Just got back from the best-ever ASTI in New Orleans. Reconnected with old friends, made new ones, met many of my Appliantology brethren and several of my Samurai Tech Academy students in person.

Not being a city person myself, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed New Orleans-- fantastic food and lots of fun in the French Quarter. For example, here's a plate of the best soul food you'll ever eat at a place called Mother's:

Pictured above is

Blackened Ham

Red beans and rice

Turnip greens with ham chunks

Grits with butter

All slathered with Tobasco

The food is spectacular and often exotic in New Orleans, so much so that sometimes people don't know what to think. Here, yours truly and a long-time Brethren in The Craft are helping Baby Sensei broaden his horizon and try some shrimp jambalaya:

But to truly enjoy a fine plate of New Orleans cuisine, you need to pair it with the proper selection of beer. But not just any beer, only Abita beer will do!

After enjoying a fine meal with the perfect local brew, then it's a good time to go catch a parade. Here's Applianceman97 (aka, Baby Sensei) and Mrs. Applianceman97 sporting their parade bling:

Not to be outdone, Mrs. Samurai shows off her parade bling, too:

And, of course, we had to do the obligatory, but short, walk down Bourbon Street:

Here's what the streets look like after the parades are over, around 12:30am:

As trashed as the streets were, they were sparkling spotless the next day. How does that happen? An army of street cleaners with machine, hoses, rakes, and a sea of humanity swarms the streets and cleans it up. It was even more amazing than the parades themselves! Watch: