Peeling crawfish at the Thank-You Dinner at Turner Industries, Decatur, Alabama.

Whether you say crawfish or crayfish. And whether you “suck dem heads” or not. It didn’t matter.  A big ol’ Thank You from Turner Industries in Decatur, Alabama, was mighty welcome if’n you grew up in The South.  Or if’n you didn’t. Everybody associated with Turner wanted in on the action May 7th, 2015.

So, how’d we get there?  Brother-in-law Jim Mouch, Sr. Vice-President and Regional Manager, called and said, Want to see how we say thanks to our employees and associates down here in Decatur?  We’re serving 650 pounds of crawfish and 350 pounds of fried catfish May 7th, and you need to be here to see it. (Now, you don’t have to ask us twice to a crawfish boil.  Or, for that matter, a catfish dinner.  We were there faster than you can throw mudbugs into a boilin’ pot o’ water.)

Serving fried catfish under the tent at Turner Industries in Decatur, Alabama.

So, here’s how they do it in Decatur.  First, you dip a net into one of the biggest pots you’ll ever see.  Grab hold of those wrigglin’ crawfish and lift.  (It’s heavy, mind you.)

Then dump ’em into a big ol’ mesh pot that fits into a big ol’ metal pot full of eye-burning seasonings and boiling hot water.  Whoo-eeee that stuff can open up your sinuses!

Lowering the pot. We could smell the seasoning six feet away!

Stir the pot ’til the bugs are red.

Stirring the pot. Those sunglasses aren’t just protection from the sun!

And then dump ’em into a cooler.

Dumping ’em into the cooler!

Ah yeah, cher.  Pour that cooler full of crawfish onto a waist-high table and commence to peelin’.

Pourin’ ’em out on the table.

Sip a little.  Peel a little.  Pop ’em in your mouth. Repeat.

Good times at Turner Industries!

It’s personal preference how you get the meat out of the crawfish. Start with popping open the tail.  Or separate tail from body first.  Or do both in one fell swoop. Makes no never mind: visiting, talking, eating, and piling up shells is all just part of the fun.

If you had room for dessert, you could one-bite-it with these hand-painted cookies!  But we could hardly breathe after crawfish, catfish, taters, and corn!

Cookies made for the occasion!

Thank you, Turner Industries, for letting us dine Southern style for a day. Laissez le bon temps rouler!  (Let the good times roll!)

Bert and Rusha Sams

Turner Industries

127 Old Hwy 24, Decatur, AL 35601; http://www.turner-industries.com/