Mmm, Mud Bugs

Having grown up in the midwest, we were both raised on meat and potatoes; not much demand for seafood in the square states. But down here in the South, seafood is something else.

Christ the King had its annual Shrimp and Crawfish Boil (wow, we just had potlucks). Basically, the church gets together and boils a whole ton of shrimp and crawfish, they cover the tables in newspaper, every member brings their own "adult beverage" and the eatin' begins.

Well, Brian was new to the crawfish (which, by the way, they call mud bugs in this here part of the country) eatin' experience (see the picture above). So, he quickly sought the advice of Nikki's (a member of our Kairos gathering) family, all of whom are from New Orleans. They quickly taught him the art of eatin' mud bugs.

First, one pinches the tail, and with a firm grip on the body...separates the two. If one is experienced, he/she would then place the tinest bit of meat between the teeth, turn the tail ever so slightly (like a key in a lock) and pull. If one is successful, he/she would have pulled out all the meat there is to eat in said mud bug. But, that doesn't alot for the best part. Those who really want the full experience are to take the body, crack the torso, and the suck the juice out of the head. It's common for people to go through 5 pounds of crawfish. Brian did!

So, the next time you go out for seafood, try ordering the mud bugs!