Acetio | Blogma

I took a walk through the local cemetery (the Vanderbilt plot has a lovely view) and on the other side was a Kroger's grocery. Some people here seem to have opinions about which is better, Kroger or Publix (northern chains don't exist here) but they seem pretty much the same. You can sell wine in grocery stores in Georgia, which is a big improvement over New York or Delaware.

Something I had never seen up north was this:

What surprised me first was that the Quaker Oats man had branched out into other grains. What surprised me second was that you could have bacon or ham (there was a ham one) in a food product that's packaged only in paper and cardboard - no plastic or metal.

Naturally, I got it and tried the bacon one first. It wasn't bad - essentially salty cream of wheat. There was nothing particularly corn-tasting about it. The mild flavor of grits is perfect for breakfast.

Soon after I had moved to New York City, more than 10 years ago, I was sitting at a booth in a diner near Penn Station when a tall guy in jeans and a cowboy hat took a seat at the counter. He ordered grits and the lady wrote it down and brought them out a few minutes later in a bowl. The guy didn't touch them and said, "Grits don't come in a bowl. Grits comes on a plate." The lady looked at him for a second or two then took them away into the kitchen. And several minutes later came out with a plate. The guy took one bite, then put down his fork. Put some money on the counter and left.

I admired the man's perfectionism in his quest for an excellent example of a favored food, but I laughed at the Quixotic effort to get grits in Manhattan. It's similar to my initial frustration to get a decent bagel or pizza here. It's not worth it - there's plenty of other good things to eat and enjoy. Mangoes for instance.