Cold Spaghetti

In this city, St. Patrick’s is serious business. Two weeks of parties, parades, music, and food — everything accented with Guinness and Green.
We missed last week’s parades and events. This weekend, we attended the main parade, which runs through the Irish Channel neighborhood. It goes down Louisiana to Magazine Street, right past the home of friends Denice and David — who hosted us (and others of the Abeona clan) for a parade party.
It was standard New Orleans… big floats, great bands, food, families, and fun. It is much like Mardi Gras (even with many of the same floats and throws) except much more green. And much more alcohol. And PRODUCE.
St. Pat’s signature throws are PRODUCE. Specifically, cabbages. You have to be careful (particularly with kids) because those things pack a wallop. Along with cabbages, other garden-inspired throws include potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and even cucumbers (thrown suggestively to Katrina of La Divina with slow air kisses from a young stud on the float).
To round out our diets, the riders also threw packaged baby carrots, moon pies, and goldfish crackers, which we munched while watching the parades. We took home the Ramen noodles and had several of the packages for dinner that night (really).
Looking up Louisiana at the line of floats.
Corner of Louisiana and Magazine. Magazine was wild with fun and excitement as the crowd reached Parasol‘s.
We had to be careful with Will and the MoonPies — he wanted to eat everyone he caught!
Irish undies, anyone?
I have no idea what this was about.
These are extra tires that get pulled in case of a flat. This is the first time we’ve seen riders passed out drinking in them.
There were many (out of order) floats for Skip’s Wild Irish Clan. Apparently, my kid brother gets around?
Paul bonds with his St. Baldrick’s buddy, who we found out is friends with Denice and David, too.
Paul and Kate.
More floats on Louisiana. The conversation among riders and walkers was consistently about going to the bathroom. The parade is extremely slow — mostly because people stop to use the restroom in friends’ homes along the route.
Parents hang out while floats wait to roll.
Riders pass goodies to onlookers… see any veggies?
The guy on the left is about to toss me a potato.
See the guy on the left tossing a carrot?
I made a veggie dish with everything Sunday night. We gave our neighbor the cabbage. She said she’s going to make a dish with it and then bring it over to show us how to do it.
Some more of our St. Patty’s loot. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!