American Breakfast:
Eggs: fried, scrambled, or poached;
Bacon, sausage, or ham;
Hashbrown potatoes or grits;
Toast or biscuits.
Coffee and orange juice;

Variations:
Pancakes, waffles, french toast.

Never!
Bakes beans, mushrooms, bangers.

BAKED beans!

This American eats cooked tomatoes. They have made an appearance on the ekscrunchy table twice this week, since we are getting great tomatoes from the farmer's markets now.

Wheat grass is fine, once you get over the initial shock, and the fact you will smell like a lawnmower for several days.

Grits are not food, and fall into the same category as gravel, cat litter and tree bark.

Do Americans have sausages? Other than frankfurters, something I haven't seen.

Biscuits? Cookies? Like Hob Nobs or are we talking about something else.

Sorry, could someone tell me what wheat grass is?

Grits IMHO tastes much better than caviar...yuch!

American sausage is ground pork with spices...yummy.

To taste real biscuits you'll have to come to the US...they're nothing like the "cookies" you Brits eat.

waring I assume you have the same feeling for Italian polenta as for grits, because depending on the exact location, they are often identical.

But since you compare them to gravel and kitty litter, I assume you have never eaten grits -- they are NOT crunchy at all!

I have eaten grits -- once. Yuk. They're rather like semolina pudding -- but even more horrible. They're not really like polenta -- the texture is different, and the taste, too, though that may be the cooking method.

I think I tasted grits for the first time in my life at age 28 on a trip to the US. And yet I grew up in Mississippi and moved to France when I was 20. I don't think I have eaten grits a second time, and they are not at all like polenta.

waring:

An American breakfast can be anything you like. I'm an American...my breakfast consists of yogurt, and a slice of toasted rye bread, and tea. If you ask someone else, they may prefer a bowl of oatmeal, or cornflakes. I'm sure a lot of Americans do eat bacon, eggs, hash browns, pancakes, waffles,etc., and cover it all with syrup and whipped cream....but generally speaking, that kind of breakfast usually is had at the weekend, and eaten at Dennys or IHOP. It's called a "Big Slam" or something like that. Looks like enough food to feed 3-4 people. I'm afraid if I ate that all the time, I'd be as big as a house.

Anyone who says that grits are "not at all like polenta" doesn't know what he is talking about. Both are the EXACT same thing. Grits is often a little coarser ground than polenta, but not always and both are the same base of yellow corn meal. Both can be cooked absolutely plain in water or stock, and virtually no one would know the difference in tasting them. Both may be poured into a pan, cooled, and then cut and fried or baked -- again with the end result being identical. Either may be combined with spices, cheeses, onions, and other things and then the differences become more noticeable but only because of the preparation.

Of course, if you've had poorly cooked grits with huge lumps or some that were scorched on the bottom when being cooked, then YEECHHH, you wont' like them. The same is true of poorly cooked polenta. Sadly I think some people are comparing plain grits cooked in water to polenta that has been cooled, cut and then fried or baked with cheese and onions or other things. Duh. Yes. I know which one I'd prefer too. Honestly, I'm not a fan of plain grits or plain polenta -- but yes they both taste alike when cooked the same way.

Here is one brief excerpt from "Ask the Chef". Google "grits vs. polenta and you'll find much more of the same and similar.

>>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>

Q). I have seen several of your recipes featuring polenta. Can I use grits or cornmeal in place of polenta? Is there a major difference? Jason Forbush Via e-mail

A). Polenta, cornmeal and grits are all variations of the same thing: hulled, dried and ground corn kernels. Polenta is a slightly finer grind than cornmeal, but not by much. For most applications, the two are interchangeable.

The grits I have eaten here (I currently reside in Charlotte, NC) are indeed very similar to polenta. Admittingly I'm not a huge grits fan, but I don't care for polenta either. But if they are made correctly they aren't too bad.

My "American" breakfast usually consists of a bowl of whole wheat cereal and a banana or another piece of fruit. Occassionally we will go out for brunch on weekends if we have relatives visiting, and that can often include eggs (I prefer scrambled), sausage (pork sausage, with spices, as mentioned above; can be links or patties), bacon, pancakes, toast, biscuits and gravy and various other things. Basically if you want to know what an "American" breakfast consists of, click here http://www.crackerbarrel.com/menu-tr...cfm?doc_id=889 for the basic idea.

Tracy

jewela, I know what you mean. I see families eating those grand slams and they are usually all overweight. I don't know anyone who could or would eat that way very often.

Everyone I know eats fruit, cereal, yoghurt and maybe an egg white for breakfast.

waring, yes, wheat grass is unusual. In Venice Beach, Ca. I used to go to a health store where locals would belly up to the "bar" and drink shots of wheat grass in shot glasses. It was so funny the first time I saw them, but the next time I was right there with them.

I guess that is "American" food too, lol.

Back in the day, in certain Midwestern cities a popular American breakfast in the wee hours of the morning after a night of partying is a sack of White Castles. heh-heh-heh

Sadly, Cracker Barrel and Denny's have no current plans to expand into France.

Ahhh, White Castles by the bag! We all need something to keep us "regular", if you know what I mean - thus the nickname "sliders"!

Haven't had one in years, but as a youngster, thought they were great. Funny, most people think they are sitting on the grill in "grease". But it is actually water - not grease.

Julie from the Midwest!

I remember many evenings spent at the White Castle drive through! I used to love those things, and the crinkle fries that came with them!

Tracy (a St. Louis native)

I miss White Castles onion chips with cheese!! YUMMY!!

I tried the frozen White Castles and they were really lame

Tom

waring --
What you call biscuits we generally call cookies. American biscuits are distant cousins to scones since both are quick breads. Scones are denser and sometimes have bits of raisin etc whereas our biscuits almost never do.

They are light and flaky as they use baking powder (sodium bicarb +cornstarch), with the butter cut into the flour and a minimal amount of milk poured in and only lightly mixed before rolling them out.

TRSW, the frozen ones are great IF you follow the package directions for conventional oven reheating (place on broiler pan with hot water underneath & covered tightly with foil.) Microwaving them is awful.

St Cirq summed it up pretty well earlier.

Anyway I have a new point. That an italian in the US etc. might frequent the italian restaurant to support his italian-american counterparts. In New York we frequently ate in Irish bar restaurants because friends worked there, or to basically support their business NOT because of the "Irish" food. I don't think many americana-memorabilia diners in europe are american owned, although i could be wrong.
The best burger I've ever had was not in the states, but in Maggie mays in Belfast. irish beef!
don't get a burger in barcelona.
Best pizza in New york .
best overall food ever-
New Orleans/Sicily