Grits

My first thoughts of the day are usually about grits. Specifically, Corned beef hash and grits. Actually, this morning it was, “I can see it raining fire in the sky, the echoes from the campfire are softer than a lullaby” as it drummed through my mind.  Swiftly, thoughts of breakfast set up shop with images of bits of mystery meat and potatoes. I may fight the compelshion to eat for several hours only to succumb to the sucking sound of grits and hash.   You can buy regular grits, instant grits or quick grits. I cannot see much difference between quick or regular grits. They both need boiling water, salt and time.

I found this concoction of corned beef hash and grits about a year ago. You can find true love in the strangest places. I now keep my eyes peeled for corned beef hash. Grits are as easy as getting a date in Singapore but the hash is the mystery meat “thing”. The obsession of love transcends logic. I used to talk fondly of fried catfish and grits.  Comparative equals are on a short list.  Fried Catfish is mostly fried stuff with a little bit of farm raised bland fish. In fact, the fried part is mostly cornmeal. There is very little difference between cornmeal and grits so you are getting fried grits and boiled grits with some waste fish. It is good, capable of infatuation but not true love. It does not have a soul or Potassium Nitrate.  (One should not drink anitfreeze after eating corned-beef, you may explode.) 

The John Denver PBS show featured interviews with the love of his life, Annie who was with him while he saw the fire in the sky. Anyway, I do think they had grits that morning while he ignored her and wrote the love song about his love for her. Maybe if he would have said "screw you!” to the songwriting a little more often and “screw you?” to Annie a little more often they would not have gotten divorced. They probably talked of love over cheese grits.  Corned beef hash and grits could be the culinary love of the rest of my life. The exploration of its complexities and textures will take a lifetime. The quality of the corned beef and the potatoes need to be investigated. I need to learn the art of creating the hash. Grits and Corned beef hash is a perfect match of North and South. Grits are smooth like a southern girl's coo. Corned beef hash is blue blood, north of the Mason-Dixon abruptly arrogant and male. Together they battle lovingly like staged drills of a high school band. All those female and male hormones raging yet controlled to create a much finer presentation.

While taking a class in college, one of the questions on the multiple choice test was “What is the main ingredient in grits” 1: wheat b: corn C: rice 5: barley. This was a bird class that I never even bought the course recommended book for review. I picked C: rice even though I had been eating grits for twenty years.  Rice is white and well, you can see how things went at UCF.  I desire grits but I love Corned Beef Hash and Grits. Besides, if I eat a huge volume of rice I have trouble peeing. I am glad grits are made of corn.