by Christine Baker
There’s nothing like a rainy day or month here in Central Louisiana to remind you of what was and what is still, good eating.
Once upon a time when I was a little girl, way back when it was okay to play outside barefoot until evening when the street lights came on, I used to walk down to the corner grocer with my little brother by my side, each of us holding a dollar bill in our hands. Sometimes we bought candy. Sometimes we bought a pop or ice cream, but sometimes we bought a link of hot boudin. There was just nothing else like it in the world, a piping hot sausage casing – filled with the spicy goodness of rice and dressing meat that filled our growing bodies.
I grew up with boudin in my life and diet, handed down from generation to generation. As I got older, my Dad would sometimes buy boudin on Saturday mornings for breakfast. He loved to split open the casing and spread the boudin stuffing on fresh white Evangeline Maid Bread, the kind of bread that was so soft it stuck to the roof of your mouth. He called it a boudin sandwich. “Ca c’est bon!” he would say, as he licked his lips and grabbed another link of boudin and bread slices. When holidays or special occasions arose, oftentimes my Mom would buy a package of boudin, cut them into small pieces and display them on a beautiful tray.
Now that I’m older and my palate has tasted some of the finest foods the world has to offer, I still find within me a craving from time to time for the simplest of all that was and still is, a piping hot link of delicious boudin. I find it not only fills my belly, but it takes me back to a simpler time of life when you knew the local grocer by name. You also knew the place where you spent your money was where your money was turned around and spent.
One of my favorite places to go here in Cenla when a boudin craving hits or for homestyle cajun cooking is Quebedeaux’s Boudin & Cracklins at 3710 South MacArthur Drive here in Alexandria. I’ve been told their best sellers are their Cajun Chicken Burger, Boudin Burger and Pork Chop Burger, but for this Cajun lady nothing but a piping hot link of boudin will do!
If you’re in the mood for a little fine-dining, check out Quebedeaux’s Cajun Cafe at 3800 Monroe Highway in Pineville, Louisiana for lunch or dinner. You will not leave disappointed!
Good food is not just sustenance for the body, it’s memories for the soul.
Good eating! Good loving! Good remembering!
Au revoir!
Christine Baker
