How to eat porridge

was something my paternal grandfather taught me. He made the porridge in their house.

He would put the oats in a saucepan the night before and leave them to soak. In the morning the contents would be stirred and then put on the stove to cook. The porridge bowls would be lined up and, eventually, we would sit down to eat it.

We ate right around the edge of the bowl first, turning the bowl slowly around so that there was an oatmeal coloured island of porridge surrounded by a milky sea. We were allowed to have milk to "cool it down a bit" but we were not given sugar or honey. 

Scots, good Scots, our grandfather informed us did not have sugar or honey on their porridge. I am not sure that is true of all good Scots but we accepted it. The porridge tasted just fine anyway. 

Now it seems you can get something called "porridge" flavoured with such things as "blueberries" or "apple and cinnamon" or "creamy vanilla", "brown sugar" and "creamy honey". You can apparently have "banana and strawberry" and "chocolate", "caramel" and "golden syrup" too. 

There is no need to soak the oats overnight. Porridge like this gets "cooked" in the microwave oven. Some of it even comes in pots - never having seen those I assume the milk is already mixed in and the whole thing hermetically sealed? 

And this is porridge? All those flavoured varieties must surely be full of sugar too. Do they taste as good as my grandfather's porridge.

I don't know. I confess I cook my porridge in the microwave. There are "quick cooking" oats available now - really just oats that have been ground up a little finer than regular oats. I put them in the bowl. I add milk. I stir. I give it a minute on high and stir again.I give it another minute, another stir and then watch to see the porridge rise like lava in the bowl before switching the power off and removing the bowl. It's simple. There is no need to wash up anything except a bowl and a spoon.

I leave the porridge to cool - with a little cold milk around the edges. It's proper porridge that way. I can't imagine eating the flavoured varieties.

My paternal grandmother just had black tea and toast for breakfast. It was my grandfather who knew about porridge.