I'm so surprised to find out so many of you from various states know and love mush. I always thought mush and scrapple were Pennsylvania specialties, specifically Pennsylvania Dutch, Amish, Mennonite (maybe that's why Ohio and Indiana are familiar with it) and the Philadelphia area - Pittsburgh, too! I've eaten and loved fried mush all my life - just made it last week.
Look for polenta (Italian) in the refrigerated section of your store. They should have that. Of course, you want it unseasoned except for salt - then it's the same as mush.
The secret to getting it really crisp is to dredge each slice in flour before frying. Of course, use bacon drippings for frying to make it really yummy. Then we served it with butter and maple syrup, and yes, we often made our own syrup as has already been posted.
We use the recipe on the Quaker Brand corn meal box. Here it is:
4 cups water
1 cup corn meal
1 teas. salt
Bring 3 cups water to a boil. Combine remaining water, corn meal and salt; slowing pour into boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently. Cover, continue cooking over VERY LOW heat for 5 minutes.
Serve as is (like any hot cereal) however you like, with milk, butter, brown sugar, syrup, honey, etc.,
OR
Pour into a greased loaf pan, allow to cool, refrigerate until completely solid. Remove, slice, flour and fry. Serve with butter and maple syrup, honey, light molasses, whatever you like.