I am responding to Robert Wolke's misguided article on hominy grits in the Jan. 27 Food section. Being from Louisiana, I don't share his opinion on the taste of grits and am taken aback that he would call those who do share my opinion "people without taste buds." When was the last time Wolke enjoyed a brunch in the Crescent City? Some people may not understand how to eat grits. Grits are fork food and should not be served in a bowl. They should not consume 90 percent of your plate, and you should not have to eat them with a spoon or finish them by sopping up the remnants with a stale piece of toast. Another point missed by Wolke is the origin of hominy. Hominy was first harvested by Native Americans in the South. Corn was dried, boiled, and rinsed so the hominy could be used as a staple or ground into "flour" or grits. Grits served with fried eggs, O.J., coffee (cafe au lait if you use a New Orleans blend), Mimosas or Bloody Marys for a brunch, as we say in south Louisiana: "mais-oui, you'll bring da house down fo' sho!" The thing that baffles me most about this article is that in Pennsylvania (Wolke's state of residence) the only ethnic food I recollect is Quaker cuisine, which has absolutely no seasoning in it at all. Not even salt. But then I guess that's why there are Quaker restaurants popping up here in the South, where we have no taste buds. -- Burke Lee, Alexandria Wolke truly did show "Yankee bias" in that article--and unfairly, I might add. Also, please remember that although Washington is the seat of our government, and a very cosmopolitan city, it is also, in some aspects, quite southern. I live in Virginia, consider The Washington Post my newspaper, and definitely consider myself a southerner and love grits. Would Wolke write an article for a newspaper in Scotland and say how disgusting he found haggis? No, no--I don't think he would. People from the north just don't understand grits--perhaps it's the name. Anyway, prepared properly, grits can stand in for polenta in almost any recipe. I make a great dish with Italian sausage, peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic--all on a bed of grits--and it is delicious. My mother-in-law used to make cheese grits for our four children when they were little and very picky about eating breakfast--just grits with added grated Cheddar cheese--and then she would cut their initials out of cheese and place them on top. They always ate them right up. The adults added Tabasco and loved them, too. The restaurant Vidalia in Washington serves shrimp with grits and it is one of their most popular items--just ask them! A grits souffle served with Virginia ham for a buffet dinner is just right--and great for a crowd. So please don't say such terrible things about grits. Go to Vidalia and try some with shrimp--and eat your words. -- Vicki Wadlow, The Plains, Va.
