Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-07-03


by the face of our genial friend, Col. Gus
Signaigo, of the Grenada Sentinel "A
Tristram shandy Eating Crawl sh
EDIroRs LEDGER: Did you ever eat a
real crawish2 We have tried it, and
propose to give you our experience.
While recruiting our health in Southern
Louisiana, we were no little astosishsd
to learn that crawfish were considered
delicate disb by the natives. We were
seated beside two fair demsels at the
table of Mrs. DR.. billiard, at New Iberia,
Louisians. Soon after being seated,
huge dish piled with boiled crawfsh was
placed upon the table, and as they were
the first we had ever seen on the table,
we eyed them closely. The dish was
handed around, and these two ladies we're
helped to about twenty-five craw6sh each.
Knowing that we we're q stranger, and
having heard some aversion escape our
lips, all eyes were turned to our plate,
but nary crawfsh could be seen. We
were anxious to see how they ate these
things; for had we relished them ever SO
much, we would not have known how to
eat them. The ladies soon commenced
their crawfish dissection, using pepper,
vinegar and salt to season. The tails
were all pulled off aud placed in side
plate. One leg was then severed from
the body and the marroW sucked out, as
nothing else existed in or about the
leg; each one being deprived Of the N sr-
row in the same way. Now after the old
fellow had lost all his legs and was minus
his tail, leaving nothing but his red body,
we naturally concluded it would be laid
to one side. We could not believe the la
dies contemplated devouring the con-
tents of the body, knowing full well that
it was only filled with certain organs aud
their functional secretions. But bless
my soul she seizes the body, places its
"gable-end to her oral orifee, and by
suction, thoroughly emptiss the body,
aud smacks her mouth as if it was really
good We said nothing, but thought
"what women" All went through the
same process, aud then they made way
with the side plates which were consid-
cred the most delicate dish to be found.
As we are always ready for little fun,
even ct our own expense, after much per-
suasion, we consented to test the quail
ties of at least one crawfsh so big red
she'll fellow was kindly placed in osr
plate and all eyes turned to note our first
manipulations with this mud-puddle in
habitant. We might have been hungry,
but didn't feel so, and would have given
some one good swap for some other
position about then. We couldn't even
induce our nose to bleed, so we could
have On excuse to leave the table,
neither would anybody else leave the
table. Summonsing all our cour-
age, we concluded to "wade in"
so we grasped the tail end, severed its
connection from the body and laid it to
one side; then selling a leg We separated
all connection with the body, and while
holding it in our hand we grew faint and
wished we had been somewhere else, yet
we applied the leg to our mouth, gave q
short, quick action, by which the Shiny
marrow rolled into our mouth, and after
much thinking and worrying, succeeded
in inducing downward trip, but even
then il was disposed to crawl backwards.
One leg supplied us with as much craw-
fish marrow as we desired. Then coming
directly to the body Of the old fellow, we
drew q long sigh, and thought-well,
there's no use in telling what we thought
we raised il to our eyes and proposed
taking full survey of his abominable
regions, and after taking the inventory,
our desire for eating the "innsrds OF q
crawish was completely satisfied, so we
laid it down. We were freely laughed at
and told that it was very tender and
sweet, but we politely declined, saying we
could not see it in that light. We then
came TO the tail, which, after using salt,
pepper and vinegar, we succeeded in
making compromise with our stomach.
That was our first and last crawfish eating.
Don't you wish you had been in our
placer L ea -
An the natives in South Louisiana are
exceedingly fond of crawfsh. They have
crawGsh gumbo, crawfsh bisque, craw-
fish fricessee, crawfish boiled, stewed,
raw and salad, and crawdsh pitcher pie
(pafe-en-poD. So You see they have
many dishes to tempt the epicurean.
HOLSTERS, oysters, crabs, shrimps, etc,
are much relished, and they are some on