Author Topic: Celebrating the Winter Solstice  (Read 298753 times)

Offline Sason

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #300 on: December 20, 2020, 03:44:12 pm »
I'll go with the candle -- if I'm up at 2:04 a.m. Monday.

Personally, I prefer what I've heard is the Swedish way of celebrating the summer solstice (though I may be corrected! :)) -- ice cold vodka and crawfish!

Or at least that's what they told me years ago, when I wrote about China's takeover of the crawfish industry, stealing Swedish customers from Louisiana by undercutting their prices.

.

Neither, actually.

Alcoholic beverages yes, but no tradition for specifically vodka. Although I guess some ppl may drink it.

But NOT crawfish. That's for August. Back in the day they weren't legal until August, although now you can buy then frozen all year round.

The big thing for Midsummer is herring and new potatoes.


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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #301 on: December 21, 2020, 05:33:40 am »
Happy Solstice! For some odd reason, I woke up right before the solstice. I went outside and looked at the Christmas Star (conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter), came back inside, lit the candle that I obtained on the Isle of Lewis in 2010 for the summer solstice, fired up the fireplace, lit a couple more candles on the hearth, and enjoyed watching the dance of the flames.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #302 on: December 21, 2020, 12:20:14 pm »
Neither, actually.

Alcoholic beverages yes, but no tradition for specifically vodka. Although I guess some ppl may drink it.

But NOT crawfish. That's for August. Back in the day they weren't legal until August, although now you can buy then frozen all year round.

The big thing for Midsummer is herring and new potatoes.


Well, that sounds (and looks) good, too!

I can't remember the exact months of crawfish season in New Orleans, but it started in the spring. But do you, as I was told back then, eat them cold? In New Orleans, we ate them hot, cooked in spicy water with potatoes and corn and maybe a few other things.

"Pinch the tails and suck the heads" is what they say there about how to eat crawfish. You pull them apart, squeeze the tail out of its shell and suck the top part to get the tasty juice in there, which is ... well, I'm not exactly sure and don't really want to know.



Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #303 on: December 21, 2020, 02:17:22 pm »
Happy Solstice everyone!   Lee, I love that picture of the fireplace!


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Offline Sason

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #304 on: December 21, 2020, 02:52:53 pm »

Well, that sounds (and looks) good, too!

I can't remember the exact months of crawfish season in New Orleans, but it started in the spring. But do you, as I was told back then, eat them cold? In New Orleans, we ate them hot, cooked in spicy water with potatoes and corn and maybe a few other things.

"Pinch the tails and suck the heads" is what they say there about how to eat crawfish. You pull them apart, squeeze the tail out of its shell and suck the top part to get the tasty juice in there, which is ... well, I'm not exactly sure and don't really want to know.

I know there is a specific way to eat them, and yes, cold. However I've only had them once many years ago, so can't tell you how it's done here.

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #305 on: December 21, 2020, 02:55:03 pm »
In New Orleans, they also do a lot of cooking with them -- sauces and things like that. Sans shells, of course.


Offline Sason

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #306 on: December 21, 2020, 05:01:55 pm »
I've never heard of that here. My impression is that there's more or less only one way to eat them.

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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #307 on: December 21, 2020, 07:27:45 pm »
Lee, I love that picture of the fireplace!

Yes, your card is up there on the hearth! Thank you so much!
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #308 on: December 22, 2020, 11:55:55 am »
I've never heard of that here. My impression is that there's more or less only one way to eat them.


There are many. The most popular one, after the crawfish boil I described above, is crawfish etouffe. Most restaurants with New Orleans-style food have it on their menus.




Another good one is crawfish bread -- less widely served, but possibly the best food sold at the annual Jazz Festival.




But really, you can throw crawfish into just about anything: pasta, soup, jambalaya, quesadillas ... Mudbugs, they call them in Louisiana.



Offline Sason

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #309 on: December 22, 2020, 07:00:19 pm »
I'm sure they all taste good.

But here, there's more or less only one way to cook them.

The crawfish meal is surrounded by all kinds of traditions, it's an annual event for most Swedes.

However not in my family since none of my parents grew up in Sweden.

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre