Mardi Gras

I'm a 6th generation American of German and Norwegian decent. I'm Lutheran. I was born in South Dakota and raised there and in Wyoming. So Mardi Gras doesn't mean squat to me. But to my dear wife's family is from Louisiana. She went to college in Lafayette LA. She was born and raised Catholic. She loves Mardi Gras. She went to several of the parades and celebrations while going to school in Louisiana. My dear wife has an entire trunk full of beads, doubloons and other souvenirs. A brief clarification, she collected her beads the hard way - with her shirt on.

So to my wife and children Mardi Gras is a fun time. They wear beads to school and work. We have gumbo or jambalaya or etouffee for dinner and my dear wife usually bakes a king cake. This is the part of Mardi Gras that I have learned to love - the food.

Dinner this evening was sausage and chicken jambalaya. We also had king cake for dessert. This year however, my dear wife didn't bake it. As part of our personal attempt to help rebuild New Orleans after the hurricanes we ordered our king cake from Haydel's Bakery. I ordered the cake Friday afternoon and it arrived via UPS this afternoon. The cake arrived in remarkably good condition considering the box was pretty beat up. The cake was delicious. I shouldn't admit this, but it was as good if maybe just a little bit better than my wife's. But don't tell her I said that.

Happy Mardi Gras!