Every day - and I do mean every day since I moved here in August - on my way to school, I passed by a little restaurant called Louisiana Flair. At first I was a bit scared of the place because right near the window stood a mannequin and as many of you know, I am terrified of those things. Then, over time, I grew more and more intrigued. Every morning at 7am, right when I walk over for classes, I saw a man at the stove smiling and laughing with his customers. One day we made eye contact and I couldn't help myself - I smiled and waved - like we were old chums. Except we'd never actually met. Imagine my extreme happiness when he returned the favor. In a program like mine, you learn to find happiness in any place and my morning walks and waves became something I looked forward to. Every day I saw him working and every day I promised myself that one day, I'd pop in and meet him.
That day came - today. Nate, as I learned, is the owner of this special place. People come from all over Richmond to try his family's recipe for gumbo and his delish catfish po' boy. Every day the specials stand, on a chalkboard outside the restaurant, ready to be devoured by his loyal customers. Heck, on a plane to Atlanta I heard people from Louisiana commenting on how good the jambalaya is. And aren't I lucky to be living so close by? The service was wonderful - fast and friendly and so warm and comfortable. I was also able to sample some original sausage from New Orleans and it was amazing - hot a spicy and perfect for sandwiches.
I hear breakfast is pretty awesome too, so I'll have to go back. In the meantime, I'll keep myself happy grinning and waving to the kind man at the stove: my new Richmond friend, Nate.