My children enjoy the gumbo I make; in fact they call it Dad’s Yumbo Gumbo, but I think it is mainly out of courtesy that they’ve made this nickname for one of the few things I can cook well.

Every gumbo cookoff is a reminder of that as we were able to taste several delicious gumbos from a few of the many teams competing for the top spot at the World Championship Gumbo Cookoff.

Sunday was Gumbo Day for the cookoff and it was easy to find almost any kind of gumbo you could imagine. Son Charles and I look for the duck gumbos. I’ve never tried cooking a duck gumbo, so having the opportunity for such a treat cannot pass us by. Daughter Kathryn enjoys the traditional chicken and sausage gumbo, while wife Mary Kay was open to tasting any gumbo that looked good.

Advertisement

That’s tough. With so many booths of gumbo, how does one select?

Well, one of the enjoyable parts about cooking a gumbo at home is the aroma. From the making of the roux to the finished product, the whole house smells of something special. It can take grown-ups to a time when they first remember their parents cooking a gumbo. For youngsters, the smells mark a countdown to mealtime. So how about following one’s nose to the right gumbo? No, the delicacies for gumbo aficionados are a feast for the olfactory as well as the palate.

Mary Kay went with the recommendation of a friend and went with the chicken and sausage, as did Kathryn. Charles decided on the seafood this year and was not disappointed.

I held out for duck, duck and venison sausage to be exact.

It’s so difficult to savor such awesome cooking when there is only a finite amount cooked. It leaves me eagerly anticipating the gumbo cookoff next year.

But, now that all the tents have been packed away, my children will have to settle for Dad’s Yumbo Gumbo. I guess that will have to do.

 

Son Charles turned 14 last week. To spoil him a bit, I made a chili and cheese omelet for his breakfast and fried shrimp poboys for supper. His mom made the cake — chocolate mint — and his sister got him a special gift. All in all, I think it was a special day for him.

That actually was the culmination of being home last week. Since our children are home-schooled, I spent time helping with their studies. Most of all, however, I helped wake them every morning. “Wake up, the sun is up (even though it’s raining). What do you want for breakfast? Speak now because the kitchen closes in an hour.”

I don’t think that was the part they liked about me being home, but the rest of the day was fine. It makes me appreciate what my wife goes through as a stay-at-home mom, and it makes the children appreciate the fact that I work outside the home.

JEFF ZERINGUE is managing editor of The Daily Iberian. He can be reached at iberianedit@bellsouth.net.