C'est La Vie!! Ah, oui oui!

C'est la vie! Ok, I'll be honest, that's about the only french phrase I know, but tonight we had the true privilege of being exposed to some DELICIOUS french culture. And when I say delicious I mean amazing, and when i say culture I, of course, mean FOOD. (I mean really, what's more important than food?)

Our household is currently full to capacity with three full time occupants (soon to be minus one), three pets (a dog, a cat, and one hedgehog), and one traveling kiteboarder of extremely european and fancy descent. Our good friend Jeremy (Leoni to us) is crashing our couch for a few weeks, until his apartment is ready for occupancy. Everyone should be extremely jealous of him and hate/envy him just as much as I do. Not only has he just returned from an extended vacation in Brazil, but he's relocating to Corpus Christi to live the dream as I like to call it. He gets to spend every day outside on the water, teaching the good people of the dirty dub c how to surf some gnarly waters with his kite. Not too shabby of a situation if I do say so myself. We all loathe/love him in this house because we are truly jealous...but extremely happy for him at the same time.

Anywhoooo, having gotten to spend a good amount of time with him as of late (he's served as an excellent escort the past several weekends to various events where Jeff was unable to attend), I now know that the name Leoni is of italian descent, meaning lion, but that his parents were actually from the region of Northern Africa...don't hate me if I'm wrong Leoni, but Tripoli and Algeria?? Bear with me, because the point of this blog is food, and I'm getting there.

So, recently we were having conversations about food and what we like, and Leoni mentions this amazing concoction that is a staple in the regions where his parents are from. It's basically made of what's called merguez, which is essentially a spicy lamb sausage, served in a crusty baguette, heaped with french fries, and doused in a special spicy sauce called harissa. Of course, my intial reaction is to want it immediately. Hence, we devise a plan in which Leoni, who has never before made this concoction, agrees to prepare this meal for us, in all its delicious glory!

Let me just say, he didn't let me down. Now I don't know what a traditional merguez baguette is supposed to taste like, and I've actually never had lamb before, but this fantastical treat was off the chizzain. We're talking juicy meat, spicy sauce, crusty bread, topped with all the familiarity of your traditional french fry. An epic party in your mouth. Paired with a new summer blend of Shiner Ruby Redbird Beer (which I've also never had), and you've got yourself a dinner.

Now, I'm only gonna say it once Leoni, so you listen good. Please don't leave usssssss. We've so enjoyed having your French @$$ around here, and well, now that I know you can cook...I never want to let you go. Our couch is comfortable. I know the cat is annoying. I know we wake you up every morning leaving for work, but we can change. The cat can go. We'll make it work. Let me know what you think. :-)