Po' Boy Sunday

"I am just a poor boy, though my story is seldom told. I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles such are promises."

-Paul Simon

Today I attended one of my favorite festivals in New Orleans. It is an annual orgy of which I have grown very fond. It is The Po' Boy Preservation Festival held on Oak Street Uptown. I have been eagerly anticipating the return of this popular festival since I first attended last year and joyously celebrated the City's most ubiquitous sandwich. Restaurants vie for the distinction of not only serving the most delicious Po' Boy in town, but also the most unique. I must have sampled at least five, and being a compulsive overeater, that is being mighty conservative, I can tell you. I attended the festival for the past two years with my dear friends, Angie and Zak, who, by their own admissions, are as fond of Po' Boys as the laws of nature will allow. Missing from this event was Toenisha Shabazz Johnson, who has been known to enjoy Po Boys (sandwiches, as well as the human variety) with as equally great gusto as myself and the recent newlyweds. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend due to work commitments, even though she had been scheduled the day off. It appears that The Sazerac Restaurant would have to close if she were to ever get sick or require a personal day. She paints a picture of her co-workers almost as a character study of Prissy in Gone With The Wind: lazy, incompetent, ignorant of midwifery. Despite her absence, a good time ensued, though she doesn't know what she missed. Look at the picture of the fun lovin' Po Boy enthusiasts below! Look at the size of them swimps! Only in New Orleans! Santa doesn't appear to have enjoyed many Po Boys this year, as he is quite svelte and trim. Maybe he has a tapeworm or just doesn't eat the bread.

It was hard to believe that an entire year had passed since a variety of tempting Po Boys passed my lips in one afternoon. We enjoyed a stuffed blue crab Po Boy dressed with a traditional remoulade, the beloved Parkway Tavern's Roast Beef Po Boy (which incidentally, could not be beat as far as flavor and value is concerned. A six inch sandwich covered with tenderly braised roast beef, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise for two dollars. AND a bag of Zapp's!) My favorite of the last two years, however, is prepared by a Vietnamese restaurant on the other side of the river, and is a wonderment of quality, freshness and flavor. A Vietnamese Pork Po Boy. Behold the glory: It is perfect in every way. The bread is fresh and has a delightful chew, the pork is sweet and savory, the cucumber salad and the cilantro perfectly balances the heat from the siracha. Perfection on a roll.

As well as about 50 food vendors, one offering what looked like grilled frozen pizza, (I know. At The Po Boy Festival. It is an abomination before God.) there were about seven bands, family-themed activities and a lot of local artists were exhibiting their work. The crowd grows by the hundreds as the hours go by, everyone sampling the riches stuffed into french bread loaves. I really wanted a commemorative T-shirt, but the only sizes available were small and 2XL. Believe me, I see no irony that the extra large tees were the first to disappear at The Po Boy Preservation Festival.