Although I was born in California, I grew up in the south- Georgia and South Carolina to be exact.  While I was a kid, grits weren't really a part of our everyday life.  My mother's "southern-ness" has evolved with time so when I was young she was still a California girl making Tamale Pie and the like (a suburban girl getting her "mexican" on).  Anyway, grits grew on me as an adult. A college student working in a bajillion restaurants, eating her way to a southern background.  Every time I'm back in the south I order grits wherever I go because its such a comfort food and nobody does it like the south.  These were made with instant grits (yes, lazy lady style) and then we modernized them with eclectic toppers.  Don't even try to keep your heart attack in check here, grits need lots of salt or they're disappointing, so sodium intake be damed for a day.