Let The Good Times Roll!

I am dragging a little these days. I tend to get the winter time blues in January. It seems that all the holiday fun is over and tax prep time is coming fast. Friends were heading out to New Orleans to party for Mardi Gras so I checked into some local possibilities to let the good times roll. Whadda ya know! February is packed with fun possibilities from all over the world and it's right in my neighborhood! I think I overdid it because I am tired now!



Our friends Minh, Quang, Binh and Khanh invited us to the Tết Festival in Garden Grove. The lunar new year coincided with Valentine's this year so we went on Sunday, February 14. The largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam has a 30 year history of celebrating in Garden Grove, Tết draws over 100 000 guests to the park over the weekend. It was one of the most colorful events I have attended in Southern California, just beautiful. Many Vietnamese wear traditional clothing. The kids are dressed in costumes, whole families come to the biggest Vietnamese holiday celebration to bring in the year of the tiger. Food stands offer all the traditional dishes as well as hot dogs and kettle corn. Since we don't understand the exotic names of food we just decided by aroma and eye sight. I had a delicious soup and coconut sorbet. There are parades, carnival rides, arcade games. We had a wonderful time. The entrance price was right, too: $5 per adult!
Check out the organizing committees website for next year's celebration: http://tetfestival.org

Just two days later it was time to "laissez les bons temps rouler". Since real life responsibilities got in the way of a trip to Bourbon Street, I checked what my friend Eddie Baytos was up to.
We were in luck. N'Awlins born Eddie Baytos and the Nervis Brothers, his band of friends consisting of famous musicians who play respectively with Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Annie Lennox and many many more, get together in the Farmers Market Los Angeles to celebrate Mardi Gras with the biggest jam session of New Orleans ex-pats you can find.



Eddie cracks up: "It seems that we have been playing at Farmers Market for 150 years. Seriously, it is a tradition. We get together every year, tour schedules permitting, and celebrate Mardi Gras with Zydeco and red beans and rice." The Cajun/Creole food comes courtesy of The Gumbo Pot and the party goes on for hours so you can dance off the calories consumed in fried oysters, jambalaya and corn bread. And the price tag here: FREE! Except for your food and drinks.