Rouses_May-June-2018

XXX EAT LOCAL

Miss Linda Green, Yakamein Lady

regular basis. All this success, though, hasn’t slowed her desire to continuing expanding, exploring and innovating. She recently competed in a drink competition at the New Orleans’ Bloody Mary Festival, where her version of the morning-after pick-me-up was, naturally, inspired by yakamein flavors. “The name of my drink’s the YakaMary,” she says, laughing. “It goes down real easy!” In recent years, chefs across the city have started to experiment with their own spins on the classic yakamein preparation. In 2013, Ralph’s on the Park in Mid-City served up a version with a sous-vide egg and pork belly,

while Oxlot 9 in Downtown Covington added kimchi and a bacon consommé to their take on the dish in 2016. On the outskirts of the French Quarter, the cozy, bistro-like Meauxbar offers a daily, souped-up yakamein with an ever-rotating combination of ingredients, including shrimp and bacon. At its heart, though, yakamein is a dish that’s all about comfort, and the traditions that endure from generation to generation. Whether it’s a solo tradition, like gobbling down a Styrofoam cup of the stuff after a long night, or a family rite of passage that’s practically in your DNA, yakamein is the kind of tradition that strengthens the individual, and in turn, fortifies an entire city. “I taught the recipe for our yakamein to my daughter, and now I’m teaching the grandbabies,” says Miss Linda. “I always tell them something my mom said: ‘You have to respect yourself in order to respect everyone around you.’ I believe that’s the truth.”

show No Reservations , visited New Orleans in 2011, he deemed Miss Linda “a premier vendor of a vital component of New Orleans drinking culture.” Soon, she found herself featured in magazines like Rolling Stone and on television programs including Food Network’s Chopped , where she was crowned “Chopped Champion” on the “Pride of New Orleans” episode. “Growing up, everyone knew that Monday was the day for red beans, and Wednesday you’d have greens or something like that. Friday would be for seafood, but Saturday was always a potluck. When you’d walk in with that yakamein to the potluck? Baby, everyone would get excited!” Today, you can find Miss Linda popping up across the city at festivals and events (she’s a Jazz Fest staple and at Ogden Museum After Hours each week), and a version of her yakamein graces the menu at Bywater Bakery for those who need their fix on a more

WWW.ROUSES.COM 31