Taste of Tacoma 2011

At this time last year, we were driving across the country to do a pyrotechnics show in Georgia. But our 4th of July plans this year have kept us relatively close to home so we are on hand to check out our first Taste of Tacoma.

I don’t know much about the Taste of Tacoma except the parking. Everyone warned me that parking could be difficult. There is a shuttle bus that runs from the TCC parking lot for a small fee. But I came up with the great idea to go to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium at 9 a.m. to see the first public viewing of the new Clouded Leopard cubs. We spent the next hour and a half enjoying the exhibits in relative solitude as few zoo patrons show up this early.

We could see the tents popping up in Point Defiance Park down the hill. And when it got close to 11 a.m., the aroma of the foods started to waft up to us. We were definitely getting hungry.

With our truck secure in the zoo parking lot, we walked down the hill to the festivities that were just getting started. Our first order of business was to cruise the food court section to see all the choices and wow, were there a lot of choices!

I had my daughter Kate and son Matt, ages 9 & 19 respectively, to help me try as many offerings as possible. But out of all of those local, international and unique foods to choose from, my son picked Papa Murphy’s Pizza (really, Matt?) and Kate wanted a smoked sausage dog…just like the one she had for dinner the night before.

I probably shouldn’t have done it but I nixed the pizza for Matt (Honey, you can get that ANYTIME!  Have something unique!) so he went for a …drum roll please…cheeseburger! OK, I give. You get a cheeseburger. I don’t want to argue anymore.

As for Kate, by the time I got to her my spirit was broken and I simply insisted she get the small smoked sausage rather than the “giant.” I hoped that by getting her the smaller version, she would want to try something else and maybe it would be a little unique and out of her comfort zone. But that never happened as we ended up leaving shortly after this.

To make their food choices it took about 3 full trips up and down the length of the food court. I already had my tractor beam set on the New Orleans Cookery booth. As soon as the kids had food in hand, we traipsed back to other end of the food court for the crawfish etouffee that was screaming my name. They were also offering gator on a stick, but I was a little hesitant to get my gator from a booth.

I was served a large steaming bowl of crawfish etouffee over dirty rice but I saw only shrimp floating on top. I was about to take it back when I stirred it a little and brought up several of those beautiful little red-laced crawfish. So I have shrimp and crawfish. Not too shabby.

We found a nice grassy hill to sit on. The kids dug right into their lunches while I found myself having to wrestle a bit with mine. First, it’s so hot that it’s hard to hold. Then I discovered that the shrimp are all still in their shells.

While I occasionally cook shrimp in their shells to get maximum flavor out of them, I remove the shells and tails before serving. I was trying to figure out a dignified way shuck them from their shells. So…I wound up using my fingers to grab the meat out in a very undignified way. Then I licked the sauce from my slightly burned fingers (I had only grabbed a few napkins for the three of us) and proceeded to eat my lunch with a plastic spoon like all that unpleasantness never happened.

The spice in the etouffee was nice. It had a bit of heat with a lot of flavor. Someone who likes things really spicy would probably find it bland. But this was the right spice level for serving a crowd. I found the flavor pleasing but it was very heavy and filling. I had planned on trying some other foods but there was no way after that.

By now the music was just getting started and the kids were already restless. They are also visibly unhappy with my micro management of their lunch choices. And apparently the WAY I changed the channels on the radio on the drive over this morning has caused some strife for my son and he feels the need to point that out now.

I’m irritated because the afternoon isn’t turning out the way I had planned; a happy family unit enjoying the food, music and each other on a beautiful day. Clearly this wasn’t happening. If there is one thing I have learned in my 22+ years as a mother, it’s that sometimes it’s better to just give up the dream, abort the mission and return home to regroup. And that’s what we do.