Shreveport, LA …and Food So Good, Ya Wanna to Sl*p Yo Momma

G'morning peeps! How's that java this morning?

Welcome to the weekend, folks! Like I said yesterday, we're in Shreveport. And as you know, it's a part of the south, and every time we drive by a Waffle House, the Professor starts whining that he's never been to one.

Many of you have heard of the famous Waffle House chain of breakfast restaurants. But for those of you who might be unfamiliar, let me offer this brief description. Many of these restaurants are located in areas near freeways, for easy off-easy on access.

Waffle Houses are known for their waffles, as you can probably tell. What they are not famous for is their cleanliness. Yeah, they're kinda sticky. I mean the floors are sticky, the tables are sticky, the counters are sticky — you get the gist. You will NEVER, EVER, EVER see an 'A' rating from the health department posted on their window.

Something they are also famous for: they never close. The government bases how serious a tornado is predicted to be on whether or not the Waffle House will close. Personally, I'm not sure how to take that. What is worse? That a government agency counts on a greasy spoon closure to decide the severity of a storm, or that an employer will work a waitress and cook until a tornado strikes. I'm going to have to ponder that one a bit.

Anyway, the Waffle House was just as I had come to remember it. Wholly unsatisfying, sticky and frankly, a little too greasy. Our waitress was new. She was very sweet, and I tipped her accordingly. You can trust that the Professor's appetite for the Waffle House has been satiated. I really have no need to ever go back to one. Each visit to me is sadder and sadder.

Cmdr. & Mrs. McCroc have rejoined the crew. they were greatly missed and we're glad to have the team all together once again. The Professor has been lobbying for the position as my BFF while the commander was away. I had to explain to him over and over again, the position was not open and that there was no need for him to keep leaving his resume at the foot of our RV stairs, nor was there a reason for me to review his LinkedIn profile.

You’ll all be pleased to hear that the McCroc icemaker is fully intact now.

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Our stop in Shreveport is mainly to meet and greet Samantha Stevens’ family. We’ve been hooking up with crew family members all over the country. There was my cousin in Minneapolis. The Professor’s daughter and Yoko’s Aunt & cousin in Maryland. We just finished a meet up with Aunt Gloria & Uncle Melvin in Arkansas where we ate food, but Heart Healthy of course, thanks again to Yoko. And of course, Big Bro and Big Sis had Mini Me hitchhiking along with us for a couple of weeks and several stops from Niagara Falls to Memphis. So it was no big surprise when we were to meet Samantha’s fam-bam here in Shreveport — oh but it was.

Samantha told us on the way here that we’d see some of her peeps and meet them for dinner. When we arrived, we were met by twenty or so of her uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces & nephews. No exaggeration, at least TWENTY. Oh, and you know who didn't want to miss the party? None other than Samantha's sister, Tracey! Flew in from Ontario International because she's been reading up on what a good time we were having! Quite the welcome!

There was good conversation, lots of laughter and TONS of food (and none of it was Heart Healthy, Yoko, thank you!). The restaurant where we all met at is a historic landmark; it is the oldest active, non-stop African American owned & operated restaurant in the US. Four generations of the family have been continuously operating this restaurant for one hundred and two years. The food was A-MAZE-ING!! The portions were more than ample and the food was “slap-your-mom’ good (another Southern adage)

I had gumbo and red beans & rice. The food is Creole-style, meaning it has a little heat. I would highly suggest that if you ever come through Shreveport, try to get yourself to Orlandeaux’s Cross Lake Café. You wont regret it, trust me.

We’re off to visit the plantation of the family who owns and started the restaurant. I’ll fill you in on that later

Drink ‘em if you got ‘em!

One band, one sound.

#coffeehousechronicles