When Life Gives You Lemons, Make YaKa-Mein!
It's called yaka-mein, also known as yakamee, yet-ka-mein, and yaka-meat. The YaKa-Mein Lady is a cultural icon and culinary alchemist whose art in making and vending of yaka-mein is both generational and constant. She has inspired New Orleanians to sing her praises with vigor and alacrity.
As you might well know, she is Ms. Linda Green, the YaKa-Mein Lady, but she's quick to point out that "[my] mother was the original YaKa-Mein Lady. She used to sell from her home, at church, and local school functions." Chef Green tagged along when "my mama sold on the corners of second lines, and local barrooms" to soul food hungry, everyday people.
Chef Green herself has brought the dish into the gastronomic mainstream. She has been featured in at least 20 different media outlets from the BBC to The New York Times, and from AAA to ZAGAT. She said that it began with her mama's (and grandmother's) recipe and the words, "You might be able to do something with this," and she has.
After Hurricane Katrina, yaka-mein pretty much disappeared from our local food scene with the closing of hundreds of mom-and-pop food and convenience stores across the area, with most never reopening. Even today, yaka-mein is no easy find.
You might say that Chef Green has taken that bowl and ran with it. Whenever someone in New Orleans talks of the YaKa-Mein Lady, they speak of Ms. Linda Green, who has elevated this dish, revitalized this dish, and who has, according to Toni Tipton-Martin, turned a "family tradition with personal meaning into a thriving business and a New Orleans cult favorite."
Chef Green purveys her special blend of seasoning and magic—which you can find at theyakameinlady.com or neworleanssoulfood.com—like a one-woman missionary and, with the help of her family, brings her secret alchemy of specialness around New Orleans. "We set up at second lines, Super Sundays, pop-ups, Bywater Bakery, street festivals, French Quarter Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and other places around town."
Indeed, Chef Green's yaka-mein, however you want to say it, is actually a generational operation that includes her daughter Katrina, as well as her grandchildren. She reminisced about her grandmother making yaka-meat and having "porch poppers coming over with their bowls to get them some." That's five generations, and it seems that they are on a roll.
Smiling Through Adversity & Passing the Torch
Ms. Linda Green presents herself as a cautionary tale of the importance of taking care of yourself and being healthy, even if life does not seem to allow for it, while also embracing life and finding the joy in adversity.
Ignoring the physical warnings her body was sending, Chef Green continued to be driven by her passion for providing for her family and an uncompromising work ethic instilled by generations of YaKa-Mein Ladies before her. After a quadruple bypass surgery followed by nine subsequent operations, she recently had her right leg removed.
"That derives from diabetes and me not listenin' to my baby girl," Chef Green said bluntly. "She told me this was gonna happen, you know, and I'm thinking about my kids and working—not taking care of myself—and that's what happened."
"But I'm still here and I believe in God—God say, 'Tell it,'" she said like a true New Orleanian, not hiding her situation but rather parading it out loud. "I wanna tell everybody about what's going on and I wanna thank everybody for sending me all the love." Beyond her unabashed transparency is her appreciation for the ones that care for her publicly and privately, starting with her medical care givers.
"East Jefferson [General Hospital] had so much love. Them people treated me so beautifully. Dr. Peterson and all of them, they treated me like a queen up in there. But that's what it was about—me getting amputated. Everybody tells me, 'You look good, girl.' I say, 'I feel good,'" she smiled, despite all of her recent health setbacks. Indeed, Chef Linda Green is full of energy, in great spirits, and endlessly positive.
"Oh, I'll still be out there," Green confidently affirmed, committed to still being a presence on second lines and at the spring festivals, especially French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest. Yet, she does recognize it is time to pass the torch down to her children. She invites everyone to "just come and see the YaKa-Mein children, and the grandchildren, and come and say hi to Mrs. Linda." The YaKa-Mein Lady laughs at the notion her child Katrina might be known as The YaKa-Mein Daughter.
"You know, I did it for close to 40 years, and I'm tired of it. This is [Katrina and the grandchildren's] thing now. They know how to do it. They've been doing it. So I want them to do this, and, like I tell them, this is your legacy now. My mama did it, my grandmother did it, so guess what? I did it, now it's their turn."
When thinking about the life lesson to take away and share with others, she cautioned, "I was not taking care of myself but thinking about my kids, their future, and stuff, but, you know, my future is now."
They say when mamas make good food, it's their way of showing love, and Ms. Linda Green has shown a lot of love. And now, the love is coming back to her. "Well, you know, by me being in that Netflix show [Street Food: USA, episode 4, "New Orleans, Louisiana"] in 192 countries, believe it or not, people from all over the world—I mean all over the world—have been to New Orleans to come and see me, to eat yaka-mein, and take pictures, and hug, and kiss."
"They showed me some love, baby," Chef Green said humbly. So her heartfelt words for people in New Orleans and yaka-mein lovers everywhere is simply, "Thank you all so much for showing me so much love."
The REAL YaKa-Mein
In her 2008 treatise Gumbo Tales, Sara Roahen described being wilted, worn out, and hung-over from excitement one Mardi Gras Day and how "one of the take-out trucks had just the remedy: a hot salty soup of protein, noodles, hardboiled egg, and green onions that you eat with a fork and called yaka-mein, if you can pronounce it." She cited a woman raised in New Orleans—who possibly could have been Chef Green—raising three children here and calling it "ghetto pho." Yaka-mein is also known to older folks as "old sober" because of its "day after the night before" restorative qualities.
Is there a definitive yaka-mein, and what exactly is it? First, it is defined by the main ingredients: rich broth, string-like pasta, protein, green onions, and a hard boiled egg. From there, it is open to any interpretation. And although nobody does it better than she, Chef Green said basically:
1: Start with a good stock. She uses beef; however, shrimp, chicken, or veggie will work.
2: Choose a protein that is strong enough in flavor to complement the stock.
3: Use noodles. Chef Green recommends spaghetti #4, "but you can use ramen, angel hair, or others. It's up to you."
4: Seasoning: some use the Holy Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) and garlic while others also add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, paprika, bouillon, and/or Kitchen Bouquet. Some use star anise, Chinese five spice, and even a bit of Creole seasoning. Whatever Chef Green uses, it's not getting out, because, as she stated, "It's my secret."
5: Use a hard boiled egg. Usually, there is no substitute. Although, one local restaurant uses a poached egg, which Ms. Linda Green said, "That's okay, too."
6: Lastly, a "large handful of chopped green onions, at serving time and not before."
Better yet, disregard all that and go find where Chef Green is set up and get the real thing.
There you have it. Go forth and make your own or sample it around town until you find one you like and try to figure out what they did. A helpful hint is to look for a corner grocery with a sign outside that says "Po-Boys, Plate Lunches, Chinese Food" Those words, "Chinese Food," usually means that there's yaka-mein inside. Conversely, you follow Ms. Linda Green on social media to find out the next sighting and go there for some.
