New Orleans Closed to Traffic

Well we, the MS Fantasy,  missed New Orleans again on this port day because of the additional clean-up where they moved the barge still containing oil.  They had to close the river again around Algiers' Point across from where the ship docks.  So we are heading into Mobile Alabama again tomorrow.  I don't mind Moblie, as a matter of fact it is quite nice, but I did hope to go by Cookin' Cajun in Riverwalk on their last day.  I think they said they have to move tomorrow.  (I am writing this on 2:00 am Thursday morning)

I was hoping to buy some rice before they move.  I know you can buy rice anywhere, but they had some nice pecan rice as well as the popcorn rice, which is my favorite.  This rice is so tasty on its own.  I find plain rice boring usually, but  the speciality rices they carry, are nutty and mellow tasting.  I believe most of these rices they sell come from Louisiana.  

An enormous amount of rice comes out of Louisiana, 520,000 acres, generating about 200 million dollars.  The rice is grown in some areas in cooperation with growing crawfish.  The crawfish are raised in the same rice fields, or patties, along with the rice, but at different times of the year.  Part of the year rice is grown, then in June the fields are drained for the rice harvest.  While the fields are drained, the "mudbugs" burrow down into the mud and grow fat and happy eating the bits of rice the harvesters miss.

The crawfish reproduce in the spring, then the crawfish season is around February I believe.  Y'see, grains and crustaceans working hand in claw for a better world.  Now wasn't that informative!  I just hope I got it all right.  That's about all I know about it, except the part when it comes to eating them, which I really enjoy any time of year.  My dear wife, who loves lobster and shrimp, considers crawfish to be insects.  For some reason she will not eat one at all.  I think it is the "mudbug" reference.  Oh well, more left over for me.

Well, I got off topic there, but any conversation you can steer toward crawfish logically, is worth having.  Let's hope they get the river open and the oil is cleaned up soon.  New Orleans has had more than her share of misfortune, and as I said in a post a few days back, it needs to properly recover from Katrina first, and the only way that will happen is when the tourist come back and their numbers are back at pre-Katrina levels.  Let's hope that day is soon.

Here is a news story

See you later!

Timmy

Roux-B-Doo-B-Doooooooooooo