Gumbo, revenge and mercy
A Mobile attorney sent a recipe for gumbo using canned salmon to his daughter, the editor and food columnist for a weekly newspaper on the west coast. Upon seeing the paper, the attorney's mother/the editor's grandmother responded:
Mon cheri,
Congratulations on the article in this week's Sentinel. Nice picture of you also. Given that no two people make gumbo alike, and each thinks his is the best, I am a little taken aback by the idea of using salmon. Canned salmon? What heresy is this? You're telling these poor unsuspecting people that gumbo is made with salmon? I know they're Yankees, but they're still human beings. They have souls, so we are told, and stomachs, and palates.
I have eaten gumbo made with chicken (so-so), shrimp, crab, andouille sausage (surprisingly good), even fish (yuk), oysters (my favorite), turnip greens and collards (Gumbo Z'Herbes). I can only assume that this is your revenge for some historic atrocity (Sherman? Siege of Vicksburg? Burning of the U. of A.? Reconstruction? Great Uncle Bill Moody's left leg?) Best forgotten.
Kisses.
Mama
