As I'm sure you've noticed, this column is designed for cool, youthful hipsters.
Once upon a time Louisiana cooking methods were considered exotic:
Years ago if you saw anyone with a tattoo you'd figure "sailor" or "convict."
Dear Smiley: Here is another Timbalier Bay oilfield story. This one involves Dave Crosby, skipper of the boat Hanna Baby.
Recent mention of retirement has led to several comments on this condition. Here's one:
Our tales of Pistol Pete Maravich brought this recollection from Bill Bankhead, the first director of what is now LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center:
We've had fun with tales of steaks, asking, "How rare can you go?"
Last week, Warren Perrin, of Lafayette, told me about Lauren Vidrine's paper published in the linguistics journal “American Speech.”
Here is another story about nuns and restaurants, from Kathleen Schrenk, of New Orleans:
Dear Smiley: My parents were from Avoyelles Parish but raised our family in Alexandria.
Here's a "life imitates movies" story, from Michael J. DeFelice:
Another grandchild story for our collection:
It seems many of you have memorable stories about steaks. For instance:
Another tale of a precocious kid — this one's alarmingly precocious:
In our seminar on speed traps, we've had several mentions of Woodville, Mississippi, where law enforcement often seemed to be in the hands of descendants of Judge Roy Bean.
Dear Smiley: When I was a youngster, my parents had my godparents over for a barbecue sirloin steak dinner. My father went inside to get something and came out just in time to see a neighborhood dog snatch the big steak off the grill.
Sports stories from readers remind us that ice is not just for martinis anymore:
The stretch of U.S. 61 between Baton Rouge and Natchez, Mississippi, is the scene of some of my favorite stories. Here's one:
Continuing our series on "Why we love our grandchildren," here's a submission from Bill Reed, of Broussard:
A speed trap story with a happy ending, from Dees Veca, of Kenner:
Our mention of the lack of nicknames for current sports figures, compared with those of the past, led to this comment by Bruce Dyson, of Baton Rouge:
Dear Smiley: The late Bobby Bowden, Florida State football coach, related this speed trap tale.
Perry Snyder, of Baton Rouge, is a proud member of the Biscuit Boys, a group of retirees who gather weekly to discuss Major World Issues over breakfast.
Don Simoneaux, of Washington (the one in St. Landry Parish), says, "Reading about the man who ordered two double Whoppers and asked them to hold the buns and dressing (he fed the meat to his dog) reminded me of an incident while I was working on a…
No, I haven't run out of speed trap stories.
"I have a story for you in keeping with Friday's 'Can't hide that west bank accent' item," says Amy Sandridge, of Metairie:
Here's a tale from our "Why we love our adorable children" file:
Dear Smiley: I was a frustrated musician who grew up in a musical household.
"Speaking of New Orleans dialects, here's a story to share," says Peter Dassey, of Kenner:
"Tuesday’s column about mistaken drink orders reminds me of a childhood trip with my parents and sister," says Edie Bender, of Baton Rouge.
From our "Life can be humbling" file comes this tale from Eddie Cole, of Blairsville, Georgia:
Here's the best "weird animal story" since the tale of the camel, the lady, and the dog some years ago. (If you don't remember that one, let me know and I'll tell you the whole sordid story.)
Every Independence Day I like to tell this story about my ride on a decorated party barge in the Fourth of July Boat Parade on False River in the '80s.
Dear Smiley: A former student of mine, a very bright young lady, Anita Mayeaux, came from a family of card sharks.
Our recent Yat pronunciation story (about our governor, "Oil Long"), triggered two more tales on this subject:
A "Why we love our little children" story, from Keith Horcasitas, of Baton Rouge:
"Reading the Saturday story about fiber," says Peter Dassey, of Kenner, "reminded me of a neighborhood 'progressive' party my wife and I attended years ago.
This confession from Judy Poteet, of Lafayette, caused me to chortle:
From our "Grumpy Old Men" file, Dan Stein, of Baton Rouge, says:
Dear Smiley: A few years ago my 6-year-old grandson was playing pitch-and-catch with me on the driveway.
Another in our series on youngsters dealing with adult language and adult topics:
Our series on New Orleans beer brought us this incident:
Before they're gone, we should pay homage to the homegrown tomato a few more times.
I'm a sucker for a good love story. Marion J. Denova tells one with a Louisiana flavor:
Here's one of my favorite stories about the joy of making booze at home:
Dear Smiley: Growing up in Georgia as the youngest of four boys many years ago, I know that our parents diligently tried to instill in us the traditional values of honesty, responsibility and hard work.
Almost from birth, kids know how to manipulate parents to get what they want.
Tales of children adopting adult language reminded Diane T. Martin, of Morgan City, of a story told by her grandmother:
The current popularity of online shopping and home delivery may be one result of the pandemic, but some of it no doubt stems from this kind of incident:
Our current hurricane season is balanced to a degree by the fact that it's also tomato season — not faux tomatoes from the store, but real homegrown ones.
It's often a kick to overhear parents and their children in restaurants. Jim Skelly, of Picayune, Mississippi, caught this conversation in a diner: