Saturday, October 02, 2004

Grits with my Salmon

When I moved from the heart of Dixie to the Pacific Northwest in 1998 I was prepared for many changes. And there were quite a few, both expected and unexpected.

After moving here I traded up on many things. Life got better. So did the view from my apartment. There were many things to be thankful for.

Yet there were other areas of my life in which I took some hits. And I did my best to stay thankful!

For the most part, though, it's pretty much the same. I am still the same person I was, with more or less the same likes and dislikes, beliefs, fears, and so on. And life in the Pacific Northwest is pretty much as it was back east. Except for, of course, the utter lack of oppressive summer heat and humidity.

Oh, and the rain. Can't forget all this rain.

And the beautiful trees they've got out here. Special Agent Dale Cooper was on to something, I believe.

And geoducks. Certainly no geoducks back east.

Did I mention the rain?

In fact, everything here is different. Completely different.

I'll come in again.

When I moved from the heart of Dixie to the Pacific Northwest in 1998, I traded:
  • Batchelorhood for the married life
  • Sunny days for rainy ones
  • Fried flounder for baked salmon
  • "Coke" for "pop"
  • Maxwell House for Starbucks
  • Sweetened iced tea for unsweetened ice tea
  • Tropical storms and the occasional hurricane for earthquakes and volcanoes
  • Mustard-based barbecue for...whatever it is that passes for "barbecue" out here
  • Shoney's for Shari's
  • A "mean-and-three" for sushi and rice
  • Panthers for Seahawks
  • Bombers for Mariners
  • Gamecocks for Huskies
  • Hootie for Pearl Jam
  • Grits for hashbrowns

Well, no. No on the hashbrowns. For some things, there just are no substitutes, no matter where you are.

I'm keeping grits on my plate, thank you very much.


3 comments:

Rick said...

all you need is a lizard's thicket to serve grits with the salmon for breakfast, sir. and on at least the coffee part, the married part, and the volcano part (having had a few hurricanes this year, a new natural disaster might be cool to watch - does jim cantore visit?) - you traded up.

jen said...

As one who spent a month of her life in the PNW while growing up (and who would be serving a congregation out there if I wasn't in Lutefisk Land), you definitely did trade up.

Though I don't think grits go with salmon...

Caryn Kirk said...

Sounds familiar!! Check out Pacific Grits Too. Oh, and next time you buy grits at the grocery, please get the real kind and not the instant. A little integrity for our Southern staples, please.