Its been 2 generations since my family left the south, so I need a refresher course in southern living, so I don't embarrass myself.
What are Hush Puppies, and what meal do you eat them with?
What do you put on Grits?
Hush puppies are kinda like cornbread rolled into balls and deep fried. As far as grits...butter or honey or molasses.
Hush puppies are a fried cornmeal batter usually served with fish (the fishy flavor in the grease adds to it) and was named hush puppy as frying a little bit of fish batter to keep the dog quiet and not begging. Don’t know how accurate the name is, but that’s what a hushpuppy is.
What to put on grits depends on where you live. In Alabama, sugar is pretty popular on grits. Where I’m from though, it’s cheese and eggs with crumbled up bacon or just plain butter and salt.
And we take transplants down here. Come on down!
On the grits, cheddar cheese, lots of it, and they are the best.
The difference between the North and the South - at last, clearly
explained....
The North has Bloomingdale’s , the South has Dollar General .
The North has coffee houses, the South has Waffle Houses ..
The North has dating services, the South has family reunions.
The North has switchblade knives; the South has .45’s
The North has double last names; the South has double first names.
The North has Indy car races; The South has stock car races .
North has Cream of Wheat , the South has grits.
The North has green salads, the South has collard greens .
The North has lobsters, the South has crawfish .
The North has the rust belt; the South has the Bible Belt ..
FOR NORTHERNERS MOVING SOUTH . .. ....
In the South : —If you run your car into a ditch, don’t panic. Four men
in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly.
Don’t try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live
for.
Don’t be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store... Do
not buy food at this store.
Remember, ‘Y’all’ is singular, ‘all y’all’ is plural, and ‘all y’all’s’ is
plural possessive
Get used to hearing ‘You ain’t from round here, are ya?’
Save all manner of bacon grease. You will be instructed later on how to
use it.
Don’t be worried at not understanding what people are saying. They can’t
understand you either.. The first Southern statement to creep into a
transplanted Northerner’s vocabulary is the adjective ‘big’ol,’ truck or
‘big’ol’ boy. Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced dialect
this way. All of them are in denial about it.
The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper .
Be advised that ‘He needed killin..’ is a valid defense here.
If you hear a Southerner exclaim, ‘Hey, y’all watch this,’ you should stay
out of the way. These are likely to be the last words he’ll ever say.
If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest
accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery
store.. It doesn’t matter whether you need anything or not. You just have
to go there.
Do not be surprised to find that 10-year olds own their own shotguns, they
are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.
In the South, we have found that the best way to grow a lush green lawn is
to pour gravel on it and call it a driveway.
AND REMEMBER: If you do settle in the South and bear children, don’t think
we will accept them as Southerners.. After all, if the cat had kittens in
the oven, we ain’t gonna call ‘em biscuits.
Hush Puppies are eaten with fish and seafood. Can also be refrigerated and zapped in a microwave and dipped in a mixture of ketchup and horseradish.
Also used as a silencer for yapping dogs, thus the name.
What do you put on Grits?
Butter. Not oleo. Not margarine. Not "I can't Believe It's Not Butter."
Pure Butter.
However, the very best thing to put on grits is Red-eye gravy which is made from country fried ham.
If you are moving to the Low Country, when in a restaurant, check to see if they have shrimp and grits on the menu. If so, you have found heaven. Come back for supper and have their jamabalaya.