Crawfish Eating 101

Crawfest 2011, the university's 5th annual crawfish boil and music festival, is upon us, and it undoubtedly will be very common to see newbies missing the mark when it comes to the proper way to enjoy the crustacean without leaving behind its meat or delectable juices. To help ease your preparation for Saturday's (April 16) festival, I present the Insider's Guide to Eating Crawfish. Study hard!

Crawfish Eating 101
Step one:
Separate the head from the tail by squeezing the head from both sides and simultaneously pulling the tail away. If you've done this correctly, the tail meat should be slightly longer than the length of the tail.

Step two:
Peel two or three rows of the tail's shell away, making sure to keep the tail meat intact.

Step three:
Pinch the “fanned” portion of the tail while holding the exposed meat on the other end.

Step four:
Gently pull the meat from the tail and enjoy.

(If you're a visual learner, check out this guide by Southern Living.)

Since this is a basic primer for novices, you'll want to pay close attention to the pros around you who will be digging into the 16,000 pounds of crawfish that will be available at the student-run event.

Who's on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"?!

Last week I asked for your submissions regarding cool things you're doing, and this week I'd like to present alumnus Jonathan Liu from the class of 2010, who was selected from the Jimmy Fallon TV audience to participate in the “Battle of the Dance Crews” segment.

The idea is for two groups — audience members who don't know each other — to learn a dance routine in 45 minutes and then battle it out on stage for $300 J.Crew gift cards! See Jonathan in action here. He's the cool guy on team PB n'J wearing the skull T-shirt. If you're curious about how it ends, his team won!

Want to know more about what's happening on the inside? Ask The Insider and check back here every Monday to see if your question or comment appears in this weekly blog!