Driving around yesterday noticing Ash Wednesday service times on signs outside churches reminded me that it's Mardi Gras time Down South.
I forget about Mardi Gras now that I'm home...I'm sure some bars will have specials on Tuesday, but it's a bit longer of a celebration down on the Gulf Coast, and not just New Orleans.
That was a real novelty to me when I lived down there. The city where I lived had a few parades, and I checked them out purely out of curiosity. They were a mixture of high school bands, local politicans, and flatbed trucks sponsored by local businesses, with oddly-costumed people throwing candy and beads and moon pies.
Moon pies were really big. (Actually, the stupid plastic beads were pretty popular too, I discovered when I bent down to pick up a strand that had landed in front of me, and a woman stepped on my fingers and hissed "Those are mine!)
Apparently moon pies are a tradition, but during my first Mardi Gras a neighboring city actually passed an emergency safety ordinance that krewes (the people who actually do this) couldn't toss anything bigger than moon pies. That was after somebody'd been injured by a very frozen half gallon of ice cream thrown off a float.
This isn't as dumb as it sounds. See, the krewes super-froze the ice cream so that the lucky folks who caught it would be able to get it home without it melting, not because they couldn't find enough cinder blocks to throw at people.
I remember coming home from my first parade with a bewildering collection of loot: plastic beads, plastic coins, several slightly smashed moon pies, bubble gum, and a coupon for a free sandwich at Subway.
I was in a state of semi-culture shock nearly the whole time I lived there, but after gratefully returning home I did come to appreciate some of what the Gulf Coast offered: 50-degree winter days, deep frying, strangers throwing moon pies. It was charming, in a goofy way. I almost miss it.
I wonder what would happen if I took moon pies to work on Tuesday and threw them at people...
Posted by Nic at February 22, 2004 09:10 AM | TrackBack