During a recent trip to southern Louisiana, I tried me some deep fried alligator.
It tasted like chicken (with a hint of fishiness.) I enjoyed it immensely.
I also tried frog legs for the first time, and some warm, delicious beignets from Café Du Monde in New Orleans. We had a program near Lafayette, and tacked on an extra day to explore The Big Easy. I’m not sure which was better: the people or the food. Our hosts were friendly, gracious, and Cajun to the bone. And the yummy shrimp, jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice still has my tummy smiling. It’s a close call, but both made for a wonderful experience.
In exploring the region, it was quite refreshing to see such an exciting pocket of individuality. The French roots, intimate streets, colorful architecture, and old ironwork of New Orleans — not to mention the jazz sounds and cajun flavors filling the air — make it one of the most unique places I’ve visited so far.
I’ve done a fair bit of traveling across this great nation, and a lot of it blends together in a homogenous stew of sameness. Sadly, a majority of America has succumbed to a cookie cutter landscape littered with Applebee’s and Best Buys.
It makes me think of life. A majority of people I know live very similar kinds of lives. Similar homes, similar lifestyles, with similar cars in the garage and kids involved in similar activities. There’s nothing wrong with it, of course. Just like there’s nothing wrong with lunch at Applebee’s. It’s pretty good, dependable, and lacking in surprises.
But other people I know break the mold. Like The French Quarter, they have a style and sensibility all their own. Sometimes they make choices that go against the grain. They can’t be boxed in to any one stereotype. They see life as a great adventure, not a paint-by-numbers exercise.
They also experience life with less Adultitis.
So which side does your life most resemble? Everybody likes to think they’re so different. But they’re different just like Applebee’s is different than Chili’s. Is your life a similar kind of “different” compared to your neighbors or co-workers? Or is your life a breath of fresh air, standing out as truly unique? Do you ignore the so-called “rules” set forth by the media, celebrities, and neighborhood soccer moms? How often do you take the road less traveled?
Hamburgers are tasty, satisfying, and very popular. But maybe you should try some alligator once in a while, if you know what I mean.
Just some food for thought.
That is so true! I love it when people decide to go against the mold. I have adventurous tastes. Probably one of the strangest things I’ve eaten is balut, a Philippine delicacy…duck eggs, although the duck is partially formed in there…the beak is crunchy. :-) Sometimes they’ve developed feathers. My mom says it tastes like chicken noodle soup. I’m not sure if I agree, but it isn’t bad. It isn’t the best thing I’ve ever tasted either. (I especially enjoyed the time I had it…a Filipina lady brought some to a church function, and two of us were brave enough to have some. Well, I should say one of us. The other guy proceeded to reassemble his duckling on his napkin and not eat it. I guess I was the only “real man”…) :-)
One of my goals when I went to France was to try escargots. Sadly, it didn’t happen, but I’m planning on going back someday, so we’ll see.
I missed New Orleans when I went to Louisiana, but I loved the South. I have had alligator jerky, but that’s the extent of my alligator experience. I did try fried okra and grits (not in the same meal) when I was down there, though. I’ve been somewhat hooked on grits since. :-)
Oh…forgot to mention…I have had frog legs. It was so long ago that I don’t remember how I liked them, but I remember having them when I lived in Asia. I also had chicken’s feet in Hong Kong.
This kind of thinking bothers me just as much as the opposite. It seems there are two camps the “cookie cutter” camp and the “anti-cookie cutter” camp. No, you shouldn’t feel pressured by society to do everything exactly as the Jones’s are. And you certainly shouldn’t feel that you need to strain your finances to fake it. However, there is no need to deny yourself things you actually want and enjoy simply because they are popular.
Yes, having some excitement is nice, but just because your life is like a lot of other people’s doesn’t mean you are automatically a stick in the mud.
Good points, MrsDragon. Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a good old fashioned hamburger. The point of my post was simply to get people thinking about the choices they make, no matter what those choices may be.
No surprise here, the thing Jake (owner of the banana suit) mentioned about his trip to Florida, was eating alligator :)