Cajun celebration comes to Carolina

Regardless of whether you will be observing the Lenten season, all are welcome to observe Mardi Gras, the final party before the 40 days of preparation for Easter.

Earlier than in years past, Fat Tuesday falls on Feb. 5. The holiday's date is determined indirectly by the date of the first full moon following a Spring Equinox. However, if you have not been to New Orleans, the American authority on the French-influenced holiday, to observe the full season, Carnivale has probably snuck up on you.

First-year civil engineering and naval science student Chris Courtney and some of his fellow Gamecocks visited the Louisiana port city, which has a gradually recovering tourism industry after Hurricane Katrina, this past weekend.

Upon observing Carnivale in New Orleans, Courtney said, "The whole atmosphere around Mardi Gras is that of relaxing and enjoying yourself. There's an excitement in the air created by the sounds of bands and parades, brightly colored lights and the screams and shouts of crowds trying to catch beads thrown from balconies."

To aid you in your personal quest to "laissez les bons temps rouler" ("let the good times roll") the following guide for celebrating in Columbia has been assembled.

Around Town

Sadly, Mardi Gras festivities are in short supply in Columbia. There are no clubs or venues providing live music to mark one of the most infamous party holidays. If you have a hankering for Cajun cuisine, you have two options:

McCutchen House - The Horseshoe Restaurant, run by USC's own School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, is serving a Mardi Gras-themed menu from 11:30 to 1:30 for $10. Highlights include chicken and andouille gumbo, spicy shrimp sauté station, seafood etouffe, red beans and rice, cajun chicken and King Cake.

New Orleans Riverfront - Just over the Congaree in West Columbia, this restaurant, although not inexpensive, is going to be the closest thing to authentic New Orleans fare you will get. Open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., special gumbo will be on the menu, as well as King Cake.

In a pinch - Popeye's in West Columbia or Cajun Café in the Columbiana Mall are low-budget, lower-quality alternatives to real bayou cooking.

Do It Yourself!

Throwing your own Mardi Gras party allows you pretense to bring your Krewe (a group of people who typically march in the New Orleans parades together under a theme) together to have a good time on a Tuesday.

Menu - For some Creole influence, you might try some of Emeril Lagasse's recipes from www.emerils.com/recipes. New Orleans classics include gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp etouffe, red beans and rice, any crawfish dishes (craw dads if you're from da parish), oysters rockefeller, okra, Cajun shrimp and muffulettas. If you don't feel like putting in the time, Zatarain's brand provides many authentic New Orleans dishes with low prep time, as does any Old Bay brand seasoning.

Dessert - Recipes for Bananas Foster, praline pecans or beignets are all straight from Louisiana and are all delicious finishes for any meal. However, for Mardi Gras, there is really no contest: King Cake reigns supreme. In New Orleans, King Cake season begins at Epiphany and lasts until Fat Tuesday. The cake is a yeast coffee cake braided into a ring and decorated with the Carnivale colors, purple, green and gold. Tradition dictates that some token be hidden in the cake, nowadays a small baby Jesus figure, and that the finder is obligated to bring the King Cake to the next event of the season. It will not taste like it's from Frances Bakery in New Orleans, but in Columbia your options for finding a King Cake are limited to Publix or Fresh Market, where a simple call ahead is advised to ensure that their stock has not been depleted.

Drinks - For Gamecocks of age, the famed Hurricane, a mix of rum, orange juice, passion fruit juice or grenadine and lime, will bring you a little closer to a Bourbon Street feel. Mint Juleps are also a Louisiana classic.

Soundtrack - Go for jazz, blues and zydeco. It might not be your bag year-round to listen to songs with accordion and rub board in them, but at least once a year everyone should listen to at least one song that references someone named Boozoo. Here are some of the musicians with sounds similar to that which you would hear drifting across the bayou or Jackson Square: Louis Armstrong, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Creole Zydeco Farmers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Kermit Ruffins, New Orleans Nightcrawlers and Rosie Ledet.