Page 35 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2019

DINING throw me somethin’ It’s
story and photos courtesy of Jeff Clark
For many of us living on the Coast, Mardi Gras is “the most wonderful time of the year” rather than Christmas as it’s referred to in the old Andy Williams song. It’s pretty easy to beat the post-Christmas blues when
you know Mardi Gras season is starting 12 days after Christmas.
Growing up an Episcopal in North Mississippi, I never understood the lure and attraction of Mardi Gras. Sure, I was familiar with Epiphany and the church calendar, but I thought Mardi Gras was a parade in New Orleans. But then I met a Catholic from Pass Christian, went through confirmation (my son was baptized as an infant on the same night I was confirmed) and moved to the Coast. The rest, as they say, is history.
Mardi Gras is the best. It’s an entire holiday season unto itself. Now I know it’s far more than just a parade in New Orleans. It’s a ton of parades across the Gulf Coast. It’s one of the only holidays with its own dance, the infamous “Cupid Shuffle” by New Orleans musician Cupid.
The music is one of my favorite things about Mardi Gras. I know you can listen to The Meters anytime of the year, but there’s something really special about hearing “Mardi Gras Mambo,” “Hey Pocky A-Way”
and “They All Asked For You” during Carnival. In
an attempt to acclimate myself with the season, I
took a deep dive into Mardi Gras music a few years back. This is how I came across an album by The Wild Tchoupitoulas, which features Big Chief Jolly with The Meters and the Neville Brothers. In fact, it was because of the album that the Nevilles decided to continue performing as a group. I don’t think I would want to live in a world where the Neville Brothers did not exist.
, Y’all
TOP:
THE CLARK FAMILY celebrates
Mardi Gras during the Pass Christian Parade 2016. BOTTOM: JEFF CLARK visits with John Oates of Daryl Hall and John Oates during Mardi Gras in Metairie, Louisiana in 2018 — when the Crimson Tide were still the National Champions.
So break out a copy of The Meters’ “Fire on The Bayou,” throw some beads at your neighbor and don’t choke on the baby in the king cake. It’s Mardi Gras, y’all.
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February 2019 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 35