For a city that has long had the nickname of 'the American Sodom and Gomorrah,' I have to admit I haven't had any spicy adventures in New Orleans beyond eating boiled crawfish. These little crustaceans sell for $2.00 a pound or so and they are available all over the city in the back of corner grocers.
Unlike in New England, where shellfish are boiled in salt water and served with drawn butter, in New Orleans, they are boiled in a mix of spices, including bay leaf and cayenne. The spices settle in the cracks under the carapace, and they provide quite a complementary kick to the crawfish meat. Be warned: though a crawfish resembles a lobster, there is little to savor in the claws or legs. The tail is the show here. Some people suck the fat and such out of the heads. While this part is also full of flavor, I didn't find it added to any satiety so much as being a little bonus of flavor.
Interestingly, Boston is considering regulating food carts. I find it hard to believe they haven't been doing this for decades already. There is such a dearth of options that I naturally assumed that Boston had all but outlawed them. It seems that laissez-faire American Sodom can teach a thing or two to the Athens of America.
On another note, I discovered that Mayor Landrieu and the Councilmember from northwest New Orleans have taken a stand on preserving Fleur-de-Lis Park. Good for them.
A tip of the fedora to Dr. Hermes.
And yes, I still call them 'crayfish' reflexively.
Unlike in New England, where shellfish are boiled in salt water and served with drawn butter, in New Orleans, they are boiled in a mix of spices, including bay leaf and cayenne. The spices settle in the cracks under the carapace, and they provide quite a complementary kick to the crawfish meat. Be warned: though a crawfish resembles a lobster, there is little to savor in the claws or legs. The tail is the show here. Some people suck the fat and such out of the heads. While this part is also full of flavor, I didn't find it added to any satiety so much as being a little bonus of flavor.
Interestingly, Boston is considering regulating food carts. I find it hard to believe they haven't been doing this for decades already. There is such a dearth of options that I naturally assumed that Boston had all but outlawed them. It seems that laissez-faire American Sodom can teach a thing or two to the Athens of America.
On another note, I discovered that Mayor Landrieu and the Councilmember from northwest New Orleans have taken a stand on preserving Fleur-de-Lis Park. Good for them.
A tip of the fedora to Dr. Hermes.
And yes, I still call them 'crayfish' reflexively.
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