St. Patrick's Day in New Orleans

The first parade with Mardi Gras size floats that I ever went to in New Orleans was on St. Patrick's Day a couple years ago. I rode my bike out St. Charles Avenue to the Garden District and joined the crowd along the parade route. In addition to the usual throws - beads, plush toys - riders on the float were also throwing some decidedly unique Irish items like little boxes of Lucky Charms cereal and bars of Irish Spring soap . For some reason there were also a lot of MoonPies being tossed but I'm thinking that was less about St. Patrick's Day and more about being in the South. The other unique items being tossed from the float were fresh vegetables including onions, potatoes ( of course) and carrots. There was also the Irish answer to the Zulu coconuts being handed off to folks from the floats: whole heads of cabbage! Apparently the idea was that you came to the parade,gathered your fresh produce, and then went home and used it to make maybe corned beef and cabbage or some other Irish delicacy (if there is such a thing in Irish cooking). Anyway I did get a couple of cabbages and other fresh food items that I handed off to folks around me who appeared to be local and collecting these particular items. After the parade went by it was pretty funny seeing the street littered with not only beads and other "regular" throws but also cabbage leaves, carrots , potatoes and such ..once again, only in New Orleans.