Fine dining--cajun style

DH and I love to go out to eat. We are kind of foodies. Any restaurant we go to, we examine the menu for a familiar appetizer to order so we can compare the quality to other restaurants and then try to order a house specialty or favorite as our entree. I love to cook, so I try to pick out the spices used in a dish and will often try to duplicate the recipe at home. We have heard so much about cajun cooking that we can't wait to go out to eat and try it.

Other than the requisite Pizza Hut and fast food places, there are two (2) honest-to-goodness restaurants in town. Everyone tells us to stay away from the one, so I'll guess we'll pick...ummm...the other one! Besides, everyone says how nice it is and how good the food is. All excited about our first Cajun meal, we wash off the day's sweat and grime (note to self: buy stock in Dial. we're going to be taking a LOT of showers), change into going-out clothes, and drive to the restaurant. On the way there, our stomachs start grumbing and our mouths are watering. Yea!! We get to the restaurant, open the door, step inside, and...

cement floors. Plain old cement floors. Red and white checkered plastic tablecloths. Light fixtures made out of coffee cans. I guess this could be quaint. DH, that girl in the tight t-shirt and Pippy Longstocking pigtails is talking to us. WHAT IS SHE SAYING? I CAN'T HEAR HER BECAUSE IT'S SO LOUD IN HERE. OH...SHE WORKS HERE? OK, THEN. A TABLE FOR TWO. NON-SMOKING, PLEASE. We follow Pippy to our table, but as we walk across the floor, there is this weird crunching noise. And what's that under my feet? What's in my sandals??

Peanuts shells. Empty, sucked-on peanut shells. That's just lovely. I just cut my toe on one of these discarded things, and now I'm going to get somebody's cold sore germs in my cut. If I get herpes of the toe, I'm so suing. But here's our table. Right next to the group of friendly looking men laughing loudly and enjoying an after dinner...

smoke. Um, Pippy? We wanted the non-smoking secion. This is the non-smoking section? But what about these nice gentlemen right here right next to us smoking? Oh, they are regulars, I see. And they prefer sitting back here. And the other table smoking right next to them? Of course, I understand that it's busy and your smoking section is full. It would be silly to make them wait when there are perfectly good non-smoking tables going unused. You know, this other table is empty, too. Could you try to fill this one up with some menthol smokers, please? I'm having a little trouble with my new-found allergies, and maybe the menthol will open me up.