And the Answer is…

Got swamped at work. It happens sometimes. Hopefully…back for a while, but there’s a big project looming that appears to have found its mark which would be…me. Oh well.

Anyway, congrats to Random Access for getting closest to the pin, so to speak, on the crawfish eating test in my previous entry.

“Pinch the tails, suck the heads…” is the procedure. You separate the head from the tail and pinch the end of the tail to bring the meat out (as you would one of those push-up ice creams). Then true Cajuns and locals, who have assimilated well, will suck the head cavity for the tasty fat and spicy flavor of the highly seasoned boil in which they are prepared.

Which reminds me of a funny story. Friends here are transplanted Yankees from Michigan. They have come to love the local cuisine and the husband has learned to boil up a pretty fine kettle of the mudbugs himself. None of them in their family of four, however, would EVER consider actually sucking the heads. One Spring they were entertaining Michigan family members and introducing them to the delicacy at one of their famous cookouts. At one point, the crawfish had been boiled and spread onto the patio table, but only the hostesses’ youngest sister and I were there for some reason so it was up to me to instruct her in how to eat them.

So…I did.

When the hostess came out of the house with some side dishes in her hands she nearly dropped them as she witnessed her little sister sucking that crawdaddy’s head. In aghast, she screamed out, “Julie!! What are you doing??!!” Julie calmly replied, “Eating crawfish.” To which big sister answered with, “But WE don’t suck the heads!!” Julie: “But…Phaedrus told me to.”

Sigh. Had it ONLY been that easy in high school or college (ok…now too, dammit).

Now for the remaining instructions…”…don’t eat the dead ones.” Congratulations on those not taking the blonde route and realizing that they ALL should be dead. Indeed…they all are. However, as lobster, crawfish should be alive when they are boiled. Those boiled that are already dead do have a mealy texture and often an unpleasant taste. Purchased live and in large burlap-like sacks, not all the critters make the trip into the boiler alive, but the entire sack is dumped into the boil. Those boiled live have severe tail curl (as they would swimming). Those that were already dead prior to boiling have very straight tails. Hence…”Don’t eat the dead ones.”

Thank you for tuning in. You may all now return to your regularly scheduled lives.

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April 18, 2005

heh..I got it!

Oooohhhhh, I see now. Maybe thats why I live around cows!

🙂

April 18, 2005

The whole thing is beyond my scope of imagination or ability… errrr the fish that is…. as for the other kind … better ask my husband 😉

Yeah. Eww.

April 18, 2005

i LOVE crawfish; and i have the technique down. yo mama’s is the best.

April 18, 2005

eww. i’m just glad my stomach’s empty right now. 😛

April 18, 2005

Wow..more than I ever wanted to know! Ever.

April 18, 2005

Yes. I learned this from a Zachary Richard song. So, no head sucking in Michigan? Who knew?

KK
April 18, 2005

Sucking those crawfish heads is way beyond me. Yuck. The rest of them are tasty, though. RYN: No orgy, just couple time. Very nice couple time 🙂

This reminds me of those that eat the green stuff and those that don’t when eating lobster. I have tried the green stuff. I admit it tastes good.. but.. it does look gross! I bet I’d think the same of the crawfish. Didn’t get to try them on my one trip to ‘Nawlins.

April 18, 2005

This is one Michigander that wouldn’t be caught dead eating a crawfish, let alone sucking out its head! Ewwww!

Sucking Up 101? Always knew you longed to be an educator

April 19, 2005

okay ready to suck some head….

🙂 Kinda’ like shrimp. Have you ever been to the big annual crawfish boil here? I think you know the one I’m talking about. It rocks! I’ll bet one of your young’uns has. I had some of the best mudbugs I’ve ever tasted there, believe it or not. Sorry about the communication breakdown. Love,

Mmmmm. I think I’ll pass on the crawfish. RYN: I’ve seen that happen too among people of color. It seems there is no end to trying to differientiate on the basis of hue. 😉 Hugs,

No, Smith!

RYN: Well, is it nice weather for a walk, anyway? I was curious about your last comment… I’m looking up his background now.

I could have sworn (actually, I do swear, all the time) I left a note here earlier but I guess I didn’t. Must be having a senior-blond-bottle day. I’m sure my earlier note would have said something about the need to be on your knees when sucking heads? Crawfish, of course. (Yikes! I hope I didn’t leave that note on someone else’s diary!) LWM 143

April 20, 2005

I do lurves me some tail, but I’ll leave the head to you experts. In matters of crawfish, that is…

Lor
April 20, 2005

RYN: A toothbrush… no need for pajamas, since we won’t be sleepin’ none!

RYN: I’d tell you, but you don’t allow private notes. 😉

Mo
April 21, 2005

and all this time i thought it was about sex! ryn: the doctor ordered an extra strenuous test for you.

April 22, 2005

Thanks for my first chuckle of the day. Take care,

April 23, 2005

I changed my OD name again and wanted to amke sure you could still ‘find’ me ‘old’Kathleenann new

ok, so it’s sweater day. and i actually took a couple of pics…let me know if you want me to send and where. 😉

ryn: Yes I DO 🙂 But we all already knew that anyway! I’m on the lookout for a couple more dogs to live under my porch.

Lor
April 29, 2005

RYN: I’m not the admin for my team… I HAVE an admin… I sent her an ecard and bought her a coffee… Anything above that is the boss’s job.

April 29, 2005

ryn: no you are right, absolutely right…lots of it….in different rooms…including on the desk…and the swivel chair…but can you imagine what we can do with the clay?

ryn: yabut yasee it’s different when someone who is older than I (and male) calls me baby. Then I likeit 😉 Thank you darlin….

RYN: No, it’s not the same thing. And stop being mean!

June 27, 2005

Cool diary! A former bartender-ess.

July 28, 2005

Coming from an Atlantic region, we grew up on lobster. But I’ll never forget the first time I ate lobster out in public on the West Coast… I ate all the usual…tail, claws. But then ate the meat from the body and the tomaly (spelling?) and you would think I was eating snot from the disgust of the other people. Some of them even left the table. Idjits.

November 15, 2005

Lobsters these days don’t get old enough to have much taste. If you ever get to Australia though eat the “Rock lobster” as they are marketed. Not lobster at all but big salt water crays. (Yeah, bit like Texas.) They are really nice but like all salties they have to be cooked in the water they live in or they lose their flavour. Gotta go, starting to drool.