Out of Eggs, But We Do Have Alligator Sausage

Don’t get me wrong: I’d had gumbo before. I’d done pralines. I’d even been intimate with red beans and rice. But alligator? Barbecued, bacon-wrapped shrimp over cheesy grits? Fried chicken that merited a 90 minute wait from kitchen to table? I could never have fathomed these happy surprises, each one a love letter from a city that had suffered so brutally.

Attending a culinary conference in New Orleans last month was an exercise in extremes. As something of a health nut, wheat berries are my friends and greasy food my mortal nemesis. So eating my weight in glistening meats and white starches for 4 straight days wasn’t easy. Still, I learned to appreciate how, in the right set of skilled hands, a puffy, mile-high biscuit from Mother’s or the crisp pigs’ ears from Cochon could be so transformative. During a session for restaurant reviewers, Times-Picayune food writer Brett Anderson spoke about the difficulty pleasing health-conscious diners in the city he loves. When asked to recommend restaurants for vegetarian readers, he quipped: “I tell them to fly to San Francisco.”

But. But. Amidst the celebratory food, and the gusto with which our convention embraced the city full-throttle, signs of painstaking recovery hovered quietly round every bend. Painters silently stroked fences, adding new coats of gloss. Handymen fixed crackling facades. And tarot card readers set up stalls, first one, then another, patiently beckoning the lone visitor who happened to amble by.

In a taxi returning from Dooky Chase's, Lucien Miller, our 59-year-old cabdriver, pointed out water lines scaling Sixth Ward storefronts, indelible tattoos in this once water-logged city. “Look at that ironwork,” he marveled, turning our attention to a building ringed by small, carefully wrought flowers. “People don’t make those any more, which to me is a shame. It’s so beautiful.” And it was.

As we rounded a corner, a performance artist delighted a small group of travelers. “Only in New Orleans,” Lucien sang, “only in New Orleans.”

Comments

[Dana McCauley]

New Orleans was a great location for the IACP conference wasn't it?
I really enjoyed Cochon, especially the rabbit livers. Yum!

Great work on your blog. I'll look forward to visiting you here often.

[Cheryl]

It really was, Dana. Missed the rabbit livers at Cochon, but I did enjoy the fried alligator. Thanks for reading~

[Jennifer Brizzi]

Cheryl, that's a wonderful take on the feel of New Orleans, especially meaningful for me because I was in that cab and met Lucien. Thanks so much for bringing the memory back so beautifully. Will keep visiting 5 Second Rule (love the name!)

[michelle @ TNS]

oh, shrimp and grits. how i love you. and how i have not eaten you in far, far to long.

i want to go to a culinary conference in new orleans, too.

[RobWein]

Hey, the Cheryl Sternman I remember only ate sugary cereal and YooHoo--when did she become so nutrition-literate?
And where's the post on the beignets at the Cafe Du Monde? The shrimp po-boys at Johnny's? The muffaletta at Central Grocery? Are these all cliches by now? Bummer--I still eat them.
I've had alligator a few times, but as a friend and protector of all reptiles, I don't approve of their consumption.
Rob Weintraub

[Cheryl]

Jennifer: Lucien really was like a personal tour guide, wasn't he? I wish we could have driven around with him all afternoon.

Michelle: The shrimp and grits I liked best were from Mr. B's Bistro. Definitely check it out the next time you're down in New Orleans. I may post on their coconut cream pie soon, too, since the pastry chef sent me the recipe. Must. Try. Soon.

Rob: Yeah, yeah, I did have a little thing for Yoo Hoo, but can't a girl catch a break? The last time I drank it I was probably in 6th grade. Mmmmmm, yoo hoo...

[Colin Rule]

I didn't know you had a thing for Yoo Hoo!

I'm picking up a 6 pack on my way home tonight.

rah