Note: the next few posts will not subscribe to a chronological retelling of our visit to New Orleans. Places, meals, drinks and observations overlap and their linear description does not aid in the recollection of this city.
That said we recommence with a visit to Chris' neck of the woods, a shotgun near bayou St. John. The scale of the houses on his block seemed familiar after a few days of waking around New Orleans. Each house, consisting of two units, is approximately 20 feet wide and sixty feet long.
Each house on this block, some in better condition than others, is separated from its neighbor by only a few feet but opens up in the back to a small yard with a shed.
Chris showed us the garden we had planted in the backyard of a home near his own. We munched on fresh herbs as the sun warmed our faces and we shed our coats.
Dangerously close by is the Parkway bakery and tavern. While I cannot verify whether it is NOLA's "oldest and most entertaining" po-boy restaurant it certainly is one of the tastiest. Sylvia led the way, with Andy in tow, as the whole group, on our last day together, consumed approximately 5 1/2 feet of shrimp, bread, oysters and dressing. I personally ate an entire foot long po-boy and then helped Aurelia finish hers. Awesome!
While no pictures were taken during the meal, who has time when there are shrimp based comestibles that are measured in yards to be consumed, I did notice a unusual detail before the food arrived. If you look carefully in the picture below you will see water-filled Ziploc bags hanging in front of each window. Within each bag is a single shiny penny.
Speculation of their function ran wild until Chris cleared things up. These bags are installed to keep bees and wasps out of the restaurant. He claims they work and the frequency of the bags suggests that the restaurant owners don't doubt their effectiveness. I plan on experimenting here this summer and see if it works on Northwest critters.
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