I didn't even know what a crawfish was until I moved to Texas and unwittingly went to what I thought was a pool party with my brother. No. So wrong. The entire yard was painted red with crawfish and anyone who has ever lived in the South knows exactly what I am talking about. It was the single most delicious meal I have ever eaten.
So I am happy to announce that the crawfish boil season of 2015 has officially begun on college campuses. They're everywhere. Fraternity parties, apartment complex promo events, sports team events, philanthropy events, you can't avoid them.
I don't know if you can tell, but I love crawfish boils. I get sad during the winter and actually crave a spicy potato followed by a crawfish. Where there is a crawfish boil, there is a 100% chance you will find me. But, as much as I love them, there are some things about eating crawfish that I cannot stand so I decided to weigh the pros and cons.
Pro #1
It's a social meal. You meet people standing around the table that you usually would never talk to and typically leave the event with at least one new friend.
Pro #2
It's spicy and I live for spicy food. I don't know if the words "this is too spicy" have ever come out of my mouth, or if they ever will. So I'm sure you can imagine how much I love spicy corn, potatoes, sausage and crawfish all in one meal. It's like Christmas, only better.
Pro #3
They're fun to play with. My mom always told me not to play with my food, but let's be honest...that rule doesn't apply when you're eating crawfish. There is no one in the history of mankind that has gone to a crawfish boil and not taken a picture with one, or scared their friend with it. It's almost an unwritten rule of attending that you have to play with it. Sorry mom.
Con #1
It's a social meal. You talk to people the entire time, so you never quite fill up and you usually have to eat again like an hour later. BUT this doubles as another pro because if you're still at the crawfish boil an hour later, you get more.
Con #2
They are so hard to eat. You have to twist them and turn them and even then sometimes you mess it up. It's so much effort for so little food and sometimes I wish there was a machine that could do it for me.
Con #3
They are hands down one of the messiest meals in existence. If you have ever eaten crawfish and then picked up your phone, you've felt true regret. There is nothing worse than getting spicy crawfish juice on yourself or on your belongings. The mixture of the smell, the stick and the red color make for one really bad stain on your clothes.
And so, after careful consideration I think we can all agree that the pros definitely trump the cons. I mean, lets be honest, even after reading the phrase "crawfish juice" you would still eat a pound of crawfish if it appeared in front of you right now, and that is the true test.
So now that we have cleared all that up, enjoy the best season of the year, everyone: crawfish boil season.
