As we discovered backstage at Lollapalooza ’07, Matt Bishop, frontman of London-based rockers Switches, has an endless appetite for American cuisine. So when Bishop’s band returned to the states this winter to support their new LP, Lay Down the Law, SPIN.com tapped Bishop to pen a food blog about his band’s gastronomic escapades through the U.S. From Texas BBQ to New England clam chowder, Bishop’s findings are tummy rumbling to say the least.
2/8, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Chimes
Our first visit to Louisiana brought us our first taste of some very rare food indeed. In the restaurant next door to the Varsity, where we were due to play that night, Ollie and I turned the tables on the reptiles and snapped up a local delicacy — alligator. Apprehensively, we ordered it as our starter. If I met one in the (raw) flesh I wouldn’t smile, but I did enjoy its soft and tender texture, which reminded me a little of lamb but looked like chicken– a chicken with a thousand teeth that is, though its jaw wasn’t used as a garnish, which was sort of a shame.
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For mains I ordered a Crawfish Po’boy (basically a fried fish sandwich) whilst Ollie opted for some local gumbo, which he reckoned was deeee-licious. We also ordered as a side, small fried balls of doughy matter called hushpuppies, which weren’t quiet dogs or soft shoes but an intriguing mixture of a savory, Cajun-tasting outer and a sweet, cornbread-like inner. So far, the most interesting of our meals in the South and tasty, tasty, very, very tasty.
Hushpuppies
Check in with SPIN.com each day this week to read a new blog entry detailing Bishop and crew’s eclectic eating habits while on their U.S. tour.