oyster – ME SO HUNGRY

Oyster Roast at the Chicago Food Film Festival

Dang. This was the most exciting food event I’ve ever been to. Oyster Roast! Watched some rad films and then they got us wasted and handed us shucking knives. They drove up a Penske truck of Bulls Bay Oysters from South Carolina. You gotta see the film about these oysters that film festival host and Travel Channel’s “Made in America”, George Motz, made. The film was right up Rusty’s alley.

Best oysters I’ve ever had. Huge shells. Once you crack it open, some came out big and some relatively small (but probably the small is the same size as a regular). And the flavor was perfect. Already salty and tasty. I didn’t even need any hot sauce that I love so dear.

The guys who brought the oysters from South Carolina were cool. One of the guys brought Pickled Shrimp that he makes —Mama’s Pickled Shrimp. That was delicious. I was trying to get Rusty to eat it somewhere in the night, but we got lost in the crowd that was attacking all the oysters …They almost got their butts burned from the hot shovels of roasted oysters running up behind them.

Also I really liked the Brunswick Stew that The Bedford brought. The best Brunswick Stew I’ve had so far. I was glad I was able to get Russ to eat it. Sometimes he forgets to eat when he parties.

I’m also glad I got to try the Doughnut Vault donuts. I actually thought it was a dream that I had one until I saw these photos. The Doughnut Vault had a line around the corner at 10:30 on that Saturday morning when we got into Chicago. We thought it was a line to see some awesome indie band or something.

Rusty’s Chicago friend, Ronnie Z, called me and I was trying to text him back but forgot to hit send because I was in the middle of a conversation. Two hours later, I saw that I hadn’t sent it and felt like shit. Once I hit send, he popped out of the darkness like a vampire …or like Nicholas Cage. I felt so bad. I think he was watching us party from the outside that whole time.

I woke up the next morning and Rusty had picked me up an Egg McMuffin and Hash Brown. Best cure for a hangover …or at least temporarily.

We headed on down to our double-wide trailer in Lafitte. Sam and I decided to get some real food at the nearby Jan’s Cajun Restaurant. Meals there are included in some of the local fishing charters.

We split a Seafood Gumbo ($6.50) and a large Oyster Po Boy ($10.50), which we heard had jumped to $30 in some parts since the oil spill. The Oyster Po Boy was big. We wondered if it was actually two, but they cut it up for us into four pieces.

There were two large men that asked us if we were film makers …maybe because of our hair? They were working for BP, previously commercial fisherman. That’s really messed up how you end up working for the company that fucked up your life, family and future. But I suppose you do it because you have no choice. It is all for the sake of your life, family and future.

They filled us in a bit on how’s it going out there. And gave us a tip on the House of Seafood Buffet in Bush, Louisiana. The way the big black man made it sound, it was like Alice in Wonderland –a huge fabled building out in the middle of nowhere, where they charter out-of-towners to and serve shrimps, seafood, rabbit, gator and everything else imaginable. I later asked my friend and he told that I shouldn’t step foot Bush. Supposedly one scary KKK town. At the same time, I’m reallyÂ intrigued.

Speaking back to Jan’s Cajun Restaurant, we enjoyed our meal. It was just good local food. Seems kinda like the place you’d eat at if you were in Twin Peaks. But it made sense to me.

Jan’s Cajun Restaurant – 4831 Jean Lafitte Blvd. Lafitte, LA 70067