Man Eating Alligator @ a Cajun Restaurant

We had a wonderful time this week. (Mardis Gras colors are purple green and gold.) I think we were about 'paraded' out by the time they left on Sunday. We yelled and waved our arms for beads and 'stuff' for six whole parades. I personally got three Walmart bags full of beads and cups and even a teddy bear. Dan, his fiance`, Jennifer, and the kids got about two bags full for each parade. You should have seen them trying to pack the car to head back to NYS. They have a lot of friends who are waiting to get their hands on the 'loot'.
I'm still tired. I'd have to think hard about what all we did in one short week. It sure was an adventure tho. Desi had been studying about slavery in school before she came down, so the visit to Laura Plantation illuminated what she had been learning about in school. Melinda had been learning about hurricanes in school, so the visit through New Olreans neighborhoods, and the damage, plus the trip to Grand Isle, Lousiana gave her an upclose perspective on what a hurricane can do. Presently, there are lots of political debates and fingerpointing on television for everyone of them, and us to realize how complicated and frustrating hurricane recovery has become in this state.
Not to worry, the kids didn't get too overwhelmed with just the sad part of their visit to our area. After day-tripping through the devasation, they were taken to have some fun, Louisiana-style. They enjoyed powdered sugar covered bignets, pronounced 'bin-yays', which are wonderful square doughnuts at the famous Cafe Dumond at the edge of the French Quarter. We all wandered around the French Market, but it wasn't up and running; however the flea market part was open, so the kids got masks and feather boas. 7 yr. old Manny had to get an alligator head to take back with him. (boys, lol)
Besides the doughnuts, I took them to a restuarant in Houma, where they tried deep fried 'critters', and some boiled crawfish. The deep-fried shrimp were a hit, the deep-fried oysters got a mixed review, the deep-fried onion rings, of course were a hit, the crawfish also got mixed reviews, but what surprised me the most, was that Dan ate the alligator. And not only that, but so did Jennifer and the kids...they loved it! I'm not fond of it at all. I just sat there horrified watching them eat the chunks of deep-fried alligator, while I pinched off the heads of reddened crawfish, who all had shiny black-beady eyes, ripped off their scales, discarded all of their protective armor and ate the succulent flesh of the tiny 'crabs' (crawfish, I know, Cappy, I KNOW), all the while sitting there, grimacing, and trying not to gag while watching them eat that disgusting golden-crusted deep-fried alligator.