Anyway, I shouldn't keep you for too long. Just wanted to share some links with you.
Firstly, I have been chatting with Jennifer Rogers Spinola about her new book that just came out; Til Grits Do Us Part. I have not read it yet, but am hoping to soon. Have you read her first two books Southern Fried Sushi (review) and Like Sweet Potato Pie (review)? If not, why not? They're fabulous!
I promised her that I would recommend everyone to read her stories, so here's my shout out! READ THEM! Seriously, they're funny and sweet and will give you a great insight to the wonderful southernisms that exist in places like Virginia or North Carolina. To help you along, here are links to amazon:
Jennifer and I have been amusing ourselves remembering all the weird things our parents would eat. For example, did you know there is such a thing as livermush? Really! Check out this site and see for yourself. Doesn't it just sound scrumptious? *sarcasm* I told her it sounded as bad as pon haus or scrapple (look it up here), which my parents love. There used to be only one store they could go and buy this stuff, and when I asked mom about it recently she stated that they couldn't get it anymore. She was pretty sad about it, but frankly it doesn't bother me at all. I'm pretty sure I tried it when I was younger (most likely my mother told me I "had" to), but I did not like it and have never been tempted to try it again. Anything described as "a semi-solid congealed loaf" holds no appeal to my taste buds whatsoever.
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Should I confess that I'm not really a fan of grits either? I know, I know. How can I call myself a southern girl and not like grits? Just terrible! But if you don't like something, there's not much you can do to change that fact. And really, I'm perfectly okay with it. :) There's one other main dish that I don't care for and that's country ham. Not regular ham, country ham. It is really, really, really, really, really salty. (That's not an exaggeration at all! Honest.) My entire family loves that stuff and I am the single oddball that refuses to eat it. But trust me when I say that it is incredibly salty.
I know it sounds like I don't like anything, but I do! I love fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, peanuts, Dr. Pepper. Lots of things! :)
So basically this was just a post to see if I could gross you out with what southerners eat. (At least some southerners, anyway.) And please check out Jennifer's books. They really are a lot of fun. :)
Do you have a favorite dish that I might not have heard of? Tell me all about it!
(Btw, isn't my new friend cute? She was drawn by an artist I know at my request and I think she did an awesome job! I plan to keep her (the kangaroo) (and my artist friend too for that matter) around a while. Perhaps I should name her? Got any suggestions?)
Hi, Kara! This was perfect reading for a sleepless night! :D And I've met lots of Southerners who don't care for grits - don't feel bad! :) The trick is this: you have to really load them up with all kinds of artery-clogging stuff to make them taste good. Like... salt, butter, and (my favorite) cheddar cheese. Yum! THEN they taste amazing. I actually loved the country ham back in VA, but then again, my husband always tells me I tolerate salt better than he does. It may be my low blood pressure that "blesses" me with such a "salt tooth" (is there such a thing?) - or perhaps it's just from my years of ham, grits, pork rinds, and canned Vienna sausages (another Southern delicacy). Yum! Now I feel like breaking out the bacon and making a big, fat BLT with a Virginia-grown garden-fresh tomato... :)
ReplyDeleteLove your site, Kara! Thanks for letting me "invade" it with weird Southern foods! :)
Hmmm, cheddar cheese huh? I haven't tried them that way yet. Maybe I'd like it. And I think either you have a salt tooth or you don't. :) I think I'm more in the camp that doesn't because I don't add much salt to anything. That's the problem with talking about food, I make myself hungry every single time! :) Thanks for stopping by Jenny! You are welcome to invade it anytime you like. :D
DeleteHi Kara! That's ok, you're allowed to have dislikes! I'm from an Italian background and guess what? I'm not a fan of pizza or veal or lasagna or even really pasta. I'm practically vegetarian. My family says I'm picky and don't eat enough, but I say they eat gross stuff lol Love your kangaroo.
ReplyDeleteHi Giulia! That's definitely reassuring. I'm glad I'm not alone in rebelling against the "right" foods. haha! :)
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ReplyDeleteI refuse to eat classics of mexican cuisine all the time. LOL so I understand.
And I love the kangaroo :D
At least we know we're not alone right? Even if our families think we're crazy? More power to the picky eaters! :)
DeleteHow about KiKi the Kangaroo. Have no idea why, but that name immediately popped into my head. :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, Kiki. That's a great one. I'd like one that will be unique, and that's not a name you hear too often. Thanks! :)
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