You just don't know.
You haven't experienced good Southern grits.
You don't know WHY
grits are grits, the pioneering history behind grits.
One of the best impromptu speeches I ever gave in my military career was a 5 minute speech in Leadership School at Keesler AFB about grits, and I had one minute to gather my thoughts together, between bring told in front of the class what the subject of my speech would be and starting the speech.
When it was over in front of a class of about 45 students, I got a standing ovation.
First of all, instant grits are horrible.
No self-respecting Southerner will buy instant or quick grits.Z
We want
stone ground original grits.
We want good tasting clean water, with no bleach taste, or city water taste.
We want a very good salt like whole sea salt.
Now your water needs are about 5 to 1, so put 5 times the amount of water to one part grits.
First, bring the water to a rolling boil BEFORE you put in your butter and then melt your butter into the water BEFORE you put in your grits.
Once you put in your grits, put in about a heaping teaspoon of salt, and stir while bringing back to a boil.
Stand over it and constantly stir it, and after it boils for a minute or two, turn it down to a simmer, and keep stirring.
It normally takes me about ten minutes to cook grits to the consistency I like, a little thick but still has some flow to them.
Don't stop stirring until you take them off the stove. Now, add more butter and taste them, and add salt to taste.
If they get too runny, just put them back on the stove and add low heat and stir until you get them the consistency you like.
Take them off the stove and add whatever you like, i.e. cheese, tomato gravy, eggs, etc ...
Now serve with fresh homemade biscuits and butter.
Enjoy!
And remember, EAT THEM GRITS !!!