Etcetera

Drink : Krampus Lager. Named after Krampus, the mythical evil sidekick of Saint Nick, this limited batch lager from Southern Tier Brewing Co., is what you should fill your pint glasses with through the holiday season. Its piney and citrusy notes will pair well with your Thanksgiving turkey and your Christmas roast beef. More importantly, its 9% ABV will make sitting between your captious mother-in-law and hygiene-resistant cousin significantly more bearable than it was last year. You can find Krampus in the beer case at Whole Foods on Magazine.

Eat : The turducken dog at Dat Dog. Anticipating Thanksgiving turkey and fixings (and weeks of leftover sandwiches), in the weeks prior to the big day, is often reminiscent of riding along on a road trip as a child — you find yourself constantly thinking (maybe asking) “Are we there yet? Are there yet?”. If you are of this camp, Dat Dog may be able to tide you over until Thursday. For a limited time, both locations will serve a Thanksgiving special: a turducken sausage topped with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and green onions. Be warned, though — this dog may put your post-Thanksgiving sammies to shame.

Meet : Abandoned Poetry Project on Instagram. The account’s anonymous user has created a photographic archive of short verse they have impressed upon mundane objects, in various locations throughout the city. You’ll find photos consisting of everything from marker on a trash can at the fly to a sticky label pressed on to a gas pump at Shell to chalk on an otherwise blank chalkboard in Newcomb Hall at Tulane. The user tags each image with its location, so you can look out for the (abandoned) poetry, if you happen to be in any of the documented places.

Fête : At the French Market’s Reveillon cooking demos. From the 3rd through the 20th, the French Market will offer free cooking demos from a handful of celebrated local eateries. Each demo will feature a favorite Reveillon recipe from the establishment. Learn to cook a seared pork chop with rosemary jus and oyster dressing from Arnaud’s, a Lousiana sweet potato spice cake with a molten eggnog center and bourbon gelato form Bourbon House, or rabbit rillettes with marsala fig marmalade and strawberry balsamic jam from Broussard’s. An added bonus is that after each demo, attendees can sample the dish. Each demo starts at 2 PM at the French Market Stage. Browse the demo schedule here.

Laugh : At turtles in sweaters. With a recent chill running through the air (okay, a moderate breeze and low of 60*), folks are bringing out their knitwear. Ever think about what our reptilian friends in the bayou do to stay warm as fall rolls into winter? Thanks to Etsy shop “Mossy Tortoise,” turtles can now stay toasty, not to mention fashionable, through the winter months.

This is a real thing.

The shop offers mini, shell-friendly sweaters — thematically ranging from a turkey to an Easter Bunny; a birthday cake to a taco, all of which are modeled by real turtles. The sweaters are affordable, between $10 – $25, so whether you want a laugh, or you personally know a turtle who struggles with winter weather, or you want to give back to the underprivileged (and cold, I might add) tortoise community by providing them with adorable outerwear, the shop is worth a view.

Chelsea Lee is associate editor at NolaVie. Email comments to her at chelsea@nolavie.com.