In Praise of the Shrimp Man

(and Shrimp Lady)

Big Man and I are big fans of the Shrimp Man whose spot is the empty lot on the downtown side of the Dollar Store on South Claiborne near the intersection with St. Andrew Street. Five days a week, rain or shine (and it's been raining a lot lately), the Shrimp Man parks his beat-up pick-up truck on the edge of the lot, gets on top of a small ice chest he's placed on the edge of the road, and dangles gigantic shrimp by their whiskers at passersby, making the shrimp jump and the drivers take notice. People pull to the side, up onto the lot, idle at the red light, or pass by and make the next U-turn they can. Those shrimp are like magnets, drawing people in. Suddenly, everyone going by thinks, "I need me some SHRIMP."

The Shrimp Man habitually wears a dingy canvas hat (apparently formerly white) and white shrimp boots. Lately his wife, who I've taken to calling the Shrimp Lady, has been with him, wearing a bright yellow visor hat, staffing the back of the pick-up truck, measuring out and weighing the shrimp, and packing them in ice for you to take home. They are always smiling and friendly, making passing conversation with the customers, and greeting repeat regulars -- like Big Man -- with big waves and grins. The other day, the Shrimp Man told Big Man, "You always make me laugh when you are here." (That time, Big Man got out of the van, walked over, pointed to the sign, and said, "My favorite 3 words in a row: FRESH - LARGE - SHRIMP!")

The shrimp these good folks sell are *enormous* -- the larger size are like 6 to a pound, and the so-called "smaller" size (which would be large anywhere else) about maybe 8 to a pound. The really big ones go for $5 a pound and are well worth it; the next size is even less. On our last purchase, Big Man got 5 pounds of those for only $14.

The Shrimp Man became somewhat famous when the Offbeat local music and culture magazine featured him in an interview and story about a year ago. Unfortunately the publicity nearly did him in, as it brought him to the unwelcome attention of the City's permit agencies, and he was hassled by the cops several times, causing the Shrimp Man's truck to disappear for several months. Eventually, the Shrimp Man's family (the business is a multi-generational concern, with the Shrimp Man's father ad brothers going out on the shrimp boat, and the Shrimp Man and Lady handling the retail end on the street) managed to jump through whatever hoops were required to get the necessary permits, and they're back on the street more or less permanently. The Shrimp Man told Big Man that the permits thus obtained were the first given for selling shrimp on the street since 1937!

If you want to impress your family and especially out of town guests with high quality really fresh giant shrimp, then get yourself over to the Shrimp Man and his Lady on South Claiborne. You can't miss the wriggling, jumping shrimp being dangled out into traffic by a smiling man in a canvass hat wearing white shrimp boots. And when you stop and get your shrimp, tell 'em the Big Man with the straw hat sent you.