Mardi Gras Memories
By Cheri Sicard

As the first strains of marching band music drifted down the street, the crowdÕs energy tangibly surged, as it surely it does at all parades. But this procession was already different from the parades of my youth in Western Massachusetts, where attendance, let alone participation, felt more like obligation than folly.

But New England was far behind. I was 17 and getting my first taste of freedom. I had just moved the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the sun was shining, it was Mardi-Gras (a school holiday, they didn't do that in Massachusetts) and the street before me was a literal party!

At that moment a handsome man in a dapper tuxedo walked up, handed me a flower and demanded a kiss on the cheek in exchange. As I looked around, the street was littered with similarly clad rogues, negotiating the identical bargain with women of all shapes, ages and sizes. I later learned what the natives already knew: the Hibernia Marching Society are a staple at all Gulf Coast celebrations of note.

Within seconds the parade descended on us, but it bore no resemblence to the passive spectacles that pass for parades in other areas of the country. Sure there were floats, brightly clad horseback battalions and marching bands. But this was interactive event! The crowd enthusiastically cheered and cajoled the participants, who, looking down from perches atop floats, showered their screeching fans with a pirateÕs ransom in colorful plastic beads and worthless aluminum doubloons. Everyone got into the frenzy, from the youngest child to the oldest grandfather, chasing after the treasures as if they actually had monetary value, and shouting "Throw me something Mister!" until their throats were raw and hoarse.

The next day, school kids from western Louisiana throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the eastern coast of Alabama would be occupied comparing and trading their "loot," in the same manner other kids might trade Halloween candy on November 1.

Although most people donÕt realize it, Mardi-Gras celebrations are hardly confined to New Orleans. In fact, a better time can often be had outside of "The Big Easy", especially if youÕve got children in tow.

People also donÕt realize that parades are only half of the Mardi-Gras picture. What tourists never see are the countless formal Mardi-Gras ball that take place throughout each Mardi-Gras season. Private, invitation only, functions, Mardi-Gras balls are the height of high society in the South.

Over the next few years, I had the unique opportunity to cut my social teeth at countless balls. The geeky kid left behind in high school went through a swan-like transformation as each Mardi-Gras season brought progressively more invitations.

I felt like Cinderella each time I left my tiny studio apartment, bound for a ball, attired in all the style and finery that a girl in her early twenties, who only "thinks" she's worldly, can muster. And like Cinderella, my fairy godmothers always came to the rescue. Perhaps these older Southern Belles saw a small bit of themselves in the odd kid from "up north" or perhaps they just saw a young girl with too much potential to waste. Whatever the reason they took me under their wing, teaching me the finer points of style, social graces, and entertaining, Southern style.

Which brings us to perhaps the most important part of Mardi-Gras: the food. The recipes below are some of my favorites from this period of my life. A tiny taste of any of them can instantly transport me back to the Mississippi of my youth. Most are casual recipes, the kind of fare we would serve an after parade party. The fare is hearty, It had to be, Mardi-Gras parties are notorious for lasting all night long.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I still do.

Cheri

Mardi-Gras Party Recipes:

• Mardi-Gras Punch
• Mint Juleps
• Planter's Punch Cocktail
• Shrimp Creole
• Jambalaya
• Vegetarian Jambalaya
• Red Bean & Rice
• Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice
• Emeril's Cheese Baked Grits
• Red Velvet Cake
• Mardi Gras King Cake