Monday, January 11, 2010

New Orleans Souvenirs: Day 4

There are about a million things I'd rather have for breakfast than oysters on the half shell, but bellying up at the bar at ACME Oyster House was great fun.
Seth ordered a half dozen and I tried one, then quickly washed it down with a big ol' swig of spicy bloody Mary with a tasty pickled okra garnish. This oyster shucker wasn't going to let me get away that, though. He plopped the biggest, nastiest, grittiest oyster ever down in front of me and waited until I choked it down. Literally. Then, he laughed and said, "You a bad woman." Here he his demonstrating how big the oyster was. That seems about right. How many oysters does he shuck in a day? "Between a bunch and a shitload." Judging from the pile of empty shells behind the bar, that seems about right, too.The oyster was actually nice and mineral-y and not fishy at all. But still, it made me queasy enough to want to try one of the old-fashioned remedies at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum.Mexican "Bowel" Pills, perhaps? Or maybe a voodoo spell? Back in the good old days you could get it all at your corner pharmacy, even a cocaine Coca-Cola at the soda fountain and a box of glass eyes:
And they kept track of prescriptions in beautiful linen books with tiny pockets on each page.From there we headed to Willie Mae's Scotch House for a taste of their legendary fried chicken.It had such a warm, welcoming atmosphere. If Seth and I ever get a house of our own, I hope the kitchen looks just like this, with high ceilings, wood floors and beadboard lining the walls.The perfect kind of place to enjoy the ultimate comfort food, and the perfect food to cure whatever ails you. I could eat this every day!
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Here's Seth at
City Park:Have you ever seen a swan like this? The little stripe on its beak looks like it was painted on.Here's Seth again posing with what could be the biggest tree in City Park:It's hard to believe, but we went out to eat again after this. My one regret? Not having the energy to check out Kermit Ruffins Night at Vaughn’s Lounge in Bywater that night. (Guess, that's what I get for being a homebody the rest of the year.) Legendary jazz musician Kermit Ruffins cooks up barbecue for the audience before the show then jams the rest of the night. Yet another reason to go back!

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