Swamp People, Rice Every Day, and Alligator in the Road

Alligator Road

It’s no secret that Roger and I love to travel. Our favorite thing to do on any given weekend is to load up computers and clothes and hit the road going anywhere within driving distance.  This weekend, we have business in the Prentiss, Mississippi area and so decided to take advantage and drive a little further South for the night and get a room close to the water in Louisiana.

In true Roger-Sheila fashion, we saw a road and said, “I wonder where this goes?” Then we just took it to find out,
and I’m so glad we did. For about 45 minutes, we drove down this beautiful, small highway that ran right along the water. Every few miles or so was a small marina with boats and cars and signs advertising everything they had to offer. But it was the houses between the marinas that really fascinated me.

Each home was built on stilts about 12 to 15 feet high – or more – to protect against rising waters. The look of each unique house gave an idea of what the owners might be like if you had the opportunity to meet each character in person. Then we hit a stretch where each house-place had a sign out front with a fun and creative name -- like Go Fish, A Shore Thing, and Coast on Inn. Now we could really get an idea of the personality of the owners!

Louisiana is a state rich in history, culture, and food. The “always ready to party” spirit of the people of South Louisiana is one of the things we love most about the area. The other thing we love best is the food. To me, almost everything about Louisiana cooking is delicious… gumbo (my absolute favorite), etouffee, maque choux, bread pudding, beignets, hot and spicy everything.

The fact that rice is a staple in Louisiana dishes makes the food more appealing to me. I think I could eat rice every day and never tire of it. You can’t hear the words Louisiana cooking without thinking of sausage and rice recipes like jambalaya and red beans and rice.

Our friend James makes frequent trips to Louisiana. Not to eat, but to hunt alligators. He has shared alligator meat with us more than once, and while it’s not my favorite, I think the idea of hunting alligators is exciting. Nicholas and I have had more than one occasion to discuss this idea because he loves the television show, Swamp People. We have spent many an evening discussing what it would be like to actually hunt alligator, and he was surprised to hear that I had never actually seen an alligator in the wild. (Personally, I don’t think that is so surprising, but then I’m not adventurous, 13-year-old boy.)

I couldn't resist taking this picture while
traveling through Pearlington MS.  We
didn't take the road.  We weren't sure
we had time to drive all the way to SPACE
and back before work on Monday!

On this particular weekend trip, I was able to fix that situation. As Roger and I were driving down this quiet highway beside the water, I dodged to miss something on the side of the road. Then hollered out when I realized what it was. This caused Roger to look and he, too, hollered and jumped when he saw it – an alligator. With his head just over the line on the side of the road and the rest of his 8-foot-long body stretching across the side of the road and into the edge of the foliage, he appeared to be quietly and patiently waiting to cross the road.

Roger and I were neither patient nor quiet as we realized what we had seen and I made a quick (and almost certainly illegal) u-turn in the middle of the road so we could go back and take a picture. Alas, an alligator is obviously faster than a u-turn because when we got back to the spot, he was gone. I was disappointed to not have a picture to show Nicholas, but was excited, just the same, to call and tell him that I had, finally, seen an alligator in the wild. His first question, “Did you try to catch it?” Um, No. But I did eat some really good Cajun food while we were there.

I hope you enjoy these delicious, cook-at-home, Louisiana recipes from our Louisiana Hometown Cookbook including one for alligator in case you’ve been hunting lately.

Angies Mock Shoe (MAQUE CHOUX)
Alligator Stew
Bananas Foster