It’s crawfish time here in the Deep South swamp. My son-in-law pulled out the boiling pot, bought huge sacks of live crawfish, and invited family and friends for the feast.
If you’ve never had crawfish, you need to put it onto your bucket list of experiences. Crawfish are called “mud bugs” because they create their nesting places in mounds of mud. They are shellfish, so there’s that. Bottom dwellers. I don’t let that bother me while I’m peeling, dipping, and eating.
My grandson Leo created habitats with his friends for their new pets. I think they even named them. I hope he didn’t sleep with them, but it’s harmless fun and a cultural part of being raised in south Louisiana.
Crawfish boils are a tradition around the Easter season. While we are not Catholic, many families in this area are. Catholics don’t eat meat on Fridays in Lent. Many seafood places advertise “Lenten special: All you can eat!” My husband laughs at this because it’s not much of a sacrifice to eat crawfish and drink beer.
I was pleasantly surprised when my illustrator, Drew Beech, added a spread to my board book that showed the family at a crawfish boil.
What are some of the ways your family gathers?
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, this is precious! I love Stella with her colorful tutu and holding a crawfish. Your grandchildren are the cutest. My daddy used to dig crawfish out of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia as a kid, and they sold them for candy and movie shows. This brings back memories of his stories, and it gives us a rich feel for Louisiana food culture. I think you have your next book – – I see crawfish and creatures of the swamp strongly asking to be heard and understood! I love everything about your post.
Good for Stella to NOT be afraid. Having not grown up with crawfish, they are a bit odd looking and a little scary for me! I do like shrimp. I will add them to my bucket list! And I love that it was added to the illustration of your lovely book! Our family does gather for corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day and a special stuffed cabbage dinner on Christmas Eve!
What a delightful slice today. I had never heard of such until my children went to college at Ole Miss. Now spring crawfish boils have made their way to being a tradition here in Tennessee, too. Your pictures show some fine crawfish specimens – and some precious children, too.
My cousin and I used to catch “crawdads” in the creek in Kentucky while arguing about whether Granddad was mine or his.
Fun to see your grandkids with the Louisiana crawfish. I agree with Kim- this is probably another book idea!
Margaret, since I never ate crawfish, I am eager to try it. The children are growing so enjoy Easter with them. My family likes to get together and enjoy a mutual fun time. On Saturday, our church had a Easter Egg Hunt. It is a tradition in our family so we did not mind that it was cold outside. The designers of the play day knew that it might not be a sunshiney, warm day so many activities were inside. I hope your Easter is filled with spirituality and family fun.