When I used to live in New Orleans I always got a kick out of this storefront, located at 2501 Airline Drive. I  recently dropped someone off at the airport and was delighted to find it still exists.

I always felt sorry for the cartoon crab. His two-different sized eyes and gritted teeth pull at your heartstrings. Poor little guy! He is so cute, even in his last moments. Who would want to eat him, besides the chef from The Little Mermaid?

The Airline Drive storefront reminds me of the logo from Metropolitan Meat, Seafood and Poultry, a company from Landover, MD whose truck I used to see constantly around D.C. These best of friends look so happy. Maybe it’s because the company pardoned the cow, crab and chicken from death, much the way the president pardons a turkey each Thanksgiving.

I’m not alone in wondering about this logo. One of my favorite blogs, DCist, wrote about the truck in 2007. I also found another blogger who wrote about it in a post about his DC memories.

“Here are my top five memories from the end of my time in DC…seeing the Metropolitan Meat, Seafood, and Poultry truck one last time and knowing that a menage a trois between a lobster, cow and chicken would produce the most delicious offspring, ever.

These animal/crustacean depictions give me pause and force me to consider another attempt to become a vegetarian. However, I’ve tried so many times and I’ve never been able to do it. And I feel New Orleans is not the city to pilot another effort.

Looks like I’ll just keep on eating adorable cartoons.

Previously in Lagniappe:
Beeracuda
Mardi Gras Float Storage