How to Get Northerners to Stop Eating Undercooked Vegetables and Putting Jelly on Cornbread?

[SherryT]

I think it depends on where you were raised and the traditions and culture of your surroundings. Taste is subjective and what’s wonderful for one person may be disgusting to another. I grew up in New England to Portuguese immigrants. I remember friends coming over as a kid and being shocked that my mother was serving either octopus or say blood pudding. I moved to NC about 8 years ago and some of the food here isn’t my thing like vinegar bbq or say hush puppies.

Oh I agree completely!

The Great Cornbread Divide...mostly sweet up north, mostly savory in the south...now add to that whether it should be made with white cornmeal or yellow cornmeal and you can quickly find yourself in a lively debate!

His "tone" was what had me laughing!

Culture and tradition DO play a huge role in what foods we like and can be VERY location-specific. Example, until "the internet", I'd never met ANYONE that wasn't from the southern border of TN going east and up into parts of Appalachia that had even HEARD of "biscuits and chocolate gravy", but it was basically a staple where I'm from.

Another example is grits! White or yellow? Sweet or savory? Instant or regular? In my HUMBLE opinion, nothing sweet should EVER come in contact with a perfectly-good bowl of slow-cooked, coarse stone-ground grits.

And don't even get me started on "fish & grits" or "shrimp & grits"! Heresy...pure, unadulterated heresy (in my humble opinion!), but it's a common, very popular dish in southern coastal regions. I'd never even HEARD of such a thing until I was in my early 40s and I'm only about 200 - 250-ish miles inland from the Gulf/Atlantic.

And then there's pizza...

 

[halleoneagain]

"biscuits and chocolate gravy"

I've never had biscuits and gravy of any sort (Northerner) although I swear I'm going to someday. Chocolate gravy, is that really chocolate, or just how it looks?

PS: slow-cooked, stone ground yellow grits for me, but I call it polenta.

 

[TNJAKE]

I've never had biscuits and gravy of any sort (Northerner) although I swear I'm going to someday. Chocolate gravy, is that really chocolate, or just how it looks?

PS: slow-cooked, stone ground yellow grits for me, but I call it polenta.

Grew up on chocolate gravy and biscuits. Wife still makes it. It's actually thinned out chocolate

 

[SherryT]

I've never had biscuits and gravy of any sort (Northerner) although I swear I'm going to someday. Chocolate gravy, is that really chocolate, or just how it looks?

PS: slow-cooked, stone ground yellow grits for me, but I call it polenta.

It's made with Hershey's cocoa (regular, not dark or dutch-process), sugar (not much...just enough to knock off the bitterness of the cocoa), salt, butter, a little AP flour to thicken, and milk (not H&H or cream).

Most of the recipes I see online are WAY too sweet (it's not pudding) or WAY too thick (it's not pudding) or WAY too "rich" due to using H&H or cream (again, not pudding).

It's a somewhat thin, SLIGHTLY sweet gravy and is served hot over hot biscuits. Once it cools, you can toss it (doesn't re-heat well in my opinion), so you generally make only as much as you think you need for that meal.

Which brings us right back to the regional-thing...let's call it "micro-regional".

 

[halleoneagain]

I think I'll pass on the chocolate gravy thing, at least until I've tried just plain biscuits and gravy. I first heard of biscuits with gravy from a dear friend who grew up in the South (can't remember where just now, but as soon as I post this, I'll remember). In reference to the North vs the South, she always said "we aren't done yet"!

 

[Count Porcula]

Sicilian pizza is Godzilla. Thin pizza is Japan.

 

[normanaj]

The idea that one regions' version of a particular recipe is the right or better way of doing it is subjective at best.

Here in RI we make/eat jonny cakes which is a cornmeal based "cake".I've had them down south sometimes called hoe cakes but they're really nothing more than a different stye that resembles a basic pancake more than an actual jonny cake.

The funny thing is jonny cakes/cornbread originated up north in the New England area.Every region of the world adapts recipes from another region and make them they're own because of local tastes,available ingredients etc.

 

[Buttah Butts]

The idea that one regions' version of a particular recipe is the right or better way of doing it is subjective at best.

Here in RI we make/eat jonny cakes which is a cornmeal based "cake".I've had them down south sometimes called hoe cakes but they're really nothing more than a different stye that resembles a basic pancake more than an actual jonny cake.

The funny thing is jonny cakes/cornbread originated up north in the New England area.Every region of the world adapts recipes from another region and make them they're own because of local tastes,available ingredients etc.

Johnny cakes and Coney Island wieners are usually some of the first things I get when I go back home to RI along with coffee milk, chow mein, fish n chips, chourico I could go on and on. I really do live in a culinary desert here in NC. I sure do miss food back home in RI

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Oh man. Biscuits and sausage gravy is the BOMB. Chocolate gravy is right next to it. Man I love that stuff. I made chocolate gravy for my friends a while back, and they kinda turned up their nose when I was making it. I don't think I've ever stirred so much in my life. They tried it, and fell in love. Another quick and easy cornbread alternative is Jiffy Muffins. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll grab a can of Pinto Beans, and whip up some Jiffy Muffins. Yum!