How can you stay in New Orleans for even one day and not visit Cafe Du Monde? We were early enough to snag a table outside by the sidewalk - it promised to be a beautiful day. Blue skies, just a slight chill in the air, and a bright, bright sun. We ordered two lattes (my daughter wanted hot chocolate) and a plate of beignets covered with enough powdered sugar to choke a horse.
My daughter had the beignet experience before, as she was seasoned enough to remark, “Don’t breathe in while you take a bite.” The powdered sugar, as I mentioned previously, was enough to choke a…well, you catch my drift. The trick is to carefully cradle that beignet over to the rim of your coffee cup, shake off a little sugar into the (best) coffee (in New Orleans), and then dunk the donut into the steaming latte. Still, you will manage to wear half the sugar on your face and clothes. Don’t wear black.
We soon were joined by a traveling gospel singer who set up camp on the sidewalk beside our table. He proceeded to play his horn and to sing gospel in a sweet, high voice. He was definitely enthusiastic. We all hit it off great. We went through at least ten dollars in tips today between this guy and all the other performers and people who gathered change for the homeless. But, it was well worth it. One Salvation Army guy, who hailed originally from Nebraska, serenaded us with the loveliest rendition of “I’ll be home for Christmas” after we dropped a dollar into his bucket.
Posted by beanybabe at 11:15 PM PST
