No, this isn't a plug for my (non-existent) Aunt Mary. It's a funky eaterie on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. And I wasn't exercising my new US Passport in traveling over the Bay Bridge for lunch. I met a group of friends who had flown into Oakland and were on their way to Calistoga for a weekend of wine-fueled frolics.
Which led us all to Aunt Mary's Cafe. The menu was Southern-centric, with plenty of spicy grits, grains, and griddled dishes. The ambiance was suited to the comfort food on the menu - therefore avoiding any luxury touches or pretensions. The group of old, not-so-old, and downright new friends was great to meet, and well worth the miniscule journey. After all, they had flown four and a half hours while I had driven for barely thirty minutes.
I'm not a fan of particularly spicy food - unlike Woody, who splashes hot sauce on her chili dishes - nor grits - there must be better ways to serve up what is essentially porridge.
A quick perusal of Wikipedia told me that "Modern grits are commonly made of alkali-treated corn known as hominy" and "Grits are similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world such as polenta or the thinner farina". Reading on, I found "The word 'grits' derives from the Old English word 'grytt' meaning coarse meal. This word originally referred to wheat and other porridges now known as 'groats' in parts of the UK, maize being unknown in Europe in the Middle Ages".
Of course, I wish I'd known all of this while eating there, as I would have had another way of boring everyone with my "you've stolen your language from us English / Scottish / Welsh / Irish, and bastardized it en route". A line that is neither wholly true nor particularly relevant. But hey, I'm full of that kind of line.
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