This Saturday I drove from Hammond to Baton Rouge on U.S. 190, as I was attending the Livingston Parish Parishwide Yard Sale. The yard sale was largely a bust, although my consort did manage to find a $1 copy of the Fleetwood Mac “Rumors” LP she’d been searching for.

We continued into Baton Rouge and stopped at many of the various thrift stores on highway 190. It was there that I made a heart-stopping (literally) discovery…

In case you were confused, this is the sign for Ronnie’s Boudin & Cracklin House on Hwy 190 in Baton Rouge. The establishment appears to be an old Tastee Donuts (or similar) location that has been transformed into a pork shrine. Not only do they serve boudin (smoked, regular, cold, and hot) and cracklin (seasoned or unseasoned), they also have a bounty of cajun meats like andouille sausage, tasso, stuffed chickens, stuffed pork chops, jerky, and much more.

My lunch that day: a bag of some of the most delicious cracklins I’ve ever had (on par with the Texaco station on I-49 in Opelousas) and a link of hot boudin. Dessert was jerky. I went to Galatoire’s the day before (it was my birthday, okay?) and I can’t tell you which meal I enjoyed more because I really don’t know myself. Sure, the oysters en brochette and the pompano topped with crabmeat were amazing… but there is something to be said for a translucent, shimmering paper bag filled with chunks of fried pork skin, eaten while enjoying the ambiance of a run-down commercial stretch of highway.

But I digress. The point I’m getting at is.. why should I have to drive to Baton Rouge for this pleasure? With all the abandoned fast-food buildings in this city, an enterprising cajun could make this happen easily, and with great success. Face it, we like to brag about our food here, but there really is not a true cajun meat stand anywhere in New Orleans. When tourists here want cajun food (which is like, every tourist that comes to New Orleans), we have to give them some long winded explanation about how we have creole food here, not cajun food, and blah blah blah. Or we just pour hot sauce all over something and tell them it’s cajun. Either way, it’s embarrassing. Meats like this are so uniquely cajun and so ubiquitous just 45 minutes from here, it’s almost baffling that a decent boudin link is so hard to find in New Orleans. So entrepreneurs, here’s your chance. If you’re interested get in touch, I’ll help you find a location.

On second thought, don’t. I don’t think our hospital system could handle the blow you’d dish out.

Related posts:

1. Boudin Link
2. Holiday reminder
3. SWINE SONG
4. Bayou Boys
5. Well dang….