Keeping it simple... keeping it real

Hello Friends!

Today, I'm going to write with my 'Southern' hat on.  I experienced something this weekend when we were dining in Newport that I can't shake.  So naturally, I need to write about it to get it out of my head and into yours.

To begin, I need to make a few sweeping general statements:
1) We live in the United States (by 'we' I mean me and most of you)
2) I come from the Gulf Coast of Florida, raised by fine Southern folk, so I know thing or two about what's going to be shared.
3)  I am not impressed by restaurants or people who attempt to fancify (is that a word?) southern cooking into something it isn't. 

So let's get to it... Shrimp and Grits are THE SAME THING as Prawns and Polenta.  I'm not talking about dishes, I'm talking about actual little shrimps and actual corn grits.  We do not live in Australia or Spain, and unless a restaurant or cuisine is specifically themed so, I feel that the more commonly used words here in the old U. S. of A are shrimp and grits.

I did a simple Google Images search and got the following:

GRITS

POLENTA

SHRIMP

PRAWNS

I'd love to know if you can spot any noticeable differences in the above pictures that would help you determine one from the other.  I'm guessing NO.

Now for my Low Country friends, you know a thing or two about a proper bowl of Shrimp n' Grits... this just isn't two random ingredients thrown together hap hazzardly.  This is an amazing combination of flavors and texture that comes together as an explosion of goodness in your mouth.  It's also a very commonly understood phrase in the South.  You'll see Shrimp n' Grits on many a menu or in many a Mema's or Nana's kitchen.  This dish is a staple for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

That said, I feel that in other regions of the country, folks try to turn this low country (if you don't know what low country means, click here) favorite into some high class, over priced, fine-dining entree by calling the shrimp "Prawns" and the grits "Polenta".  Now I know that in Spain, it's really called polenta and that there is actually a slight difference in the particular corn grain used between grits and polenta.  BUT- these names shouldn't be swapped out just to sound more sophisticated or worldly.

You can imagine my dismay when I sat at a restaurant in Newport this weekend, one we LOVE and visit often, and as I scanned the menu I saw "Shrimp and Polenta."  What the... seriously?  Don't try to church it up by substituting polenta for grits.  If you want to try your hand at a southern dish... you darn well better keep the Southern in it!

OK. I feel better now. I have a feeling that some proper shrimp n' grits will be happening in my home in the very near future.

Yours in southern pride,
Whitney