Recreational Eating

Saturday, January 21, 2023

We got upgraded free to first class on our flight this afternoon. I really like when that happens. We even got to sit together. Our flight attendant asked if we would like anything to drink before take-off. I immediately said no. I always say no when someone offers me a drink. I have to work on that. Keith had a Sprite. Did you know that Sprite is actually not be produced anymore? Coke has replaced Sprite with a new clear soda called Sparkle or Starry or Sunshine or Something. [editor: Not quite. Pepsi has dropped Sierra Mist and replaced it with Starry. -keith] I heard the flight attendant confirm with the people across the aisle that they had ordered cheeseburgers for lunch. Lunch! We were going to have lunch. How exciting. When she got to us (last – we were in the first row, but on the wrong side, apparently. Also, we didn’t actually buy first class seats, so it made sense to come to us last. I did have to wonder if the flight attendants are notified “These people are just there because we are being nice to them. You don’t really have to be extra nice or anything.”) we had the choice of a chicken poke bowl or a sweet potato vegetarian meal. Mmmm. There was one of each left, so there wasn’t really a choice (except which would go on whose tray). Keith really likes sweet potatoes, so he got that one. They were both superiorly weird. Mine was a cold dish of some rice, some weird broccoli (?), some green leafy deals, some cute little cubes of breaded chicken, some shredded carrots, some unidentifiable squishy things (Keith thought maybe mushrooms…maybe…but reallllllllly squishy and no taste whatsoever), and some little orange cubes of something. I put the little-tiny bowl (1″ diameter) of sauce on it. It made literally no difference. There was still no flavor. I ate most of it, just for recreation. I had a little bowl of oranges and kiwis, but I traded Keith for his salad (90% chickpeas, two pieces of greens, some sesame seeds) because I am nice. I kept asking Keith how his was. He said weird three or four times. I had a chocolate chip cookie for dessert, which I ate because I was hungry. We watched the movie Elvis. We started it nearly immediately after getting seated, which was good because the credits were rolling as we hit the ground in New Orleans. So, an MSP to MSY flight is one Elvis long. We both really enjoyed the movie.

We Lyfted to our hotel. As we came down St. Charles Street, I said, “ooooh, look at the pretty light balls,” and they turned out to be hanging from the tree outside of our hotel. We have a nice room – a little living room and separate bedroom – nice so I can sleep while Keith is working (because I am very spoiled).

We walked down St. Charles to Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar. Keith had been studying nearby restaurant menus, and chose Mr. Ed’s. Because I do not like fish, it is important to find a restaurant that has something on the menu other than fish. Mr. Ed makes fried chicken, so we were good to go. On the dinner specials menu was chicken fricasse – pan fried chicken with brown gravy and baked macaroni. I was in. Benjamin has requested a detailed review of everything we eat, so it begins here. The chicken was moist and delicious. I was very curious that chicken would come with brown gravy, but indeed it did, and it was wonderful. The cooked-but-still-crunchy onions were a delicious addition. The breading was light and perfect. The macaroni and cheese was THE BEST. I am willing to go back tomorrow just to have it again. Pat, our waiter, said it is better than his mom’s (he is our age, so I liked that he was talking about his mom), but he won’t tell her. I have no idea what kind of cheese they used or why it was so good, but I wish I could make M&C that is that good. Keith ordered the Southern fried platter, with fried chicken, fried catfish, fried shrimp, and jambalaya. I will let him tell you about it. [Keith here…] The chicken was one of the restaurant’s specialties but was the weak point of the meal. It had an excellent, crunchy batter, but it was overcooked and dry. The catfish and shrimp on the other hand were the highlights–delicious, light, seasoned batter and fried perfectly. The wildcard was the jambalaya, which was probably the most unusual one I have had (initially I thought it was either burnt or smoked–either would be weird for jambalaya), but it was oddly compelling at the same time. I didn’t like the first couple bites, but by the end I would’ve taken more if offered.