Having grown up in the North, my only experience with crawfish was in fourth grade science, watching helplessly as Jimmy Beihl’s crawfish dismantled and ate mine. Traumatic? Yes. Do I have a deep-seated score to settle with the little buggers? Perhaps. Revenge was sweet. And on that sun-drenched Sunday two weeks ago, I got to dismantle more than a few crawfish of my own.
It took a bit to master the firm grip, twist and pull, suck the head, eat the tail routine, but tackling the crawfish, andouille, corn, and potatoes with my hands was a fun social experience. The aforementioned table was indeed an engineering marvel. Two giant trash barrels hold the table top, which is generously rimmed to keep Neptune’s bounty from spilling onto the grass. Two holes cut in the table’s top lead directly to the supporting trash cans. Simply brilliant.
This is a southern tradition I can stand behind. Those crawfish had better watch out. I’m gunnin’ for them.
Dan is the producer of ‘Ham Sandwich. He’s coming up on his second Birmingham anniversary and still has a lot to do (and even more to eat). Read about his cooking adventures as Skip on The Gourmetro and learn about him on aisle-9.net.
This is one of the finest experiences the South has to offer. Glad you could join in at long last.
And be sure to catch the Faunsdale Crawfish Festival next April:
http://ca-johns.net/Festival%2009.htm