, thing, or situation "


"fundamental |ˌfəndəˈmentl|
adjective
forming a necessary base or core; of central importance"

Tallgeese wrote:

So are you going to say that polenta, grits, and farina are the same thing?
How about beer, wine, and mead?

Last time. "In some form."

Interesting that beer was brought up in a thread about grits.

El Presidente beer (Dom Rep) is made with grits (as an adjunct to the barley).
Not a good beer.

The Italians have been eating that in some form since before the Romans built Hadrians Wall.

You can't really bring up Italians as comparison. They simply CARE more about food than most cultures.
Saying grits are the same as Polenta is like saying Ketchup is the same as a marinara.

Last edited by iSeamas (2008-11-24 4:24 pm)

See, now polenta I've had frequently and don't dislike.  I'm not sure what I'd call it, but I'd never have considered it a porridge.  You can cut it with a knife and stick it on the end of a fork.

iSeamas wrote:

saying grits are the same as Polenta is like saying Ketchup is the same as a marinara.

Incidentally, I read somewhere that Ketchup (or, ket'siap) was originally chinese and didn't contain tomatoes.