Meet the Green Fairy

I like Southern food. I like Cajun food. If you're ever in Lafayette, Indiana, make sure you try crawfish etouffee at Cajun Connection. Yummy! Wash it down with some Pinot Noir and you will be in heaven!

Speaking of heaven. Heaven on Seven that is. Chicago has four restaurants on every corner, and then 4 more above them, on the second floor. You can probably go to a different eatery 365 days a year. I went to Heaven on Seven twice, in 2 weeks that I spent in Chicago in April 2009, on a business trip. They claim to have "The Best Louisiana Cookin' Outside of New Orleans". I can't confirm: I have not been to New Orleans. But like I said: I went there twice.

The second visit wasn't really about their southern cooking. It was about something else, something that I spotted on the menu the first time. I was very curious to try it. I suppose when it comes to forbidden things, I am just like every other human being on this planet: I want it!

The drink was pricier than anything else on the menu. $15 for one glass. It must be really good! The young waiter hesitated a bit when I ordered it... I asked if he had any concerns. He indicated he was thinking of carding me, but then decided I was old enough---great, thanks... I am sure he didn't mean it, but, unknowingly, he made me even more curious about the drink.

Absinthe, also commonly known as "la fée verte" or the Green Fairy, has an interesting history. Apparently, it was quite popular in Europe in the late 19th- and early 20th-century. Now, finally, some 20 years after I read a book about Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, one of the greatest painters of the Post-Impressionist period, I was about to have something in common with him: I was about to meet the Green Fairy!

The forbidden drink arrived in a glass similar to the one you see here. It was also greenish, just like in the photo. It was fairly sweet and a bit thick or viscous. It also had a strange taste to it, I am guessing that was anise, one of the three main herbs used in production of absinthe. And it was strong! Right from the very first sip I knew I'd have to pace myself. Perhaps folks who decided to ban absinthe in the United States and in most European countries by 1915 had a valid reason? Commercial distillation of absinthe in the United States resumed only recently, in 2007. I believe it was banned and not sold until a couple years ago.

I am a big boy, and I did consume the no-longer-forbidden green liquid until the last drop. I wish I could now create some of those awesome paintings, done in the impressionist or post-impressionist style; you know, the ones that sell for gobbles of millions of green paper bills. But... I still have to work for a living. In other words, I did not meet the Green Fairy. And strong, sweet, viscous liquid that tastes like anise does not go well with crab cakes at all! Next time, I'm getting me a beer or something. Cheaper too. And less than 138 proof.