Mr. Lake's New Orleans Forum

... Heckuva mix up dere in dat header, huh?…But as confessed, (and our Dear Aboy might embrace this, I’m ever on the prowl for irony): Irony, IMHO, keeps Us curious; keeps Us hmmmmm-y? and, generally, keeps Us mentally active.

…Irony-y: Finished a med appertment and rolled down a ways to a strip-mall jernt in the hospital of the Hospital District (Parkland; UT Southwestern, etc.), and had – You guessed it! – a jonesing for some dirty rice, since the jernt often bills itself as a ‘Replica Of Louisiana.’. Okey-Dokey. So I peeped in for some dirty rice, perhaps: Nope, we don’t sell that; so I settled for some sorta brea’fus tacos…Fussing to myself, out loud about no dirty rice, a medical worker overhead me and chimed with, "I can tell you are a rice fan; and their rice pretty is good here, but, no, no dirty rice.” Dangit!. I kept to myself...Er, Post Script: Seems I recall that the millers over at Cajuns Country Rice had high-Suit discussions over 'steamed' or 'boiled' rice...Sorta interesting re-call; interesting to me, anyways.


…Iron Vitamins: We chatted some more and I learned that (can One figure?) she just happened to be a nutrition aide, of all people! She would later explain that rice, in general, contributes greatly to iron deficiency in all of us, but especially in women…”Dang,’ I wondered (not aloud this time) ‘Another lecture. How do they find me?’

…Rice: Da nurse tol’ me she had issues with the choice of steaming vs. berling rice, as she said the less rice and other veggies touch water, the less vitamins they loose…Well, uh, well, I’m not sure where I’m headed, given, probably, some upcoming dietary restrictions, but, until medics say “no., I’ll even try to grow on the discovery of Uncle Ben’s boil-in-bags version. Lord knows what chemicals are in them, but they help in a rush, when I can’t steam or berl, and the three versions I’ve had tastes of are, well, serviceable.

…Epilouge: Still would prefer to roll Enterprise Boulevard in Lake Charles for some in-that-jernt dirty rice…I’m jus’ sayin’; or waxin.’…Your rice?

Ben, if ya truly desperate fuh sum doity rice, go find you a Popeyes.

...

…T’anks, chawlie!...Most of the time when we are out and about, Mrs. C. does most of the driving, and she’s an abiding Popeye’s fan; so as a passenger, I never really scan their billboard menu. But next time, I’ll lovingly ax her to order up somma dat dirty rice! T’anks. Never saw it, somehow, even when I've walked in.

...But to correct the initial posting, I mentioned Uncle Ben’s boil-in-bag rice offering; not!. I’ve discovered “Success Rice” boil-in-bags and I meant to say ‘Uncle Ben’s” microwaveble rices, ‘specially the garden variety and the three-cheeses…(Mrs. C., turn in to the next Popeye’s ya see, please.’)...Irony, Iron and Rice: Do I carry a Louisiana "look" kinda? How do They find me?...Hardly a complaint ; am jus' sayin'.

Just be careful how ya axe for it. They call it "Cajun rice."

The quality varies from one Popeye's location to another, but some have really excellent Cajun (dirty) rice! The one in Vienna, Virginia, sure does serve some that tastes good to me these days, I must admit.