A short while back, I was living in the beautiful NW Pacific Mountain Town of Sandy, Oregon. I had an a amazing view of Mount Hood from the front porch and an awesome creek with Salmon running twice a year in the back yard. Truly, it is an amazing place. www.mounthood.org. I recieved a call from one of my family members telling me to come home, there's been a family emergency and you need to be here.
So, bags packed, cabin locked up and a new adventure coming at me head on, off I went, back down to the bayou's of South West Louisiana. I won't go into details about the family emergency suffice to say that the crissis is over and I'm still here. The life blood of cajun country surging through my bones, I had forgoten, having been away from here for twenty five years, just how much I loved this place, the people, culture, food, music and lifestyle.
With that being said, I was rummaging through some of my moms old cook books looking for something cajun to cook and found an old book called, "The Boudreaux and Thibideaux Origional Joke Book", It's an oldie alright, published back in 1964, it's probably out of print by now. If you can find it, get it! Like a bumb bunny, I gave my copy to a friend of mine back in Oregon, I should have kept it, but my friends Dale and Karen really love to hear the cajun stories I used to tell, sitting aroung the mountain side campfire and so, I gifted it.
The book is not only full of hillarious cajun jokes, it also has some awesome cajun recipes. The one I remember most though, was Creole Elephant Stew! Now this is from memory so the proportions might need to be tweeked a bit. It calls for, of all things, One medium sized elephant. Now that's gonna be kind of hard to come by in SW Louisiana, the closest place to find one is probably going to be the Lafayette Municipal Zoo, and even then it's probably subject to availability. Them cajuns will eat anything, eh shy?
So here we go: To start, you will need.
1. One Medium size Elephant
2. 150 lbs Onion
3. 80 lbs Garlic
4. 100 lbs celery
5. Creole seasoning to taste.
6. Two rabbits.
This is gonna feed a lot of people, about 650, so only make this when you're gonna have a heck of a party. Maybe the next Saints Supper Bowl! Cut the Elephant into bite size pieces, this should take you about six weeks! Dice up the onions, garlic and celery into small bits. Again, this will take about another three weeks. It's a lot of vegetables! Put everything into a big ole pot, one big enough to be able to cover the dish with sauce, (Roux), season with creole seasoning to taste and cover and simmer until tender. Again, this will probably take about two to three weeks.
That was easy, now this recipe will feed about 650 people. If you plan on having more guests than that, well, then add the two rabbits. That should take care of the extra mouths to feed. I caution you to be carefull when adding those rabbits, Nobody likes to find a hare in their stew!
Ha Ha Ha, Gotcha!
Dave
www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Cajun Internet Marketer
Boudreaux say to me, shy it don' work quite like dat, and I say hahn I knew it, you gonna toll me some more of dat bullshit! He say no itz a little diffrant den dat. he say I can't jes order up a cajun wife dat know all dat stuff! Den he say that you can order up a wife on de interneckt, but she probably gonna speak wit a funny ac-cent and eat some weird food you never heard bout! I don' tink I like that Boudreaux, an he say dats not de point. what I'm to toll you iz jes an example, den I say OK, I understood it now. he say letz tri diz again, Boudreaux sez, how much you spend when you go down to Gasparhds for de # 10 one aucht hook wit the long shank and de 20 pound test line and de one ounce weight? I say bout $4.50 and he say now you do dat every week for five weeks and you gonna spend a lot of money, no? Oui, I toll him, now I dun been tru de six grade tree times and I know dats a lot of money shy! Then Boudreaux he sez, you can order all dat on de interneckt for bout half dat and it come right to your door! you don' got to get in your air boat and wase de gas and time to go to Gasparhds no more! Now I know what your tinking, I thought it too, but Boudreaux sez itz for true and I'm gonna believe him. he sez de got diz ting called de I-Phone, he say wit dat you can get on de interneckts and talk to Denise and Denefew any time you want and de got de videaux picture on it that you can see dem at the same time you speak to dem. He sez itz not like de phone you got wit de wires and round dahl for de numbers no, he sez itz `wire-less and don' coss near what you pay to have all dem wires come in de camp house! Now I'm startin to tink dat Boudreaux, he'z a smart cajun he knows alot o tings. He dun spend six years in high scholl and got what de call a hi education! An to prove dat, he also got one of his chiren dat go to de LSU too!
Now for dose of you dat don' know, LSU is not de Louisiana State of Unemployment no, Itz a col-edge in a little town jes east of here called a Baton Rouge. An itz a great little town too, de got de govnah of all louisiana, not jes de SW part live there an I know dis iz for true cuz I been there to his house for de shrimp boil jus lass year. It's a fine place too, a big white house wit got all de trimmins, Now Bobby iz a good man too, an we pass a good time, eat a lot of shrimp and drink some ice cold beer, I tink he's probably de bess guvnah dis state done ever gonna seen! An if 'z good nough for Bobby, It'z good nough for Boudreaux's cherin too! But dats another story dat I'm gonna toll you some other time. I want to get back to dis interneckt ting. Boudreaux say he can get me sometin called a black-berrie, he sez itz a lot like de I-phone and itz got de alphabet letters on it so dat I can send somting call'd a tex-message to my frienz. Now I got stop right here, cuz I look at Boudreaux like he done loss hiz mind! I say, I'm gonna get dis phone dat got no wire and no round dahl for de numbers and me, I'm gonna send you a tex-message? Why I'm not jes gonna call you? Boudreaux sez I can send de tex-message to let people know what I'm doin right now. An I can send dat to alot of peoples at the same time so I don' got to call each one. Den I sez to Boudreaux, you mean like I can toll the peoples dat dis is Thibideaux, I jes got up, got my cup of community coffee and iz sittin on de pot? Why don' I jes call you an say Boudreax guess what dis sound like an let you figure out where I'm sittin?
Now Boudreaux sez to me, I can't did stuff like dat cuzz itz not what de call appropriate, what ever dat mean, I sez earlier dat Boudreaux like to use dem fancy hi-scholl words a lot jes to show off. He sez what you would sez instead is somting like, Dis is Thibideaux I jes got up and got my cup of community coffee and jes finish brushin my tooth! Boudreax say you gots to keep a lot of manners on de internekt cuz itz a social net-work. Then I sez to Boudreaux, what if I drop my Black-berrie wire-less phone in de water when I'm checkin my traught line an one of dem fish get hold of dat phone and send one of dem tex-meassage to all my frien and say maybe I'm not de bes fish-r-man on de bayou. Now I got a problem wit my rep-you-tation! Boudreaux say I don' got to worry bout dat cuz itz a wire-less phone and dem fish don' got no signal under de water anyhow. Now I only been tru de six grade tree times, but dem fish stay in dem scholls all der entire life so I tink de got to be smart nough to figure dat one out. But Boudreaux he sez it's a diffrant kind of scholl what de fish go to. I know what your tinking an I thought it to but Boudreaux dun shot straight wit me so far so I'm gonna believe him.
Boudreaux sez I gots a lot to learn about the interneckts but de bes way iz to jes get out there an start doin it. He sez, me I'm gonna learn as I go an soon nough I'm gonna be a pro! I don' know bout you but down in Sout Wes Louisiana we consider a pro somting compleetly difrant! Gotta go, Fish on!
Editor Note: Mr. R. Thibideaux has lived in Grand Chenier rigth outside the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge his entire life. He speaks with a heavy french accent and often times, when he can't find the english word for what he wants to say, he will switch to cajun french. He also mumbles. I tried to write this article the way he spoke it, I know I did not even come close to getting it right, but you get the jest of it. Rodney and I have been friends a long time. We've caught a lot of fish and drank a lot of beer. He's been clean and sober for almost three years now and I applaud him for his efforts and funny stories. I hope you enjoyed this one.
Dave
www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Old School
The other day I was in one the many national grocery store chains. I went there with a buddy because he needed to pay his electric bill. I thought to myself, “self, why is this guy doing this instead of just paying it online”? Now, not only do we spend valuable time away from the best fishing hole in all of SW Louisiana, but we get to waste gas, time, money and not to mention all the lovely people we get to share space with also standing in this line.
Well I decided I had enough of that nonsense, so I meandered on over to the magazine section. I wanted to find an article in one of the guitar magazines that another buddy mentioned but I could not recall which magazine it was in. As I was shuffling through the various magazines content pages, one of the stores clerks approached me. He said, “Sir, you can’t stand here and read the magazines unless you buy them”.Now this is where I got the idea for this article, “Old School”, In retrospect, I guess it’s kinda funny now but at the time, not so much. Here’s how the basic conversation went. Clerk: Sir, you can’t stand here and read the magazines, you have to purchase them. Their not free! Me: Oh I know that, I’m waiting for a friend to pay a bill and I heard about an article on, “Dime Bag Daryl”, I wanted to find it. I’m a big Dime Bag Daryl fan. Clerk: Well you’re loitering, we don’t allow that in this store, you’ll have to purchase the magazine if you want to read the article. Me: I’m fully aware of the loitering laws young man, I am not loitering, I’m waiting on my friend who is conducting business here, In the mean time if I find the article I’m looking for then yes, by all means I will purchase the magazine. I like these magazines and I buy them here all the time.
Clerk: No sir, you don’t have a shopping cart, and I see you standing here reading the magazines and not making a purchase, you are loitering. Now I’m going to stop the interaction here to interject some deep thoughts from a shallow mind. First off, I thought to myself this guy is obviously, slow or slightly touched in the head. Which turns out he is! for real. OK self, I understand the disability laws and I can accept that. Second, I say to myself, self, this guy is just not going to get it and this is going to end badly. Now back to the interaction. Me: well I can see that you think that but I really don’t remember which magazine the article was in so I need to go through the contents guide and find it. If I find it I will buy it, got it? do ya get that? comprehend amigo? Clerk: Sir you can’t stand here and read the magazines. you’re going to have to buy them, Me: well young man, how can I buy the magazine I want if I don’t know that the article is in it? Clerk: Because you have to buy it! Me: WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY OR JUST PLAIN STUPID? What part of I’m looking for the article in the contents guides do you not understand? Clerk: Sir, you can’t talk to me that way, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Me: WHAT! excuse me, are you for real? This is insane! I’m not doing anything wrong. Clerk: Sir, please leave now or I will call the police. Me: Oh my @@#*$(%& God! You’re an idot! $*(% you!
And so off I go, heading out the door. On the way out I notice that my buddy has moved up the line two spaces and that this is going to take a while, It’s hot outside in SW Louisiana during September, and I know this is going to be uncomfortable but hey anything is better than this, right? WRONG! It gets much better, This isn’t over yet, not by a long shot! Now my buddy sees me heading out the door and gives me the what up look. I roll my eyes, give the thumb behind me gesture towards the clerk and twirl my finger around my ear as in, this is crazy. He gives me the shrugged shoulder gestures as to say he does not understand, but it’s too late by now, I’m already out the door.
The heat coming off the tarmac this sunny September afternoon is insufferable. The humidity is most certainly not helping one bit. So now I’m in the truck passenger side, door open, to let what little relief in and low and behold what do we have here? That’s right you guessed it. Little mister slowmoe is out in the parking lot gathering up shopping carts and of course he notices me sitting there in the truck, obviously, I’m Loitering! Sir, the clerk says, I asked you politely to leave. listen up you little jerk, I said, I left. I’m sitting here waiting for my friend and there’s not anything you can do about it. So go #&*$ yourself! Well I guess in retrospect, that was probably the wrong way to handle that. That’s right again, you guessed it her comes the PoePoe! Now for those of you that don’t have a teenage daughter, PoePoe is slang for police officer!
WooHoo this is gonna get fun! Now mister slowmoe and mister poepoe are in the parking lot, just out of ear shot. The clerk, obviously excited, judging from the animated arm gestures and finger pointing in my general direction. After a few moments the officer decides it must be my turn so, her he comes. Office: Sir, could you step out of the vehicle please. Me: No, I don’t think so. Officer: Approaching the vehicle and in much closer that comfortable range says, Sir, have you been drinking? Oh darn! here we go. Me: Why do you ask? Officer: I smell alcohol on you breath, and though alcohol is perfectly legal, too much of it can alter a persons behavior. I need to know if you’ve been drinking and how much so that I can effectivley deal with you. Me: Well officer, about an hour and a half ago, I was sitting at my buddy’s kitchen table drinking a beer. He said, come on lets take a ride up to the store, I need to pay a bill, it’ll take about five minutes. So now I have a half of a warm beer sitting on a table patiently waiting for me.
I said officer, tell me, have you been eating doughnuts! Although sugar is perfectly legal, to much of it in the blood stream can alter a persons behavior. Your eyes look glazed and I need to know if you’ve been eating doughnuts and how many, so that I can effectively deal with you! Well, again in retrospect, not a great idea but at the time, hell, I thought that was funny! You guessed it, out come the handcuffs! OK OK wait a minute, Let me explain, please! after a few minutes of patiently listening to my story, the officer, looking over at the mildly "touched" clerk,and chuckles softly. Needless to say, this has all been a huge miss communication and if we all just calm down and go our separate ways, everything will be just fine, I said. The officer tended to agree with me and so, thus almost ended a perfectly screwed up day, almost.....
My buddy, clueless as to what was unfolding now exits the store, Seeing the events taking place through fresh eyes asks innocently enough, Hey, what the hell is going on here and Dave, what the hell did you do now? Well Mike I said, apparently I decided to go to the store for a five minute trip to pay a bill, because some people are old school and can’t pay bills on line, I thought I’d have a little fun, you know, just to pass the time.Other than that ole buddy, everything is just fine. Hey, I said then, let’s go fishing!
I caught a 40lb drum on a half of a dead stinky crab! Oh and by the way, I do most of my business online, It’s simple, fast and convenient, much less, it’s not nearly as dramatic. Next week, I’ll tell ya about my dad’s old school experience in the same store with the same clerk. I wonder if they do this stuff on purpose just for the entertainment value?
Dave
www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us
fishrcutbait@hotmail.com
Well I decided I had enough of that nonsense, so I meandered on over to the magazine section. I wanted to find an article in one of the guitar magazines that another buddy mentioned but I could not recall which magazine it was in. As I was shuffling through the various magazines content pages, one of the stores clerks approached me. He said, “Sir, you can’t stand here and read the magazines unless you buy them”.Now this is where I got the idea for this article, “Old School”, In retrospect, I guess it’s kinda funny now but at the time, not so much. Here’s how the basic conversation went. Clerk: Sir, you can’t stand here and read the magazines, you have to purchase them. Their not free! Me: Oh I know that, I’m waiting for a friend to pay a bill and I heard about an article on, “Dime Bag Daryl”, I wanted to find it. I’m a big Dime Bag Daryl fan. Clerk: Well you’re loitering, we don’t allow that in this store, you’ll have to purchase the magazine if you want to read the article. Me: I’m fully aware of the loitering laws young man, I am not loitering, I’m waiting on my friend who is conducting business here, In the mean time if I find the article I’m looking for then yes, by all means I will purchase the magazine. I like these magazines and I buy them here all the time.
Clerk: No sir, you don’t have a shopping cart, and I see you standing here reading the magazines and not making a purchase, you are loitering. Now I’m going to stop the interaction here to interject some deep thoughts from a shallow mind. First off, I thought to myself this guy is obviously, slow or slightly touched in the head. Which turns out he is! for real. OK self, I understand the disability laws and I can accept that. Second, I say to myself, self, this guy is just not going to get it and this is going to end badly. Now back to the interaction. Me: well I can see that you think that but I really don’t remember which magazine the article was in so I need to go through the contents guide and find it. If I find it I will buy it, got it? do ya get that? comprehend amigo? Clerk: Sir you can’t stand here and read the magazines. you’re going to have to buy them, Me: well young man, how can I buy the magazine I want if I don’t know that the article is in it? Clerk: Because you have to buy it! Me: WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY OR JUST PLAIN STUPID? What part of I’m looking for the article in the contents guides do you not understand? Clerk: Sir, you can’t talk to me that way, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Me: WHAT! excuse me, are you for real? This is insane! I’m not doing anything wrong. Clerk: Sir, please leave now or I will call the police. Me: Oh my @@#*$(%& God! You’re an idot! $*(% you!
And so off I go, heading out the door. On the way out I notice that my buddy has moved up the line two spaces and that this is going to take a while, It’s hot outside in SW Louisiana during September, and I know this is going to be uncomfortable but hey anything is better than this, right? WRONG! It gets much better, This isn’t over yet, not by a long shot! Now my buddy sees me heading out the door and gives me the what up look. I roll my eyes, give the thumb behind me gesture towards the clerk and twirl my finger around my ear as in, this is crazy. He gives me the shrugged shoulder gestures as to say he does not understand, but it’s too late by now, I’m already out the door.
The heat coming off the tarmac this sunny September afternoon is insufferable. The humidity is most certainly not helping one bit. So now I’m in the truck passenger side, door open, to let what little relief in and low and behold what do we have here? That’s right you guessed it. Little mister slowmoe is out in the parking lot gathering up shopping carts and of course he notices me sitting there in the truck, obviously, I’m Loitering! Sir, the clerk says, I asked you politely to leave. listen up you little jerk, I said, I left. I’m sitting here waiting for my friend and there’s not anything you can do about it. So go #&*$ yourself! Well I guess in retrospect, that was probably the wrong way to handle that. That’s right again, you guessed it her comes the PoePoe! Now for those of you that don’t have a teenage daughter, PoePoe is slang for police officer!
WooHoo this is gonna get fun! Now mister slowmoe and mister poepoe are in the parking lot, just out of ear shot. The clerk, obviously excited, judging from the animated arm gestures and finger pointing in my general direction. After a few moments the officer decides it must be my turn so, her he comes. Office: Sir, could you step out of the vehicle please. Me: No, I don’t think so. Officer: Approaching the vehicle and in much closer that comfortable range says, Sir, have you been drinking? Oh darn! here we go. Me: Why do you ask? Officer: I smell alcohol on you breath, and though alcohol is perfectly legal, too much of it can alter a persons behavior. I need to know if you’ve been drinking and how much so that I can effectivley deal with you. Me: Well officer, about an hour and a half ago, I was sitting at my buddy’s kitchen table drinking a beer. He said, come on lets take a ride up to the store, I need to pay a bill, it’ll take about five minutes. So now I have a half of a warm beer sitting on a table patiently waiting for me.
I said officer, tell me, have you been eating doughnuts! Although sugar is perfectly legal, to much of it in the blood stream can alter a persons behavior. Your eyes look glazed and I need to know if you’ve been eating doughnuts and how many, so that I can effectively deal with you! Well, again in retrospect, not a great idea but at the time, hell, I thought that was funny! You guessed it, out come the handcuffs! OK OK wait a minute, Let me explain, please! after a few minutes of patiently listening to my story, the officer, looking over at the mildly "touched" clerk,and chuckles softly. Needless to say, this has all been a huge miss communication and if we all just calm down and go our separate ways, everything will be just fine, I said. The officer tended to agree with me and so, thus almost ended a perfectly screwed up day, almost.....
My buddy, clueless as to what was unfolding now exits the store, Seeing the events taking place through fresh eyes asks innocently enough, Hey, what the hell is going on here and Dave, what the hell did you do now? Well Mike I said, apparently I decided to go to the store for a five minute trip to pay a bill, because some people are old school and can’t pay bills on line, I thought I’d have a little fun, you know, just to pass the time.Other than that ole buddy, everything is just fine. Hey, I said then, let’s go fishing!
I caught a 40lb drum on a half of a dead stinky crab! Oh and by the way, I do most of my business online, It’s simple, fast and convenient, much less, it’s not nearly as dramatic. Next week, I’ll tell ya about my dad’s old school experience in the same store with the same clerk. I wonder if they do this stuff on purpose just for the entertainment value?
Dave
www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us
fishrcutbait@hotmail.com
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Disposable Income?
I just finished reading an article in Readers Digest about disposable income, I was truley shocked to find that some of the things I considerd junk sitting in the corner of my closet might actually be worth something to someone, somewhere! It's a prety good article and it's chock full of information I never considered. If you"re interested, It"s the November 2009 issue and the author is a lady by the name Amy Maclin. I bet it can be found at http://www.readersdigest.com/. I don't think I'm going to verify that however, cause this is just a blogg and it motivated me enough to blogg this in and look deeper into the closet, Oh God! Please don't let me find any skeletons in there! Ha ha.
The article takes the reader by the hand with a getting started, what it's worth, things to consider, how to sell it youself and so on. But here's what I found that I thought was cool. I thought the only place to do that was E-bay! Turns out, that aint the case. E-bay is just the begining. there's lots of online "showrooms" available to the common Joe. E-bay is however probably the biggest and that's why it most likely gets the most attention. There's nothing wrong with that, I like E-bay, I rebuilt my 1982 KZ-1000 motorcycle with parts bought from them. Hey if it works, stick with what ya know! But, I am old school and new to the internet thing. Hey, I love this too! Buying things online and saving money is important to me. I'm cheap! Ooopps I ment to say I'm thrifty. Hmm same thing according to my daughter. She's all about the internet and new way of commerce. My kid would make a great internet Guru! She got me this far.
I found some great deals also at http://www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us/ all kinds of freebies and usefull things I can now put in that corner of the closet and someday maybe think it's junk, or treasure. Any way, that's allI have to say. Hope I helped someone out. See ya round the old funny farm.
Sincerly, Dave
www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us
The article takes the reader by the hand with a getting started, what it's worth, things to consider, how to sell it youself and so on. But here's what I found that I thought was cool. I thought the only place to do that was E-bay! Turns out, that aint the case. E-bay is just the begining. there's lots of online "showrooms" available to the common Joe. E-bay is however probably the biggest and that's why it most likely gets the most attention. There's nothing wrong with that, I like E-bay, I rebuilt my 1982 KZ-1000 motorcycle with parts bought from them. Hey if it works, stick with what ya know! But, I am old school and new to the internet thing. Hey, I love this too! Buying things online and saving money is important to me. I'm cheap! Ooopps I ment to say I'm thrifty. Hmm same thing according to my daughter. She's all about the internet and new way of commerce. My kid would make a great internet Guru! She got me this far.
I found some great deals also at http://www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us/ all kinds of freebies and usefull things I can now put in that corner of the closet and someday maybe think it's junk, or treasure. Any way, that's allI have to say. Hope I helped someone out. See ya round the old funny farm.
Sincerly, Dave
www.mikeraymarketing.dealcenter.us
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