GRITS
They're simple and inexpensive to prepare; nothing more than White Hominy combined with boiling water. Then, just add a touch of Salt and a 1/4 stick of Butter...and more Butter plus a teaspoon of Sugar sprinkled on top when the Grits are served.
&PORRIDGE
This one contains Milk, Milk and more Milk!
It's Yellow Corn Meal flavored with Vanilla Extract and aromatic Nutmeg. Constant stirring is required until the proper texture is achieved.---------------------------------------------------------------
The Porridge is definitely more time consuming (and tricky) because of the ease with which the Milk can burn. Like most African Americans whose families have roots in the South, I grew up eating Grits. I remember waking up on Saturday mornings to the smell of Hominy and sizzling Fatback emanating from our kitchen - that not-quite-awake dreamscape punctuated by the sound of my Mother's footfalls causing the linoleum tiles to creak as she moved from sink to snack bar to stove...and finally the small white (fridge) that my Brother and I used to chart our growth as adolescents. I've always taken my Grits with Butter and Sugar. Preferably not runny, but on the substantially thick side - to the point where a clump of the creamy mixture will slide slowly off the spoon. Most of the adults in my family preferred theirs with Pepper or a little cheese, mixed with bits of Country Sage sausage; or as a side dish to Fried Perch or Whiting - typical for Up Country South Carolinians - from which my lineage is derived - as opposed to those Low Country folk who who like to garnish their grits with Shrimp or Crab Meat instead.
&I remember the first time I ate Porridge - can't remember if Jamaica Girl and I were in Chicago, or if it was one of the Christmas/New Years Holidays when I travelled to NYC for a visit when we were still undergrads. What I do remember is that she offered to make some and I fell in love with it instantly. Porridge is typically sweeter than the Grits, with a thicker, heavier consistency that is most likely attributed to the abundance of Whole, Condensed and Evaporated Milk it contains.
&I'll never loose my passion for Grits, but sometimes I find myself specifically craving the unique taste of Porridge. Jamaica Girl is an excellent cook, but she's never been big on Breakfast, while for me, the First Meal happens to be a very big deal - arguably my favorite of the day, and not just because of the memories I associate with my mother. As I result, I'm usually the one who takes the initiative to get up and set out an early morning spread; especially on weekends, or the rare occasion when I'm not traveling to a client site. Early on, I tried my hand at concocting the mixture - which was tricky because invariably I'd end up with too many lumps of Corn Meal and/or I'd burn the milk on the bototm of the pot. But after a lengthy period of trial and error, Jamaica Girl eventually showed me a nice little trick that allowed me to get all the Corn Meal smoothed out before adding it to the Milk and spices warming on the stove. She was coy when she came up off that little piece of information - half smiling and half frowning as if to posit wheter I was worth it...a complex message wrapped up inside all her cautious hesitation as if to say she was handing over a cherished family secret and I'd better respect it as such. "Naa problem dat", I thought (inside my head only), for while I can understand the lyrical rhythm of her Patois-based Lingua Franca, I have yet to master its authentic sound, and prefer not to come off sounding like a corny excerpt from The Mighty Quinn. Besides, I don't mind telling you I felt the same way when she asked for my Mother's Pound Cake recipe, so as far as I'm concerned, we're even.
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The three youngest members of our Tribe - consistent with the multi-cultural threads that define them, have always been equal opportunity consumers. But over the years, I've gradually detected slight preferences in their choices. Our daughter leans more towards the Grits, while the Boys will lobby for Porridge every single time. Usually, I'm in such a rush that the Grits win out more often than not; but on those occassions when I do take the time to get out all the lumps and keep the Milk from burning, the result is not half bad - even if it's not as good as Jamaica Nanna's - which is what my eldest son once told me after sampling a batch that I'd prepared. But his comment didn't offend me; in fact, I actually took it as a compliment that he would even think to make the comparison in the first place.
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The three youngest members of our Tribe - consistent with the multi-cultural threads that define them, have always been equal opportunity consumers. But over the years, I've gradually detected slight preferences in their choices. Our daughter leans more towards the Grits, while the Boys will lobby for Porridge every single time. Usually, I'm in such a rush that the Grits win out more often than not; but on those occassions when I do take the time to get out all the lumps and keep the Milk from burning, the result is not half bad - even if it's not as good as Jamaica Nanna's - which is what my eldest son once told me after sampling a batch that I'd prepared. But his comment didn't offend me; in fact, I actually took it as a compliment that he would even think to make the comparison in the first place.
&
Besides, when he got up from the table, there was nothing left in his bowl...
