QOTD

[geekchick]

Other foods we like to taunt you with: Grits, collard greens, unsweetened corn bread, fried chicken livers. If a Southerner serves you all of those items with a bowl of boiled okra on the table as well, they are testing you. If they add pickled pigs feet or chitlins, they are trying to get rid of you. No sane person really likes chitlins, no matter what they say.
        -elorie, on okra as a litmus test

I freely confess to failing that test, since I don't eat liver or any other organ meat and the slimy texture of boiled okra is incredibly off-putting. The less said about chitlins, the better. *queasy*

I grew up in Mississippi, but my mom was from Long Island and so my exposure to real Southern food was mostly limited to trips down to Rolling Fork to  visit my mamaw and papaw.   I'm pretty sure that I was well into my 20s before I realized that some people put sugar in corn bread.  Sugar (well, simple syrup) goes in iced tea, not corn bread. 

Comments

[nixieq.livejournal.com]

boiling okra is like... well, something stupid and nigh-unto sacreligious. fried okra is the ONLY way to go. it alleviates the sliminess and it is EXTREMELY yummy.

[mrph.livejournal.com]

There goes my sanity, then - I had a lovely starter of chitterlings and radishes at St. John a while back.

Then again, possibly they cook 'em differently over here. And I'm definitely in agreement with you on the okra...

[chadu.livejournal.com]

I love collard greens and fried chicken livers. Grits are okay. I admit to preferring sweetened corn bread. Okra is fine: prefer it fried, but boiled will do. Pickled pig's feet are doable. Chitlins, I've never had, but am game.

And I am a damnyankee. SRSLY. Born in CT.

CU

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Breaded and fried okra, now... that's good. Or in gumbo. OTOH, I'm not fond of organ meats either...