March (Crawfish Boil)

On the long drive back from Texas to South Carolina, we stopped in Slidell, Louisiana to pick up a sack of live crawfish. We packed them in a large tub, drained the water, and replenished the ice for the next 10 hours of our road trip.

Crawfish boils have been a sacred tradition in our family for many years. In 1994, when we moved to Houston (from the Chicago suburbs), I was about to start high school. My food loving parents quickly became acquainted with many of the local eateries. They fell in love with the Cajun "delicacy" known as crawfish. From that point on, in late February to early March, on many weekends our garage was filled with good friends and the spicy smell of Tony Chachere's Seafood Seasoning... card tables covered with newspaper, crusty white bread, melted butter, good music and cold drinks.

My dad has always been the "crawfish master" I think he enjoyed the process of preparation. Purging the crawfish, setting up the tables, getting the spice to water ratio just right. I was the master for this meal and aside from the fact that I didn't know what I was doing, it was a bit of an emotional experience. I am still a little heartbroken thinking about how many delicious meals we will share without my father. He loved being around the table with family and friends.