OHHHH NOOOOOOO!!!!: A Q&A With Journalist Laura McKnight

May 15, 2011 By 1 Comment

Laura McKnight (right) and Janelle Monae look-a-like at Voodoo Fest.

Earlier this week, my friend and Cajun Tomato contributor Laura McKnight wrote a piece about the highlights and lowlights of her Jazz Fest experience.

Laura, a former coworker of mine on the bayou, covered the festival for the New Orleans Times-Picayune. I’ve always been intrigued by the concept of covering a festival, and whether it would be more or less fun than attending the festival as a fan. With this in mind, I asked her to participate in a Q&A via email about separating Laura, The Music Fan from Laura, The Budding Music Journalist.

Laura was kind enough to oblige my request. Below are her answers to my admittedly silly questions. Merci beaucoup, Laura!

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Filed Under: Food, Laura McKnight, Live Music, Music Tagged With: , , , ,

Sayler's Ribeye Challenge: A Heroic Feat Of Gluttony

May 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Barbara Bush can't handle a 72-ounce ribeye.

The eating challenge at Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen is damn near impossible. It’s akin to taking steak-flavored candy from a baby. Except the customer is the baby and the restaurant is the thief.

The challenge: Eat a 72-ounce ribeye steak … and assorted veggies and a baked potato/or 10 fries in under an hour and your meal is free. Don’t finish your 72-ounce steak … and assorted veggies … and baked potato/10 fries and you must pay for the meal ($60).

Unless money grows on trees for you or you have a stomach with secret compartments or you aren’t troubled by the thought of pooping the night away you should probably skip this challenge.

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Filed Under: Food, Portland Tagged With: , , ,

Top Ten Things I Miss About South Louisiana

April 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

My friend, Kimberly aka Kimbo, moved from Hammond, La., to Washington, D.C. last year, a few months before I made my own trek to Portland.

In some ways, our journeys are mirror images of one another. We are young professionals in a foreign environment chasing our restless souls’ desire. Along this search for truth, we occasionally find ourselves homesick.

There are other ways we are totally different. For instance, she went to Washington, D.C., with a firm idea about how to gain employment, and was rewarded thusly. I went to Portland without a plan, and was rewarded thusly (with three months of unemployment).

She and I spoke the other night about the concept of missing home. She misses New Orleans. I miss south Louisiana as a whole. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t miss it in a “I must return there immediately” sort of way, but I miss it more than I believed I would when I left.

My longing for home resulted in this hastily thrown together list. Check it!

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Filed Under: Dig This Tomato, Yo!, Food, Portland, Thibodaux Tagged With: , , , ,

Fast Food Receipt Results in Lent Penance

March 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Goodnight, sweet prince?

NOTE: This picture was taken a few weeks ago at Foster’s burger joint in Portland. It’s not a fast food restaurant. So technically I will still be able to eat it. (Cheater!)

The other day I went to local burger institution, Burgerville, for a chicken sandwich and fries. Yes, I bought a chicken sandwich at Burgerville. The irony is not lost on me.

Burgerville has an impressive reputation around southwest Washington for selling hamburgers, chicken, and fish made from locally raised animals. They are the anti-McDonald’s. They are dedicated to concepts such as efficiency and sustainability.

They are also upfront about your meal’s calorie and fat content. Some restaurants put the details on their wall or a brochure. Burgerville puts this information on your receipt.

It was while browsing my receipt for my chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese, fries, and soft drink — all of which totaled around 60 percent of my suggest calorie and fat intake — that I had an epiphany. This being Lent season — Lent started Wednesday and goes for 40 days until Easter Sunday — my epiphany involved giving up fast food.

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Filed Under: Food, Portland Tagged With: , , ,

Carnivore Confessions: Why I Am Not A Vegan Anymore

February 25, 2011 By 3 Comments

X marks the spot!

For three hours Monday afternoon while I was at the coffeeshop, I turned away from my sinful, murderous carnivore ways and embraced the vegan way of life.

You might ask, “How did you embrace the vegan way of life while you were at the coffeeshop?” Great question. Normally, I daydream about eating cows, chickens, and pigs. It’s not a dream to shout about from the Lincoln Memorial’s steps, but it’s a dream nonetheless.

Monday afternoon I had no cravings to eat animals. That does not mean I daydreamed about salads unmolested by bacon bits or tofu po-boys. I was just content not to eat. I was vegan; I was one with all the animals on Noah’s Ark, even the cats — not that I eat cats.

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Filed Under: Food, Portland, Thibodaux Tagged With: , , , ,

Cajun Tomato’s 2011 New Year’s Resolutions

January 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Hello friend,

Here just hours before 2011 arrives is that noblest of pursuits: a list of resolutions I will brush aside during the first week of the new year. Anyone can brush aside one resolution, two resolution, three resolutions … but here I have listed 26 resolutions. I can’t possibly brush all of them aside, can I? Just watch. I’ve already said, “Thanks but no thanks”, to five of them while typing this intro. No, I’m not going to tell you which. You’ll just have to guess. You’ll probably guess wrong, though. The mind of the Cajun Tomato is a whirlwind, a friendly whirlwind, but a whirlwind all the same. Well, it’s time to post this baby. May you have a wonderful evening and may 2011 bring you all the health and wealth your megachurch pastor promises.

Cheers,

Ray

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Filed Under: Dig This Tomato, Yo!, Food, Job Search, Kanye West, Live Music, Lupe Fiasco, Music, Musings, Portland Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cajun Tomato Travels: This Burger Won’t Change Your Life

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

HENDERSON, Nev. — I have a tendency to be disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a glum person. I’m laid back for the most part. But I tend to set my expectations too high at times. And when reality diverges widely from expectations … well, that’s when disappointment happens.

What is this all leading to? Good question. I made my first ever trip to In-N-Out Burger tonight in Las Vegas.

What? You thought I was going to riff on Sin City at the top of this screed? Ha. Nope. This ain’t journalism. I can bury the lede. But not too deep. I wouldn’t want to, uh, disappoint you, fair reader.

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