Food and Recipes WATCH: Only Southerners Get These Weird Food Combinations If a PBB was good enough for Elvis, it's good enough for the rest of us. By Valerie Fraser Luesse Valerie Fraser Luesse Valerie Fraser Luesse has been affiliated with Southern Living and its parent company since 1988. She has written some 30 Southern Journal essays for the magazine and extensively covered the unique cultural pockets of the South, including Acadian Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta, South Florida, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She released her fourth Southern novel with Revell in 2021. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on May 7, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email We were curious: Just how many unusual food combos have Southerners dreamed up over the years? And we're not talking about your standard bacon-and-egg pairings. No, we're looking for something more innovative. More whimsical. Weird even. To get the conversation started, we consulted our Facebook Brain Trust. Here are some of the unexpected ways they mix it up at mealtime. How about you? BREAKFAST Ketchup (or Tabasco) on scrambled eggs Scrambled eggs with syrup on top Boudin balls dipped in cane syrup Biscuits with red-eye gravy Biscuits with chocolate gravy Biscuits with sausage gravy BETWEEN TWO SLICES Please note: All sandwiches below are made with white bread. Not whole wheat, honey wheat, or cracked wheat. Not French, Italian, or pumpernickel. White bread. Peanut butter and banana sandwich Jelly and banana sandwich Banana and mayo sandwich Banana, mayo, and potato chip sandwich "M&M" ('mater & mayo) sandwich Note: A handful of renegade Southerners replace the white bread on their tomato sandwiches with slices of cornbread. The rest of us keep them on our prayer lists. Pineapple and mayo (or Miracle Whip) sandwich Flat-out mayo sandwich SURF & TURF Shrimp and grits Vienna (pronounced "vie-EE-nah") sausages on saltines slathered with mayo. Acceptable embellishments: onion, Cheddar, and hot sauce FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Peas or pintos with mayo, homemade pepper sauce, and cornbread Mayo, vinegar, and cooked mustard greens Butterbeans and cornbread Fried dill pickles dipped in ranch dressing Pound cake and dill pickles (Okay, this is a new one on us, but we're intrigued.) Tomato aspic (spiced up congealed tomato salad, which might have veggies like bell pepper, onion, and celery inside, as well as olives, depending on your Mama's recipe) Pear salad: canned pear halves topped with a dollop of mayo and shredded Cheddar. Acceptable embellishment: one maraschino cherry to top each one Heavenly Hash: a combination of canned fruits and fruit juices, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream, all co-mingled and chilled BEVERAGES Coke and peanutsPeach Nehi and peanutsRC and Moon PieButtermilk and cornbread (cornbread crumbled into a glass of buttermilk)Milk and crackers (saltines crumbled into a glass of milk)Milk and vanilla wafers (same song as above, just sung a little more sweetly) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit