Hmmm....No self-respecting Israelite uses instant grits.

Yeah, I'm ok with that. :)

And they're even mixing them with oil (which I shall hereby consider to be an early form of butter). Add a dash of salt and we see that, yes indeedy, they were onto something.

Even the ancients knew it. Grits are the best!

Eric, first off, thanks for the tribute to Sherrod, who - long after the Dallas Times Herald (later, the Dallas Morning News) stopped dropping on my doorstep, continued to be a favorite writer of mine.

Next, re: "while we might be able to conquer space and perform all kinds of technological 'miracles,' the human mind, psyche and heart are still as mysterious and unpredictable as ever."

I think that's why, of the 'ABC' of science fiction writers, I always placed Bradbury a notch above Asimnov and Clarke. Bradbury's characters demonstrated - to great dramatic effect - exactly what you've just stated here.

Grits are made from corn, which wasn't discovered by Jews or Christians till 1492 or thereabouts. So no grits! I hate grits!

I actually have a fear of grits, and managed 4 years at Vanderbilt (AND got a degree too) while never once eating grits. Or okra. Okra is very spooky when cooked.

Hey, don't look at me like that! YOU put me on your blogroll! ;) ;)

Patti, you're right that the grits we know (and love...some of us, anyway) are made of corn, but the word is actually a generic reference to any kind of coarsely ground grain. I still think it was an odd choice for that particular translation of Leviticus.

Hey, don't look at me like that! YOU put me on your blogroll!

The Gazette's blogroll does not discriminate on the basis of gustatory predilections. (I did have okra for dinner just last night) ;-)

Jeff, Blackie's column in the DMN was one of the more pleasurable aspects of living in Dallas. And I agree that even the best "hard sci-fi" is made better when the human condition is factored in.

Jim, I'll let you and Patti work this out amongst yourselves. It sounds like Beth is already in your corner.

I actually have a fear of grits, and managed 4 years at Vanderbilt (AND got a degree too) while never once eating grits.

Now that's just sick. And people say the Astro-nut (Lust in Space, Dark Side of the Loon, Space Cadet, et al) is crazy? Y'all had your water checked up there in... O-High-O?

Or okra. Okra is very spooky when cooked.

True, that. Never understood the need to spoil perfectly good gumbo with it.

:-)

Bret: we can't help it if Cincinnati is downstream from Pittsburgh :(

I was trying to figure out how I could get a reference in here about "the two yoots" but really just couldn't pull it off gracefully...

Not so much a fan o' the grit, though. I'm more of an oats-man, myself. Prolly could be blamed on me Irish heritage.

Hi, Eric, First time "Auntie Margaret" has commented, but Abbye's eye tests bring back so many memories of what Chrissy, and more recently Chauncey, experienced. Just as Chrissy recovered from her successful double cataract surgery the uveitis hit; her surgeon said all dogs have uveitis in their systems (maybe humans do also) but it normally stays dormant unless there's some trauma to the eye(s). Unfortunately, the medication for the uveitis was exactly the opposite of her diabetes treatment, so they "half-medicated" each condition which allowed her to see fairly well. After Chauncey's cataract surgery and, later, corneal ulcer surgery, (no diabetes) he had more tear production tests and pressure checks than I care to remember. He was great about it, waiting for the treats that followed, so the only damage was to my wallet which I didn't mind, and he lived an active and happy life. The last five plus months without him have been the pits, but getting a bit better. Hug Abbye for me.

Hi Eric! My father planted but one vegetable in his garden: Okra. He said friends and neighbors would give you all the tomatoes and zucchini you could stomach, but fresh-cut okra was a rarity. I learned to fry okra before I was a teenager, but I didn't learn how to steam the whole pods tender-crisp until I was grown. But why in the world would anyone steam okra when you can roll in it fine corn meal and FRY IT! :)

Rob, quotes from MCV don't need a context; like grits (or oatmeal), they're always welcomed around here!

Margaret, thanks for finally de-lurking. ;-) I should have guessed that you probably went down this same road with Chrissy and Chauncey. It's fortunate for us that most dogs are so patient with these tests -- and about most things in life, for that matter. There's probably a human lesson in there, somewhere. Consider Abbye hugged (although she's not all that fond of hugs, you know; maybe I'll just give her another puppy biscuit).

Deborah, zucchini is the one vegetable I can do without. But you're right about fried okra. The problem is that most places bread it instead of going the corn meal route (the latter treatment being how my mom cooked it when I was growing up). This is one area where my wife and I don't see eye-to-eye. She's a zuke fan but doesn't care for okra. Normally, I'd say that's just more for me, but our compromise is that we have neither when we eat at home.

Pickled okra. Yummmmmmmm. Seriously, y'all should try it if you haven't already.

Fried is good too.

Any other preparation? Eh, not so much.

But just for the record, the laws of physics do NOT apply to my stove.

Pickled okra. Yummmmmmmm.

Oooh...good point, Beth. That's one of my favorite salad-bar ingredients. Throw in a few sliced jalapeños and suddenly that salad start making sense.

I'm not sure which law of physics you're referring to...is it the one that says that a body at rest tends to remain at rest? ;-)