Let me be the first to say it: boiled crawfish, done up in the cajun style, is some damn fine eatin’.

Michelle, Isabella and my in-laws all visited some friends on Saturday. The friends live in Louisiana and had come up to Rochester to visit their sister who had recently purchased her first house. They brought with them their two kids and 180 pounds of live crawfish.

Yes. You read that right: 180 POUNDS OF LIVE, SQUIRMING CRAWFISH.

Mind you, this was more than enough eating for the thirtysomething people (and kids) who showed up for the party they were throwing.

They proceeded to boil batch after batch in water laced with cayenne, whole heads of garlic, red potatoes and whole ears of corn. After finishing, they’d drain it and dump the huge pile on a picnic table, where people would start peeling and eating. Since there isn’t much usable meat on a crawfish (mainly the tail), it’s a lot of work for a little food. But, oh my, such good food.

Our pediatrician informed us that shellfish was verboten for our daughter until she reached the tender age of two. But she wouldn’t leave the table of crawfish alone, and there’s only so much cheese and fruit you can feed a kid, and I like to make sure she tries new things, so I peeled a crawfish and gave her a bite to eat.

She was initially hesitant, but then shoved the whole thing in her mouth. Now, these things were a bit spicy. This did nothing to deter her at all. In fact, it made her redouble her efforts.

I think she ended up eating six or seven. Not bad for a neophyte.

I was terrified that any moment she would have a funky allergic reaction, her throat closing up, requiring an emergency tracheotomy. This would have been All My Fault, as it was my idea. These are things you fear as a parent.

Thankfully, none of this happened. She went on playing, occasionally coming back for another bite of crawfish.

In case you don’t believe it, I have photographic proof of the whole thing over on Flickr.