Willie Price, of New Iberia, continues our seminar on Louisiana spices:
“My sister’s husband died before Katrina hit, and she evacuated to the Houston area. She decided to make Houston her new home.
“We were talking about food the other day, and she wished she could get some Creole seasoning without the salt. I asked her if the stores there sell Benoit’s Best Seasoning.
“She said no, she had never seen or heard about it. I said I would send her some. It is made and packaged in Maurice and Opelousas.
“I wrapped up a canister of Benoit’s Best, salt-free and no MSG. I went to the post office to mail the package, and the clerk gave me the ‘hazardous objects’ spiel.
“I replied, ‘This is a canister of Creole/Cajun seasoning, very potent and hazardous to a palate outside of south Louisiana.’
“We both laughed, and he said he now required a more serious answer of ‘No.'”
Which reminds me
Years ago, when we were dating, Lady Katherine returned from a trip to Minnesota to visit relatives and told me of her airport experience.
She was bringing back several five-pound summer sausages for friends, and her exceptionally heavy suitcase caught the attention of the luggage inspector, who made her open her suitcase and show them to him.
I laughed, because a similar thing had happened to me when I was bringing back a quantity of bagels after a trip to Manhattan. Those New York bagels are substantial!
The elusive Mr. Jones
Z. David Deloach says, “The story about dealing with telemarketers reminded me of a time 30 or so years ago when I would get these Wall Street-sounding guys calling my business to discuss investments.
“One day I advised one that Ed Jones headed that department, and put him on hold. And left it.
“The guy called again and asked for Ed Jones. I put him on hold again, and had my secretary pick up to tell him Mr. Jones was out of the office.
“This became the routine. Within 30 days Ed Jones was receiving mail, credit card solicitations, and a steady stream of telemarketing calls. Of course he was always traveling.
“It took about six months, but for some reason the calls stopped coming in, and that lasted for a long time.”
Uneasy rider
Donald Landaiche, of Donaldsonville, has a question for Mr. Answer Man:
“Seeing the camels in the paper over the past few days, I’ve often wondered about the people who ride camels and where they sit.
“I can understand that when they ride a two-humped camel they can adjust snugly between the humps. But where in the world would they sit on a one-humper?”
Mr. Answer Man replies (with the help of his friend Mr. Google): “The dromedary (one-humped) camel allows a rider to sit in front of, on top of, or behind the hump; the Bactrian (two-humped) camel is saddled between humps.”
Thanks, Mr. Answer Man. By the way, I happen to own a camel saddle, although I do not for the life of me remember how I got it. Or why…
It looks pretty much like a regular leather saddle, except that it’s mounted on curved wooden legs designed to fit around the camel.
Remembering the wall
Russ Kercher, following up on readers’ comments on the fall of the Berlin Wall, says, “A Berlin Wall memorial is located 700 miles to our north, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, home of the National Churchill Museum.”
Special People Dept.
- Mildred Hastings celebrates her 95th birthday Thursday, Nov. 14.
- Kenneth and Dale Lindsey celebrate 56 years of marriage Thursday, Nov. 14.
- Thomas and Shirley Bogie celebrate their 50th anniversary Thursday, Nov. 14.
A financial decision
Russ Wise and Ed Lundin were the first to respond to my Wednesday mention of the “Coach O for governor” letters I received after LSU’s win over Bama.
They both pointed out that not only is the coach having too much fun to change jobs, he would have to take too much of a pay cut…
Write Smiley at Smiley@theadvocate.com. He can also be reached by mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821. Follow Smiley Anders on Twitter, @SmileyAndersAdv.
