Pooyie!

Pooyie! 10.14.2009

C’EST BON
A hearty ‘g’day, mate’ to Outback Steakhouse. The company announced last week that it will serve only Louisiana shrimp at its 14 locations in the Bayou State. An official for the Florida-based, Aussie-themed restaurant says the company had planned to switch to less costly imported shrimp next month, but in light of the tribulations of the Louisiana shrimping industry — hard hit by imports and internal squabbling among shrimpers and processors — Outbacks in Louisiana will stick with the local variety. That means, of course, that a shrimp dish in a Louisiana Outback will be a little more expensive than the same dish at Outback locations in other states, but for our money, it’s well worth it.

PAS BON
New Orleans’ four-year odyssey recovering from Hurricane Katrina looks to be far from over, according to economist Loren Scott. At a recent symposium in Biloxi, the LSU economics professor predicted that the Crescent City will continue to lag behind other Gulf Coast cities affected by Katrina in terms of attracting new companies and business investment. While billions for construction projects have been spent in New Orleans since Katrina, most of it has been for rebuilding — houses, bridges, infrastructure — and very little in new development. Scott reiterated an oft-repeated scenario that has many a New Orleanian scratching their collective head: It’ll take another direct hit by a hurricane — and the levees holding — before the business community will feel comfortable investing in New Orleans again.

COUILLON
William S. Burroughs would be proud. A Slidell man lived his own little drug- or booze-induced Naked Lunch episode recently — actually a naked midnight snack — as surveillance video in a residence captured him breaking in, ransacking the home, taking a shower and making himself a meal, all while completely and utterly in the buff. The nude dude was thoughtful enough to wrap himself in a sheet before leaving. So far, cops have no idea who he is, but hope someone will recognize the couillon from the video.