Cub’s Crawfish…

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

FOLKS IN THE SOUTH ARE DIFFERENT! People who live in the southern United States are different. As a group, they are the most gracious, welcoming and thoughtful folks we’ve ever encountered. “Southern hospitality” is a real deal. And the fried chicken here is absolutely the best! But some of the other food these guys consume in quantities is interesting, to say the least. This was evident today when we had a late lunch at Cub’s Crawfish after competing in the Turkey Shoot at the local VFW hall. Nope, to my friends in San Diego I will tell you this, “You won’t find the kind of seafood consumed down here at Point Loma Seafoods. But don’t fret about being able to get crawish. From what I’ve seen, you’re not missing much. The things are scary looking!”

SO, WHAT ARE CRAWFISH ANYWAY? These things go by a bunch of different names, crawfish, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, or mudbugs. They are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters and they’re not hard to find on restaurant menus around here. Remember when I took you guys to Joe Patti’s Seafood Market?   We saw whole tubs of these things on display. Anyhow, some species are found in brooks and streams where there is running fresh water but others thrive in swamps, ditches, and rice paddies. My guess is that the ones at Cub’s fall into the latter group! They were nasty looking little things!

Crawfish, or “mudbugs” as they’re often called, live in little holes in the mud along stream beds.

Here comes one now! I can hardly wait to eat one of these for lunch this afternoon!

As you can see on this map of the area, there are lots of places for these mudbugs to live and be harvested. 

CUB’S CRAWFISH. This eatery features boiled crawfish, gumbo & other spicy Cajun eats served in a roadside joint with funky decor. It opened in 2005 as a take-out restaurant with spicy, savory Cajun mudbugs “cooked up” with a Southern ‘country boil’ of corn, new potatoes, sausage and mushrooms. It’s now more than take-out, having graduated to a popular seafood diner which is a favorite of locals, Cajuns and tourists who want to try “the best crawfish around.” I took the description right from the mouth of the owner, whom I met at the place.  He proudly told me that folks come from as far away as Mississippi to dine at his joint. That may be true, that may just be true.

Cub’s Crawfish, one of the area’s popular roadside seafood joints.

If the “Pensacola News Journal” says the place is good it must be true, right? This is front page news! 

Nothing on the menu really “jumped off the page at us.” In fact nothing looked very appealing at all, but the owners were so gracious that we didn’t want to turn around and depart. And as you know, I try to support local businesses and buy locally raised food, so we decided to go for it and give it a try. I was told that the “Shrimpboat” was boiled shrimp and that didn’t work for us, so we opted for the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

These crawfish are obviously popular with the locals around here. Look at the size of this tub where they were boiling and getting ready to be plated. Wow!

“Tadaaa.” Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, made for Southerners right in a little roadside joint called “Cob’s Crawfish.” I won’t say we didn’t enjoy stopping at the diner, but I will say that we won’t be going back any time soon! As soon as we got back to our motorhome I heated some of the fresh turkey soup I made from scratch a few weeks ago. Much better, thank you very much. This dish didn’t have any crawfish, but the Cajun seasoning was off the charts! Way too spicy! 

PART OF OUR JOURNEY. Part of our journey, our Great American Adventure, is mixing with the people we meet, getting to know them and their dreams, eating their cuisine and assimilating into their culture while we’re sharing their place in America. I also try to buy locally grown food whenever possible. The philosophy has served us well, as we’ve met and befriended lots of folks all the way from the West Coast to the Eastern Seaboard. Today’s visit to Cub’s was an example of this philosophy in action.

Cob’s is a cute little restaurant near Perdido Key. But if you don’t like Cajun seasoning and crawfish you might want to think twice about having lunch. 

Inside the diner it’s almost like a mini-museum, with old pictures and paraphernalia from the area. Florence had already ordered when I took this picture and I can just “hear” her thinking to herself, “I wish I’d just ordered a coke and some toast! Oh, well. I’ll just see what happens.” 

See what I mean? It’s cozy inside. Just the little kind of place I usually like so much.

WHAT ABOUT YOU GUYS? Have you ever eaten crawfish or “mudbugs” as the folks call ’em? Did you like them? To my southern friends, “Did you always like these things and the spicy Cajun seasonings? Or did Mom just feed them to you over and over for so long you gradually got used to them?” Leave a comment and let me know. And thanks for joining us today. Come back again soon!

I’ll continue my story next time.