While I didn’t realize that it was an endangered food, after experiencing the Po’ Boy Festival yesterday, I am totally in favor of saving/preserving/eating them.

After a brief stint of sleeping in Sunday morning, I did a little work and threw on some shoes (as per order of the text message I received:

Po boy fest. Put ur shoes on don’t worry about what you wear. Down here and it’s awesome…

So I did just that and was even open to dealing with the crowds and put up with horrible parking situations, and we all know that that right there is half the battle for me.

Crowded outdoor street festival with dozens of people, white vendor tents lining a city street and utility poles overhead. — 20,000 of my closest friends. Not to be confused with the 20,000 closest friends from Halloween

I met up with everyone around 1:30 at Maple Leaf Bar, which was pretty much home base the rest of the day.

Hanging Maple Leaf Bar sign on a Victorian wooden balcony, two people on the porch and power lines overhead — home base

Woman with a beer beside a man in sunglasses and cap sticking out his tongue and making a rock-hand gesture amid a crowd. — JP convincing me to go to Metallica later than night

We walked around the festival, with our pick of po’ boys surrounding us. Local establishments set up tents and tables all along the sidewalks and served a variety of po’ boy offerings, ranging from fried shrimp to a portobello muffaletta po’ boy (which was actually quite delicious and I’m not a big portobello fan) to a traditional pulled pork style. My only regret is not sampling more.

Of course, because I’m the woman who never carries cash, I had to hit up an ATM while there (shame on me, attending a giant street festival with only a card!) but props to my bank back home for not charging me to take out cash from other ATMs and reimbursing up to five other bank ATM fees. That right there saved me 5 whole American dollars.

Also on the list of things that were rad would be the loaf of bread I got for free. It was almost as tall as me. Yes, I know that’s not saying much but it was a good 3 feet of bread. I ate quite a bit (the Atkins diet has nothing on me) and dueled with it, since I wasn’t the only lucky recipient of a giant loaf of bread. And they encourage playing with your food at these kinds of events.

Man in a blue backward cap and glasses, wearing a maroon argyle sweater, puckering his lips while holding a long wrapped sandwich at a street festival. — Large loaves of bread can also be used as a guitar

I think the pictures best sum it up, but I had an absolute great day with a great group of people. I even woke up this morning still riding the high of the fun I had yesterday.

Two men at an outdoor party, one wearing sunglasses and a C-USA Baseball Championship t-shirt, the other in a blue cap holding a plastic cup and laughing — TSkaff and Justin outside of Maple Leaf

Three laughing friends crowding around a man wearing sunglasses as two people hold a long sub sandwich over his head. — po boys everywhere, including a real one pinned to this dudes hat

Smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and a man wearing sunglasses and a white baseball cap embrace at an outdoor street event. — Kelsey and JP = ♥

Man in blue-and-yellow beaded costume holding a matching umbrella and feathered fan in a crowded street parade — The Grand Marshall of the Parade

Three smiling adults posing closely at an outdoor bar/tailgate; one holds stacked white cups and two wear white caps. — You may not be able to tell but I am holding my 3 foot loaf of free bread

Person leaning from a lower sash of a tall double window on a faded blue building with Fish and Oysters signage below. — Taking it all in

Four friends at an outdoor bar; woman in a white cap wears a green shirt reading everyone loves an Irish girl, a man holds cash near his mouth. — See all the money we saved on bread?

Yep, I’m gonna be all right here.

Save the Po’ Boy