A Prairie Home Companion: October 25, 2008

Cafe Bouef
Saturday, October 25, 2008

Listen (MP3)
Listen (RealAudio)

GK: Here in Tulsa, the epicenter of beef country, it's natural to find, on a little side street not far from the theater, the elegant awning and dimly lit interior of the Café Boeuf, and your host Antoine.

TR (FRENCH): Merci, monsieur. The name Tulsa is, of course, from the French, meaning "Good Eater," and this is so true, so true. Up where you come from, the people are cheapy cheap-pants — they come in, they split a half-bottle of cheap wine, they share two appetizers. Pshaw, I spit on it. It is terrible. (SPITS)

GK: It's not like that in Tulsa?

TR (FRENCH): Here in Tulsa they order the (FRENCH, LARGE EXPANSIVE) —

GK: What is that?

TR (FRENCH): What is what?

GK: What you just said.

TR (FRENCH): You mean, the (FRENCH, LARGE EXPANSIVE)?

GK: Yes.

TR (FRENCH): That is a very big beef. Very very big. Called the House of the Porter. It is as big as a small child.

GK: And they eat this—

TR (FRENCH): They eat whether they are hungry or not and they eat everything and they do not get fat and they drink a big bottle of wine or six and they go home by way of the back roads.

GK: Very good. And Tulsa— you say this comes from a French word?

TR (FRENCH): Oui, monsieur. From the word (LONG FRENCH WORD ENDING IN "TUL-SOI")—

GK: And this means—

TR (FRENCH): It means "I will eat you for lunch because I am from Tulsa" —

GK: Okay, thank you, Antoine. The Café Boeuf. Where the elite meet to eat.