Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Finding Culinary Common Ground; or, My Kids Hate Grits

As I wrote the other day, I'm trying to cut back on some of the fattier, greasier foods I've so long enjoyed. Southern cuisine is not always the healthiest, but it's what I love.

I want my kids to learn to love it, too. This morning my youngest daughter, Trinity, volunteered to try grits. She didn't take to them, but I think that's because I prepared them a tad too soupy and without enough butter. This is the same daughter who liked sweet tea as a baby – her great-Aunt Marie would dip Trinity's pacifier in it – but she no longer drinks it.

Only one of my children likes sweet tea – my 3-year-old son, Drew. Loves it. And we have it quite often because my wife makes it. She'd never had sweet tea until we got married, and now she has to have it more than I do.

For the most part, though, my kids aren't big on Southern cooking. They don't appreciate black-eyed peas, or unsweet cornbread, or sweet potato casserole. Now, my wife is a great cook, but she didn't grow up on my kind of food, so our suppers are more a mixed bag (she has learned to make a few of my favorites, like the sweet potato casserole). My kids tend to be choosy of her menu, too, because they're a bit spoiled. Curse McDonald's!

So much of today's food is over-processed and, well, fake. Take Pop-Tarts. Can't stand them. Refined sugar oughta be illegal. I'd rather my kids eat a pound of grits than that junk.

Today's Redneck Thought: "Anybody who puts sugar in the cornbread is a heathen who doesn't love the Lord, not to mention Southeastern Conference football." – Lewis Grizzard

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I also love good Southern cooking. I am not sure how that happened because my mother is not from the South. Peas and cornbread are two of my favorite foods. I do have to admit, though, that I hate grits. I know that is not a very Southern thing to say, but it's true. My son won't touch cornbread, black-eyed peas, or sweet tea. I am not sure where he came from. My daughter loves all of those things. Interesting how children differ.

Mark Lowry also has a quote about sugar in the cornbread. It is quite funny. I hope you have heard it. If not, I will find the exact quote for you and post it later.

Brad Locke said...

I don't know that I've heard the Mark Lowry quote. He's a funny dude. Saw him here in Tupelo once.

Unknown said...

I can not find the exact quote now that I said that I would. I do know that it is on his video "Remotely Controlled." It was about Southern cooking. Mark Lowry said something to the effect of "Who put the sugar in the cornbread? The sugar goes in the tea." It is a hilarious video. I would love to see him in person. I don't think that I ever have.