Gut Check

Aaaahheeeeyaaahhheeeeeeee!

That Mardi Gras scream is in tribute to the first Cajun meal I’ve ever eaten, which was two days ago. Co-worker Mark and I bought lunch for another co-worker, Marcus, who is leaving the company, and we all decided on Cajun because Marcus and I never had such food, and Mark barely has.

Three bloody Marys (a going-away toast) were followed by six appetizers and two soups, and those eight different menu items allowed us to sample a lot of famed New Orleans dishes all in one sitting. The appetizers were hog-tied shrimp, crawfish etouffee, boudin, red beans and sausage, crab cakes and fire shrimp, along with seafood gumbo and jambalaya soup.

Amazing, amazing meal. One of the best lunches ever. When the waitress first served all the food, our table looked beautiful. It was as eye-pleasing as a Bob Ross painting.

“My favorite dish? The hog-tied shrimp,” Marcus said following the feast.

“I gotta go with the fire shrimp,” Mark said.

“The crawfish etouffee for me,” I chimed in.

We all agreed that all eight selections were incredible. Who dat? We dat. Great Cajun cuisine.

Hives

A quick shout out to another co-worker, Jeff, who has a sideline beekeeping and honey production operation. Jeff bottles honey under a Tru Bee brand name, and his honey was just highlighted in the July 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine. Cooking Light is a national monthly publication with a circulation of 1 million readers.

I bought a bottle of Tru Bee a few weeks ago because my son Andrew has bad allergies, and I’ve heard that natural bee’s honey – specifically produced in the part of the country where you live – is a medicinal wonder. Well, it has certainly helped Andrew, to the point where he hasn’t needed his Friday allergy shots for the past two weeks.

Congratulations, Jeff…and Andrew, too.

Cowhide

I was walking along the street the other day when a lady approached me and angrily pointed at my suede jacket.

“It makes me sick that cows are used for food and clothes,” she yelled. “Y’know, a cow was murdered for your jacket!”

“Ma’am, I didn't know there were any witnesses,” I said. “Now I'll have to kill you, too.” 

Just a joke. Sorry if I offended any cows.