is there a difference between oatmeal and porridge

i ask as during my younger days in the states i was happy to eat oatmeal but didnt want anything called porridge especially corn meal porridge

but i have been thinking that porridge and oatmeal are the same.

oatso simple i would believe is oatmeal my aunty called it porridge. mmmm

thicko question

but do answer ans state what country your in that way i know i am not going mad

Porridge is what people eat in fairy-tales and nursery rhymes.

....like Goldie Lox and the 3 Grizzly Bears.

Gosh! LadyDay you got me looking into my dictionary. Porridge is oatmeal!!! but i use it for any breakfast meal with that consistency.

I'm in the US and from my experience Americans don't use the word porridge. Either the actual name of the grain -or a variant- is used (eg. oatmeal,hominy grits, cornmeal mush, cream of wheat/rice, etc.)or it's simply referred to as hot/cooked cereal. The only time I hear the wordporridge used it is by my West Indian acquaintances.

My understanding is that it's a general term for any type of boiled-until-mushy grainor legume (in the Bible Esau trades his birthright for a pottageof lentils -- porridge comes from the word pottage).