So we start our morning with zydeco breakfast at Cafe des Amis. Jessi has seen zydeco, but never like this. I armed her with earplugs and got her in line before all the tables were filled. It was a good morning (they usually are) with Corey Ledet and his Zydeco Band. The crowd was mild -- meaning we could get seated and served without too much waiting. But the dance space was crowded so we could get a real feel for that tight zydeco.
We left Cafe early so that we could get to Fred's, but after driving all that way, we couldn't resist stopping at the Savoy Music Store. We wandered around, caught some tunes and did not try the boudin. Then Fred's --- ahhh, Fred's. (http://www.fredsociety.com/mamou.html) We were afraid that we had missed all the fun, but there were several birthday parties, including the Balfa Blast (they were wearing t-shirts that said that!!). The band kept playing until 2pm and Tante Sue sang and offered 'round her cinnamon schnapps. The Balfa Blast table had a tower of beer cans and row upon row of empty bottles. Yep, Fred's is one of a kind, Louisiana-style.
But we are always looking for dance adventure, and as we kicked up our heels in the small dance area, I could sense watchers -- dance junkies, staring at our feet. Eventually we & they had the nerve to introduce ourselves and, before long, they became wonderful friends. Matthew and Anna were from Maine and had flown into NOLA the night before just so they could get to Fred's on time. They had had ONE cajun dance lesson and were ferociously goobling up the dance steps and style from everyone around them. More on this serendipitous friendship later!
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