Last Meal for 2012

Mickey McDuffy

 My brother-in-law Mickey McDuffy turned me onto what he said was an African American tradition of eating lobster and black eyed peas to ring in the New Year. He claimed it was a good luck. Mickey was part Cajun, Black, and Panamanian. He was married to my sister Roxanne who passed away a couple of years ago. He was 20 years older than her.

Mickey was a degenerate gambler, con man, hustler, and pimp after he got out of the Merchant Marines in 1945. He was a real character. He was sentenced to life in prison in the Louisiana State Penitentiary for a double homicide when he was 13. His sentence was commuted by then governor Hughie Long. Mickey had a shoe shine stand, and sold newspapers in the city of New Orleans. Everyday two men came collecting money from Mickey for "protection." He said; "Marcel, I got tired of those mother fuckers stealing my hard earned money. I got me a double barrel shot gun, and that was that."

Mickey did right by my sister Roxanne who, for better or worse, was one crazy bitch. She was mentally ill, and and struggled her whole life with some serious demons.  Mickey learned to cook in the Merchant Marines during WWII, and he was a fine cook at that. He made spaghetti with chopped up hot dogs, and this dish you poured over rice he claimed was a Filipino delicacy called eny-iny-bo. How the hell you spell it is beyond me, but I gotta say it was out of sight. Every time I ask a Filipino person if they're every heard of this dish they look at me like I have three heads so I quit asking a long time ago. I figured it was just something he made up. He was a major bullshit artist.

I've been making some seafood dish with black eyed peas every New Year's eve since then. I loved Mickey and I loved my sister Roxanne too.  Mickey's worst fault may have been loving my sister. It was a very dysfunctional relationship with 3 who also have serious mental issues. And the cycle continues. I'm afraid it's a story that has no positive ending.

I don't believe in good luck/bad luck. I make black eyed peas to honor Mickey. Mickey got me out of a scrape when I was 17 using an FBI contact he had that would have kept me in jail for a nice little stretch. That's a tale for another time, but he always had my back.

Last, but not least, I do not go out on New Year's eve. That is my policy. This is amateur night. Ben Dunne (1st time). In Oakland the bullets will be raining down, and the bombs will be going off all night. We got the dogs bedded down tight tonight. The bed will be full of critters.  The police will be hiding under the freeway overpasses so they don't get hit by flying lead. It's just another day folks, dah.

2012 was a pretty good year, but 2013 is going to be an ass kicking year. Keep your corks popped, and your pipes packed.

Peace,

Make Food/Not War

Marinated Prawns over wild rice, Black Eyed Peas, Salad and Steamed green beans with shaved almonds, Martinelli's sparkling cider.

Food Consumption 12-31-12

Breakfast: Potatoes, and eggs scramble, one piece of brown bread with jam, tea and orange juice

Lunch: 1/4 lamb sausage on a french baguette. Jonesing a little today.

No snacks today

Dinner: Same as above

Black Eyed Peas Recipe (serves 8) Vegan Version

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup black eyed peas
3 bay leaves
salt/pepper
chicken stock or vegetable
ham hock optional

Directions:
1) Soak peas overnight in the fridge in cold water.
2) Drain and rinse next day before cooking.
3) In medium size sauce pan add peas and chicken stock (Cover the peas completely with stock), salt and bay leaves, and bring to a boil.
4) Cut heat to medium and let simmer till tender, cook 30 to 45 minutes, adjust salt and pepper.