Every Independence Day I like to tell this story about my ride on a decorated party barge in the Fourth of July Boat Parade on False River in the '80s.
Because other barge riders were from New Roads, there was great food on the craft, including some delectable deviled eggs from one of the ladies.
I made sure to be close to the eggs as we cruised down the lake, waving to the spectators on shore.
Unfortunately, water balloons had become popular with teenage boys, and we soon were being bombarded.
When one of the balloons hit the nearby railing and burst, soaking me, I was outraged to see the boy who threw it laughing maniacally.
Without thinking, I reached behind me, grabbed a deviled egg and hurled it. It hit him square on his bare chest.
The expression on his face was priceless as he looked down at the yellow goo.
My fellow barge passengers got a big laugh out of my counterattack — except for the deviled egg lady.
Mike Boudreaux, of Bush, says, "I’m sure there are many of your readers who remember riding school buses from neighboring parishes to attend Nicholls State in Thibodaux in the mid '60s.
"Those of us who weren’t catching up on sleep or finishing homework often passed the travel time by playing cards.
"Four of us would sit facing the aisle with a piece of plywood resting on our knees. Two others sat on crates in the aisle.
"Many a hand of 'Pedro' was played. We learned more about strategy, probability, and human behavior on those daily bus rides than we did in the classroom."
"I smiled at your story of the guy trying to get what we would call a 'dressed' hamburger," says Lyn Doucet, of Maurice.
"When I was a senior in high school, I traveled with the Honor Society to New York City.
"One day at lunch, we stopped at a diner. I ordered a hamburger, 'cut the onions.'
"In a while, my hamburger showed up, and the waitress gave me half an onion and a sharp knife.
"She said, 'You'll have to cut the onions yourself, we don't have time.'"
Russ Wise, of LaPlace, says, "After reading about a dressed hamburger being a 'vegetable burger' in Iowa, my wife reminded me that if you want your hamburger dressed in England, you have to order it 'with salad.'"
When I was at LSU, we had a couple of guys in journalism grad school who had gotten their undergraduate degrees at Rutgers in New Jersey.
Once when we went out for lunch, they told me that up there, if you wanted tomato on your hamburger, you asked for a "tomato burger."
Lady Katherine, who graduated from high school in New Jersey, says she never heard of a tomato burger (although she loves the deli sandwiches she had there).
"I had to chuckle about stories of adding things to cheeseburgers," says Paul C. (aka "The Kid").
"One item you did not mention is sweeping the nation. Avocados seem to be added to everything we eat.
"I like avocados in guacamole, but don't care for them on my toast, burgers, eggs, pizza, tuna, etc.
"Guess that makes me old-fashioned."
Jan and Ernie Wall, of Baton Rouge, celebrate their 65th anniversary Monday, July 4.
"On Saturday, when I read about the nun ordering an old-fashioned," says Faye Guidry, "I was reminded of taking Sister Theckla and Mother Elizabeth to Corinne Dunbar’s in New Orleans.
"When the server came over to take drink orders, he asked Mother if she’d like a nice little glass of wine.
"Her response was, 'Oh, no thank you; I’d like a double martini, straight up.'"
Write Smiley at Smiley@theadvocate.com. He can also be reached by mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821. Follow Smiley Anders on Twitter, @SmileyAndersAdv.
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