August 22 Part II: Death and Chili

     The Arlington National Cemetery was a rather somber affair.  The graves of the Kennedy brothers, the eternal flame, people being very quiet (with "Silence and Respect" signs serving as gentle reminders,) the many thousands of little white gravestones among the green grassy hills, the sprinkly rain--it was all kind of depressing.
     Then there was the tomb of the unknown soldier.  I didn't quite know what to think of the overstated pageantry and precision of the Changing of the Guard.  The clicking of the heels, the sharp quarter-turns, the measured forward steps, the repetitive shouldering, un-shouldering, and re-shouldering of the bayonetted rifle, the crisp salutes, the grim faces--it all seemed designed more for the entertainment of the tourists than for actually guarding the tomb.  And they make it a ten-minute ordeal. 
     I commented to Dan, "It seems to me that it would be much easier if one soldier came up to the other one and said, 'Hey, dude, I'm here to relieve you,' and the other one said "Thanks, man,' and he walks away.
     "True," Dan agreed, "that would certainly be more efficient."

     It took three subway train changes, but we found our way to Ben's Chili Bowl--one of the most famous eateries in Washington D.C.  It is a narrow, hole-in-the-wall space in an African-American district of the city that has seen some pretty challenging times.  Such famous people as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Redd Foxx, Martin Luther King, Bill Cosby and Barack Obama have eaten here.
     Today, it was chaos in there.  I suspect it is chaos every day.  The place is incredibly busy and overcrowded, customer orders are written up on little pieces of paper, about 10 workers are flying around behind the counter putting together the orders, and, as far as I could see, there was only one cash register.  It was nuts in there.  And here's the thing:  It is NOT a gourmet restaurant.  No, it's a diner that basically serves a few variations on chili, hotdogs, chili-dogs, and french fries.  I had a bowl of their chile con carne and my only words are "AWESOME!  One of the highlights of the trip."

      Well, this evening I had another great dining experience.  This time the restaurant was called Hot and Juicy Crawfish.  No kidding, that was the name.  I like Cajun food quite a bit and this place looked pretty authentic.  They serve shrimp, crab, crawfish, lobster, clams, etc. by the pound and cooked in hot sauce.  (You choose just HOW hot you want it.) 
     I ordered a pound of shrimp in the medium hot "Juicy Cajun" sauce.  The server brought the shrimp to me in a plastic bag along with a piece of corn on the cob, a bib, a roll of paper towels, and a bucket.  They were whole shrimps--heads, shells and all.  They were messy to eat but absolutely delicious.  By the time I was done eating, the paper towel roll was much smaller and the bucket was loaded with shells, corn cob, wet-wipes, and paper.  A great experience.

Having fun at Hot and Juicy Crawfish.

A bag of shrimp.