A Prophet has no Honor in Dry Creek

From The Old House by Curt Iles Copyright 2002

This story is nearly too good to be true, but it actually is. The funniest things in life are not fictitious, but real events that take place all around us.

My next-door neighbors in Dry Creek are Mark and Mitzi Foreman. The Foremans, and their two children, Mavy and Mark, Jr. operate Foreman’s meat market at the intersection of Highways 113 and 394.

Curt and Mark Foreman September 2009 @ Bayou Writers meeting
Photo from The Times of SW La. Oct. 1, 2009

This story is not meant to be a commercial, but if you’ve never eaten boudin or sausage from Foreman’s, you haven’t lived. They are known far and wide for their wonderful Cajun-seasoned meats. My son, Clint, loves to get his mom’s shopping list and add, “Buy plenty of Foreman’s sausage.”

Famous all over our area also are their huge stuffed pork chops and chicken breasts. These delicacies, filled with boudin or sausage, are a feast by themselves. You can also get a greasy paper bag full of fresh fried cracklings, which are authentic crunchy pork skins.

The Foreman’s opened their Dry Creek store in 1993. They’ve been very successful due to a great location, a quality product, and lots of hard work. Mark and Mitzi are talented business owners and deserve every bit of the success they’ve had.

However, this story is not about them. It’s about their son, Mark, Jr., better known in Dry Creek as “Boom Boom.” For the sake of simplicity, I’ll call him Mark, but if you come in Foreman’s Grocery, ask for “Boom Boom.”

Mark Jr. is a businessman and sausage expert just like his dad. Presently, his responsibility is making cracklings at the store. He can also discuss, in detail, the fine points of red pepper, casings, and correct sausage cooking times. My boys sat with him on the school bus and loved to relate how he constantly sketched out notebook drawings of improved sausage making equipment. I predict Mark will one day be rich and famous as an entrepreneur, far beyond the confines of Dry Creek.

This specific story happened when Mark was about ten years old. At this age he began attending Catechism, which are the lessons where Catholic doctrine is taught. The very first lesson, from the Old Testament, told about the early patriarchs of the Bible. As the teacher introduced the stories of Moses, Abraham, and Isaiah, she asked this question, “Do any of you know what a prophet is?”

The children looked at each other waiting to see who’d answer first. However, they shouldn’t have waited, because Mark Foreman already knew the answer and was excitedly waving his hand back and forth.

The teacher asked, “Mark, tell us what a prophet is?”

Without any hesitation, Mark replied,

“A prophet is the money you have left over in your business, after you’ve paid all of your bills.”

Fully satisfied with his excellent answer, this future business tycoon sat down.

I’m not sure if he passed Introduction to the Old Testament, but I’ll bet you a bag of hot cracklings he'll pass Economics 101.

Mark Foreman Jr. is now a partner in Foreman's Meat Market. He is a wonderful father, husband, and gifted writer. I'm proud of him.