La Vie est Bonne

I know that everyone says a line outside of a restaurant portends good things to come. If the place is so busy that there is a long, slow moving line, the food served must be good. Okay, I get it. However, standing in line is one of my least favorite things. Come to think of it, I have never met anyone who said standing in line was one of their favorite things. I am sure they are out there. Hell, I even met a lady that was a big fan of Richard Simmons. Richard Simmons? She loved him, thought he was funny and could not get enough of the ingratiating little pest. I never again asked her another question, nor did I ever turn my back on her, just a little too scary and a little too far out there in the infinite. But, I digress.

Meanwhile back in line at Mother's Restaurant on this specific hot and muggy early Autumn night, we hear the first the low rumble of thunder, then feel the initial drops of rain as they began to fall. We are outside, there is a small covered porch where the first three or four people in line are huddled. When the rain begins, the original four people on the porch become eight or nine. All crammed together and trying to obtain some part of the small roof to protect them from what was a rapidly approaching line of thunderstorms. Then it gets better, the diners inside having completed their meals, (lucky bastards) come out onto the same tiny porch. They linger there while trying to decide whether to run to their cars or to return inside and wait out the rain. I don't care what you do, but pick one! Pandomonium is the order of the day. To quote our beloved leader, "never waste a crisis." In all of the confusion we slip inside with the diners that are returning to sit out the rain. Inside and dry at last, I look out through the glass of the door at the poor wretches still stranded outside subject to a driving, wind blown rain. Another prime example of survival of the fittest, or in my case, survival of the fattest.

We ordered Crawfish Etouffee, Fille Gumbo and a house Po-Boy sandwich. I learned several things, first Etouffee literally means "smothered." The vegetables are smothered in onions, okra and a sea food stock, which is ever so slowly reduced down to a roux. Rice and crawfish are added and New Orleans voodoo does the rest. Thats the best I can do, want more? Try Justin Wilson, wait a minute, that Cajun is dead. Oh well, then it is Google, Food Channel and ultimate Etouffee. Enough about food, everything was wonderful, more importantly Jeannie was estatic about the entire meal. Sometimes you just need to leave well enough alone, I think I will. We are back in the room. New Orleans on a Friday night and I am in my room and more content than I can ever recall. The title of this post is wrong it should be, La vie est magnifique!