cajun, for the moment.

i have mentioned that i was not a picky kid. i was a slow eater (i dined, says tina). but, i ate whatever tina put on my plate. she's also a good cook, so that helps.

i hated hot dogs, but would eat them if they were charred and covered in ketchup. (the potential punishment for misbehaving was that i would be sent to the gypsies where i would only get hot dogs and water. yes. i recently learned that eastern europeans often use this "gypsy" threat. those russian grandparents.)

but, i loved things that many kids find gross: sauerkraut, chopped liver, borscht. i thought iceberg lettuce was the best thing ever; i could not get enough.

so, superbowl xx. i think this is the one. 1986. our neighbors had a crawfish boil. you have to cook the crawfish live so they kept them in the bathtub! and i love food that you can eat with your hands, where you are expected to get messy. it never occurred to me that it might be gross or weird to eat all of the parts of the crustacean. i have incredible memories of this superbowl, not that i watched the game. i was never a huge fan of shellfish, but i thought this whole process was so incredible.

so, how to eat a crawfish, no utensils allowed:
1. remove the head from the tail.
2. pull the meat away from the tail and eat it. (you are using your fingers or your mouth.)
3. suck the head. (it sounds naughty. and it is, a little bit. all of the spices are in the head.)