Sugar cane and Poboys

We had a delicious shrimp & sausage gumbo - a mix between a soup and a stew, prepared with a roux and the holy trinity (onions, bell peppers, and celery) plus the "pope" (garlic) and served with rice – at Catherine's and Donald's new house on sunday evening.

On monday morning we went for a tour in the nearby sugar mill, which Donald, part-owner of the mill and sugar cane farmer, had arranged for us. It was something completely new to us: trucks and tractors bringing in sugar cane, being weighted and unloaded, then sugar cane being processed, pressed, boiled, crystallized etc. until raw sugar and molasses emerge. We went all the way up the mill to a good viewpoint, where we could see the whole operation. Boy, it was hot, it smelled strong and it was loud! This must be a tough job, working in such a mill! They work 24/7 from approximately October to January, during harvest, afterwards it's cleaning, upkeep of machinery and modernization. I was thinking how hard it must have been in the 19th century, when slaves on plantations around here processed sugar cane manually...

Sun was out again today and it warmed up during the day. We continued for Avery Island and the Tabasco factory, but since neither the Visitor Center/museum nor the tours had changed, as expected, we just inspected the store to get the latest invention of McIlhanny: raspberry chipotle sauce.


This sauce would e.g. gone well with the poboys (sandwiches), which we had for lunch afterwards, stuffed with fresh fried shrimps and catfish. They were just delicious and in this 1950ies diner incredibly inexpensive. We were then paying a visit to James Lee Burke or, to be correct, to a bookstore dedicated to him. Born in New Iberia, this famous mystery writer is one of the best-known personalities in New Iberia; another one is George Rodrigue, famous for the "Blue Dog" and (originally) for his Absolute Wodka ads.

After a pleasant afternoon on the patio, we spent our last evening with friends of D&C, Myrlene and Frank, including a night tour in Frank's huge, meticulously kept veggie garden and a healthy gourmet dinner.