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[seal killer]

spro and Harold and All--

We were real poor when I was growing up on the Gulf coast. Dad, being a Cajun, had a boat large enough to use as a shrimp boat. So, at the age of eight, I became his one and only deck hand. I can easily remember pulling that 120 foot net in over the stern. When I got it up close to the boat, Dad had to help because it was always (or, almost always) filled with stuff, mostly shrimp.

We also crabbed the Intercoastal canal for blue crab. We mainly existed on a diet of shrimp, blue crab, and fresh veggies from the garden on our farm.

After the freezer would fill with shrimp, we always tried to give them away after the last catch. However, because only poor people ate shrimp, it was hard to find someone that would take them. (Now, all of this was prior to the invention of truck refrigeration, so you couldn't sell them to be shipped north.)

I can remember many prawns eight inches long, but they were not that good to eat. The best size was about four, maybe five inches long. Of course, the best crab in the world is blue crab.

Many, many times we had friends over and started a big fire back in the gravel driveway and set a washtub full of crab and shrimp on the eventual coals. We cooked fresh corn in the same tub. All of it was eaten on picnic tables covered with newspaper as the sun went down.

It is my recollection that Dad and the men may have indulged in beer, as well.

--Bill

[bigsaxdog]

i used to live in NOLA, and i forget?.....did you coona$$s have stone crabs? we dive for them on the fla. west coast around bridges and such. hard to beat a big stone crab claw.... but blue crab in a big pot of gumbo is also a beautiful thing.......always take a carton of cigs and some extra beer on gulf trips, hopefully run into a shrimper whose been out for a couple of weeks, "what can we get for these?........and i forgot, i'm being rude.....there's alot of good knowledge here Peabody, i've definitely learned alot........

[seal killer]

Peabody61 and bigsaxdog and All--

bigsaxdog, no stone crabs off the Texas Gulf coast that I ever knew about. Now and then we'd get a huge, ugly spider crab, bunches of squid, an octopus every once in a while, and some edible fish.

Of course, we LIVED on crab and shrimp gumbo. We were poor, remember?

--seal killer

[bigsaxdog]

i dunno....when i make a pot of gumbo now, it definitely ain't for poor people. shrimp, oysters, crabs ain't cheap anymore. i usually get fish myself, so.......last one we made we put in alligator that my buddy hunts...now you're makin' me hungry......

[seal killer]

bigsaxdog--

Then I guess I don't need to tell you that you can put ANYTHING in a pot of gumbo, especially if it has been "stewing" for a couple of days.

--seal killer
ps Once, we had a little armadillo in the mix. Not good, but not too bad, either. My big sister became a gourmet Cajun chef. She would be mortified to learn that we had gumbo on the stove for an extended length of time, much less put armadillo in it. Rice! Man, could she cook rice! I have seen her throw BATCHES of it out in the back yard for the chickens because some of it actually stuck together. To her, it wasn't fit to eat unless you could dump a spoon full of it out a grain at a time.

[Black_Moons]

seal killer: Can I eat your chickens?

[spro]

Poor is rich. It's all timing, those fish oils and antioxidents didn't hurt a bit. I get ill if I don't have my fish once a week. Hot pan cold oil and go for it.
Olive baby. Not some extra extra virgin. Olive freakin oil. Is this a fishy welcome or what? I'm thinkin it's a fish fry and it is happening later today. I appoligise for going off topic. I picture my whatevers in the freezer and mayo, lettuce and my homegrown tomatoes will make a fine meal today.

[bigsaxdog]

not too sure about the 'armadillo' thing........though that was the NOLA saying, "if it's moving, step on it and put it in the gumbo....."

[seal killer]

bigsaxdog--

bigaxdog . . .

not too sure about the 'armadillo' thing

Well, it might have been jambalaya.

spro, I'm with you, Man!

Black_Moons, most really funny stories have some basis in truth. I sure have a TOTALLY TRUE one that is funnier than you can imagine about our chickens on the farm. I suppose we have welcomed (and hopefully not scared off) Peabody61, enough, though.

--Bill