a grit out of water

Grits and polenta are not the same thing. Yes, they both are made from corn, but they use different parts of the kernel and are ground differently.

That having been said, I’m having quite the frustrating adventure trying to find real grits here in Portland, Oregon.

A friend is having a potluck dinner on Thursday night. There’s been a lot of discussion lately about shrimp and grits — a traditional Southern favorite — so I figured I’d make a big pot for my friends. Assuming I can find actual grits in the Pacific Northwest.

It turns out I can use quick grits — not the same as instant grits, mind you — in place of slow-cooked grits, if need be. But last night’s visit to my local Safeway proved that even that might be problematic.

They used to carry at least the quick grits, but those are long gone. Nestled amongst six varieties of cream of wheat and about thirty different kinds of oatmeal sat the lone grits option: instant. I searched the breakfast food aisle and the cooking and baking area, to no avail. I stopped a store employee and asked for help.

She had no idea what I was talking about. I had to spell the word G-R-I-T-S for her (and no, my accent isn’t nearly that strong). She said, “Oh, so like oatmeal?” I tried to explain the difference between oatmeal and grits — yes, you might find both on the breakfast table, and they’re typically shelved together, but they’re not remotely the same thing — but I could see it wasn’t registering. This lady took me over to another employee for help.

The second woman nodded when I said I was looking for grits, then asked me, “Do you me the frozen kind?”

Frozen grits? I don’t even want to know.

I tried explaining that grits are coarsely ground corn, but she cut me off and said the grits would be on aisle 12.

Aisle 12 turned out to be full of popcorn, nuts, potato chips, and snack crackers. Nary a grit in sight.

I finally took a chance on the “natural foods” section, where I found a bag labeled “Corn Grits, also called Polenta.” I growled in my throat and shook my head. Not the same! Not the same! While turning the bag over in my hands, a young man in a Safeway apron stopped to ask if I needed any help.

“I’m looking for real grits, not the instant kind,” I sighed. “But no one has any idea what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah, most people just end up using polenta. Grits are hard to find out this way.” Although he had no assistance to render, just the fact that he knew what the heck grits are was enough to lift my spirits.

So I bought the bag of Corn Grits/Polenta. I’ll pick up the shrimp and other ingredients on Thursday and see what happens.

Later last night, I related the day’s disappointing events over the phone to Mike, who spent a number of years in the South. When I got to the part about grits and polenta being packaged as a single entity, he interrupted with, “Oh, come on. They’re not even close to the same thing!”

That validation meant a lot to this Southern Grits Girl. This guy might be a keeper — assuming he doesn’t choke on my Shrimp and Polenta.