Brennans – New Orleans Louisiana – May 1984
Now tritely a a major tourist destination, in ’84 it was larger than life for my ten year old mind to absorb. My father, with great build up and fanfare told me of the very famous Bananas Foster. To a child and a gastronome, such as we were, Bananas Foster could only epitomize the simple grandeur and deliciousness of a true classic. Bananas, butter, rum, vanilla ice cream. Simple really is the best. The other great elements of that trip were all invariably linked to food. My favorite was shrimp creole, a spicy but hearty silky tomato dish, served with long grained white rice the likes of which I had never seen or tasted before. It made the local hawaiian island beef stew with tomatoes and our thrice daily sticky rice pale in comparison. My only regret now that I am an older and wiser foodie is that I missed out on Cafe Du Monde, Muffaletta, Gumbo, & Jambalaya. That same trip, or shortly thereafter I tasted a southern breakfast for the first time in Kentucky. I little white island girl like me was only used to brown gravy, not white, certainly not for breakfast, and definitely not on biscuits. With fresh summer watermelon as big as my head, it was so sweet it felt as if I was eating it for the first time. I recollect my father coaxing me into trying new things whenever opportunity arose & I would always be surprised and delighted.
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