Importance of corn.

Serafina’s father tries to get her to eat her grits which are made of corn. Since her father is the one who is raising her, this makes sense as corn is a symbol of life and fertility.

The fact that she does not like to eat grits serves as a clue regarding her origins. While cats can eat corn, it causes stomach aches in some of them. This could be why she does not find eating grits agreeable.