Mardi Gras motd Tues Feb 21, 2012

[Guest guest]

LAISSEZ LES BONS

TEMPS ROULER

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Unless you're from my part of the country,

good-old-New Orleans, you have no idea what that

phrase means. Well, let me tell you. Translated from

French Cajun, it means...Let the good times roll!

It's Mardi Gras season, everybody! And no city in

America celebrates Mardi Gras like my hometown of New

Orleans. Today is Fat

Tuesday, the climax of Mardi Gras celebrations

and that means, all over New Orleans, people really will be letting the

good times roll!

You should see Bourbon

Street and the rest of the French Quarter today.

Oh, if you've never been, you should see Bourbon

Street and the rest of the French Quarter today. That

is, if you don't mind being surrounded by hundreds of

thousands of people attending parades, hanging from

balconies and oh yes, drinking! Pat O'Brien's

restaurant in the Quarter has a famous drink called

The Hurricane and, believe me, it lives up to its

name. Drink just one of them and you'll feel just

like you've been blown off your feet! LOL.

I grew up in the French Quarter so of course, I'm no

stranger to Mardi Gras celebrations. I loved the big

parades put on by the different Mardi Gras Krewes

every year. In fact, my brother, Lenny, is a member

of the Krewe of Thoth. The Krewes build these

elaborate floats and wear the most amazing costumes as

they toss doubloons and colorful Mardi Gras beads to

the revelers watching the parades. And yes indeed, I

was one of those revelers. Our battle cry was...Hey,

Mister, throw me some beads! I'm telling

you, my poor little arms would get sore from catching

all of those beads. But boy, was I ever good at it!

Food seems to go

hand-in-hand with New Orleans.

Of course, the other thing Mardi Gras is known for

is...food! Hey, food

seems to go hand-in-hand with New Orleans, anyway! But

when you throw Mardi Gras into the mix, look out!

Oyster po-boys, jambalaya, boiled crawfish, fried

shrimp...here come the calories! Mardi Gras

has been going on for weeks and, like I said today,

Fat Tuesday, is the last big day of the party. Every

year, when I was growing up, I could count on a

weight-gain by the time Fat Tuesday arrived.

But you know what? It's not just New Orleans and

Mardi Gras that gets us into trouble when it comes to

food. Hey, whenever there's a

party, holiday or big family reunion, here in America,

we always equate food with having a good time. But

tell me, after the good time celebration is over and

the "moment of truth" arrives, that is when you get on

your scale, what do you see? Oh-oh, those good times

have "rolled" alright. See 'em? There they are,

rolling up the numbers on your scale! Oh, my. Not

having such a good time seeing those big numbers now, are we?

In order to have a

fun-filled celebration, you don't have to fill

yourself...with food!

Parties, celebrations, holidays...they're all fun.

But we do not have to use

those events as excuses to really, really overeat...we

don't! I've

learned my lesson and I want you to learn that same lesson. That

is, in order to have a fun-filled celebration, you

don't have to fill

yourself...with food!

Oh how I wish I were on Canal Street today. I'd

skip the shrimp po-boys and The Hurricane, run up to a

big Mardi Gras float and yell...Hey, Mister, throw

me some beads!

Love,