Smiley: No fishing, or roller skating, here

Smiley: No fishing, or roller skating, here
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This column’s headline makes sense only if you’re familiar with the 1965 Roger Miller song. If you’re not, it’s worth looking up.   

“I grew up in Denver, and we traveled the West a lot on vacations with our parents,” says Chuck Pickett, of Lafayette.

“We were in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, every summer fly fishing with my dad.

“Years later (maybe 1985), my brother Dave and I, both in our 40s, were fly fishing the Snake River in Yellowstone, at a spot with one else around.

“All of the sudden I heard a roar! I looked up and just across the river was the entire Yellowstone buffalo herd, roaring and pawing the ground. We realized we were fishing at a buffalo crossing!

“We ran like hell to our car and watched as the herd forded the river and crossed the road.

“That was the end of fishing for that day!”

Chilling fish story

Speaking of interrupted fishing, Bo Bienvenu, of Prairieville, tells of his experience:

“When stationed in the Frozen Nawth, I gave ice fishing a try.

“I walked an uncomfortable distance from land, and was unprepared for what happened next. No one told me the ice could shift and make noise.

“At the first loud pop, I abandoned my tackle and broke for the shore, certain I would never see my boys grow up.

“Laughing hysterically, a local grabbed me and said, ‘Not from around here, are you, boy?’”

Heads and tails

“When I was growing up in Baton Rouge in the ’50s and ’60s,” says Eddie Cole, of Blairsville, Georgia, “my family ate fried fish and boiled shrimp, but never crawfish.

“When I got a job teaching and coaching in Thibodaux in 1976, the booster club held a ‘Meet the Coaches’ crawfish boil.

“I decided to mimic the actions of the man sitting across from me. (Real men don’t ask directions!)

“Soon, his eyes got big as saucers! Apparently I had messed up — and was trying to eat the head and suck the tail instead of the other way around.

“He gave me a quick tutorial, and by the end of the evening I was on my way to becoming an accomplished crawfish eater!”

Stuff it!

These two submissions are from my “Tastes better than it sounds” file:

  • Ernie Gremillion, of Baton Rouge, says, “Your explanation of the stuffed pig stomach you called ‘ponce’ reminded me that my mother’s family in Plaucheville fixed something very similar they called a ‘gog.’ They do not make that any more, but referred me to T Jim’s meat market in Cottonport, where I will pick some up if I am anywhere close.”
  • But Lynn Duhon, of Maurice, says, “Chaudin is the stomach of a hog that is cleaned and stuffed with seasoned ground pork, the same as is used to make fresh pork sausage. Not boudin stuffing. Ponce is the cleaned and boiled stomach of a cow. It can be served breaded and fried. It is called tripe at the meat market.”

(I have an idea different areas of Acadiana have different food definitions. Lady K and I judged at the Smoked Meat Festival in Ville Platte for many years, and the ponce there was a pig’s stomach stuffed with ground pork, rice, spices, etc., much like boudin.)

Special People Dept.

  • Marie Green Richard, of Abbeville, celebrates her 100th birthday Monday, May 29. She was married to Alvin “Doc” Richard for 50 years.
  • Leila and Philip “Feda” Matassa, of Donaldsonville, celebrated their 50th anniversary Thursday, May 25.

Don’t wait!

David Porter, retired Southern University English prof, says, “A recent Advocate article urged us to make our wills ahead of time. This sounds like a good idea, but what exactly are the other options?”   

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About Mary Weyand 15929 Articles
Mary founded Scoop Tour with an aim to bring relevant and unaltered news to the general public with a specific view point for each story catered by the team. She is a proficient journalist who holds a reputable portfolio with proficiency in content analysis and research. With ample knowledge about the Automobile industry, she also contributes her knowledge for the Automobile section of the website.

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