Hi Karen! Cream of Wheat is a hot cereal, kind of thick, with a fine granular texture, and is off-white in color. It's kind of like grits which is made of corn. But, it's made of...well...wheat. I'm not sure if grits is/are grits and Cream of Wheat is farina or if grits is/are farina. (Is there such thing as a grit? Is grits a plural of grit or is it just grits?--someone from The South in the US could answer that one.) I do know Farina was a character in "Lil' Rascals". Sorry, I've not slept...

I'm so glad John was booted...well, not glad. But, it's nice to know I didn't scare him away.

Born and raised in the Capital of the Confederacy. Grits and that's not plural for grit, it's just Grits, are made from ground up corn and boiled with water and salt. Not too runny, not too thick and usually served with breakfast topped with butter but my Mom used to let us put sugar on top which, then to me, they tasted more like Oat Meal with a slight crunch. A true Southern restaurant will serve you Grits with breakfast without you ordering it and you immediately bond with the owner as if you are related. Well maybe you are?

Karen - Cream of Wheat also comes in chocolate (at least during my "cream of wheat days"). Really good with a little sugar. As for grits, and as a transplanted southernized yankee, I'm not too keen on the taste. Some people here put sugar on it and others put butter and swirl it around with eggs from what I've observed.
When we first moved here, (having heard about "grits"), my then husband and I went to a restaurant for breakfast. When the waitress came, he said "I'll have one grit". (his wry sense of humor) Needless to say, he did not bond with the waitress - So you really cannot order just one. Sorry.

Thanks David for stating it is "grits are..." and not "grits is..." It was kinda bugging me.

Hmmm ... sounds kind of interesting. Seems it is not just the language that has its idiosyncracies. Your butter is white, and your cheese is orange, and now you tell me you mush corn with milk and butter to make goo!!! What colour are your eggs? Although I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed a "biscuit" even though it wasn't sweet, and certainly would not have gone well had I dunked it in my coffee. And the bacon ... how do you eat that stuff with a fork? Everytime I tried, it broke into little bits or shot off my plate to be pounced on by the neighbourhood cat, clearly used to tourists struggling to work it out. Strange folk, you Americans... Of course the only people in the Universe who would spread heavily salted yeast extract on their toast and call it food are the Australians...

Our butter is usually yellow and we have cheese that is white and we eat bacon with our fingers. The mashed corn, Grits, are mixed with some water and salt and then boiled to the correct consistency. Then we put a little butter on top to melt or we add some sugar to make it a sweeter side dish. Our traditional biscuits are served hot and we add butter and sometimes we pour a milk gravy on them. Our eggs are usually white with a yellow yoke. I think we are very much alike.

i myself like Grits with a pc of Am Cheese melted in and mixed around. Hmmm I think I may have some here at work, but no cheese. How bout Maypo? Anybody try that? got a box in the cupboard Ron's mom brought for him, but he never has eaten it of course...

@Karen: lol! Loved the part about the bacon! Green eggs...and ham. But, only if you are a Dr. Suess fan. Maybe someone from across the pond can explain haggis.

Sometimes I think regional favorites are regional for a reason!

@ Suez: Yes! Maypo! and Malt-o-Meal. What is in that stuff, anyway?!? Maple and farina? Malt and mystery grain? Grits with cheese...that would be good. But then, everything tastes better covered with cheese. IMO.

@ David: Yep! Biscuits and milk gravy, especially after cooking sausage for breakfast or chicken-fried steak (with mashed potatoes and fried okra.) I guess my Southern roots are showing! You're okay in my book!

My mother, always the stickler for table manners, taught me that a fork should be held in the left hand if you are using it to stab your food, and in the right if you are using it to scoop. She also had a rule that the only thing you could pick up with your fingers was food that had flown. So I suppose if you can pick up bacon with your fingers then pigs might fly...

I don't like grits but do cream of wheat and even coco wheats. Both make good add toos. Being raised with 7 siblings, fingers were the main way to get a bite of food. I'm glad I was 2nd oldest and had longer arms. LOL Our fingers were clean tho because we had to lick them before we sat down on the floor. LOL