Sunday, November 13, 2011

Mississippi Gumbo

I enjoy eating fish and maybe a shrimp here and there on a rare occasion but that's about the extent of my seafood dining. We were invited over to a couples house after church this evening for some true Mississippi gumbo. I have never experienced gumbo but knew it included plenty of sea life and went with an open mind and an open appetite.

The gumbo smelled tantalizing and I asked her what was in it. A combination of okra, crab, chicken, sausage, shrimp, and a handful of seasonings to top it off. I served myself some gumbo over a few scoops of rice and began my authentic gumbo experience.

I actually enjoyed the flavor of all the ingredients, however, there were a few times when I would look at my spoon and couldn't figure out what I was about to put in my mouth. I decided to stop looking at the spoon and just eat. The combined flavors were warm and tasty.

Nearing the bottom of my bowl I happened to look down at the contents and saw a gray round thing in the remaining gumbo. It was light gray in color and a little smaller than a petite sized pea. I reasoned that it had to have been a seasoning of some sort but all I could think about was a shrimps eye. In my mind I pictured the look on a crawfish cooked whole and how similar they are to shrimp. How many had I already consumed?! My mind was telling me one thing while my imagination was telling me another. I had to push the image from my mind in order to finish the remaining gumbo in my bowl. I couldn't help but nudge the round balls to the far side of my dish and finished off my gumbo.

Despite the mysterious gray balls I truly enjoyed the gumbo.                                              

(Come to find out they were just cooked okra seeds.)

1 comment:

Diane said...

LOL! I would have pictured them as eyeballs as well. I probably wouldn't have been able to finish my bowl. Way to go, Judith Anne, for finishing yours!