107: 2M and Petanque

It's New Orleans where the rules don’t apply. Here, jazz replaces sleep. Absinthe hydrates before a run. And yes, alligator is a kind of fish.

I'm not eating meat but how do you say no to southern fried alligator? It swims in the water. Therefore, it must be fish. Don't tell me otherwise. I'm happy living my lie. And if my real reason for staying away from meat is that I don't want to be involved in potential cruelty to animals well then I'm totally fine with alligator meat because I'm pretty sure an alligator don't take shit from anybody. Ever.

As for the other things I've eaten and imbibed... oh honey you have no idea! It's a hot, delicious mess down here in the armpit of America. Frankly, some of it's a blur at the moment because who has time for sleeping; but let me bring you some highlights and an excuse for only running 2 miles today on the treadmill. I just... could not do all this, and work, and find a moment to brush my hair... and spend that extra half hour at the gym.

I'll make my missing 2 miles up tomorrow on what was supposed to be my day off. I should say though - the run today sucked. Not only was I tired physically, but the toe problem has become the foot problem... The pain goes all up in my arch now. At one point I was limping as I ran. I'm pretending it isn't happening. It will go away. I am fine. So, on to the righteous distractions.

Couchon gave me triple tail fish. Triple tail due to genetic modification? I don't know. I don't care. Three tails are better than one. Trust moi. And they gave me grits, eggplant, ice wine and blueberry cobbler to die for. Oysters at Acme. Baked. How else, love? And a Maryland soft shell crab. Bayona treated me to the best shrimp I've had in my life, and my mate had what looked like it must have been a memorable hot duck and peanut butter sandwich. What? You say you prefer Fluff with your Skippy? Well, let me tell you, because apparently nobody else has yet, you are a peasant. Duck's the way to go (or so she says).

Beefeater's "Alice in Wonderland" party last night was magically stocked with a bevy of the best tea party libations I've ever had... and top hats. We don't wear top hats enough really, do we? Post gin gig, there was a mansion party in the Garden District where I tried a strawberry cobbler that knocked my sandals off nearly as much as the eclectically decorated Southern socialite's home borrowed for the party. Money's a funny thing. You can do so much with it, or nothing at all. New Orleans folk don't seem afraid to splash it out loud and roll around in the colors that please them. They live full out.

I want live jazz in the garden every night! Why not. I want more dancing at dinner. I want flowers hanging from my balconies and Cajun cream cheese on my everything. And once more in my life a dinner like the one I had tonight, care of Audrey Saunders. Come there with me now, y'all?

Sparkling Cherry Bounce; Greenmarket Melonball: gin, muddled cantaloupe, Calpico, lemon juice and absinthe; Golden Watermelon Gazpacho with cucumber-Mississippi goat cheese ravioli and Filipino sea salt; Intro to Aperol: gin, Aperol, lemon juice, pineapple syrup, Angostura and mezcal mist; Shrimp on Shrimp on Grits; Madeira Martinez: Madeira, gin, pomegranate, honey, Angostura, bay leaf; Black Mustard BBQ Lamb Dumpling (skipped): with summer squash slaw and house made pickles (yum); Michelada (yuck); Annatto Chimichuri Flat Iron Steak (skipped): with Yukon gold potato tamales and mole steak sauce (yum); Blame it on Rio: cachaca, Kahlua, sweet vermouth, Angostura; and Cornbread Pain Perdue.

Today would have been a good day to have burned some extra calories... So, even though I'm really quite tuckered, I'm going to head out again now for some midnight Petanque. No sense in trying to sleep, anyway. There's a jazz band playing right now outside my window. Not gonna be able to sleep no matter what might be good for me! So I'm headed into a sand court in the street to throw metal balls at each other and get my second workout of the day.