Authentic Cajun Cooking for Lunch

Drove into Ducson, Louisiana, one town over from Lafayette, to Thibodeaux’s, about as authentic a Cajun joint as you can find. A few locals were scattered around the place, conversing with a tourist couple from the Mid-West.

Robert Thibodeaux, the owner, darted back and forth from dining room to kitchen. The decor was Cajun Country: red and white table cloths and matching curtains where the red “checkerboard” design was made up of red crawfish instead of squares.

I ordered the Crawfish Macshou, a creamy, spicy dish prepared with corn. Mr. Thibodeaux rattled off the choice of beverages. “Root Beer?” he asked finally after the usual soft drink list.

“Ah, Yes! Root Beer!” I exclaimed.

“I knew it,” he said, “I don’t know how I knew it, but I knew you’d like that. You get to know someone pretty quick.” And he was off to the kitchen again.

“Best crawdaddies,” said the tourist couple, “They taught us how to eat them.”

As if on cue, Mr. Thibodeaux brought out a small dish of three crawdaddies for me to taste. “Ever eat them?” he asked. I admitted not so he showed me how to crack the claws and pull the tail.

I spent the remaining time before my lunch came out trying desperately to crack the claws, only having a little success with the tails, but I did my best.

People called out to me across the restaurant, asking if I was in town for the Festivale Internationale. No, I said, I was in town to promote my new book and was speaking that night at the Barnes and Noble.

“What is your book about?” asked one large man on the other side of the room.

“The Internet.” I said and they all nodded, yes, the Internet.

“You could write one about Cajuns,” said the big man, “But that would take you a lifetime,” he laughed.

“I know she couldn’t,” said the older woman in the back, “You’re a breed all on your own.”

Lunch was beyond delicious. Spicy, tasty, sweet. I was in tastebud-tingling heaven.