# Crayfish, crawfish, crawdads, or mudbugs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crayfish-crawfish-crawdads-or-mudbugs/564452 "2010-12-17T01:11:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crayfish-crawfish-crawdads-or-mudbugs/564452/41 "2010-12-18T15:27:55Z")
This thread reminds me of a joke told by Justin Wilson on his _Cookin’ Cajun_ show. _Mama crawdad and her baby crawdad go out for a walk one day so she can teach the young’n ‘bout the world. They go for a while can come across a sheep grazing in the pasture and the baby crawdad raises his claws and starts running backwards in fright. Mama says "That’s just and old sheep, they don’t hurt nuthin’. They go for a little bit more and see a cow grazing in the pasture. Again, the baby crawdad raises his claws and starts running backwards in fright. Mama says "That’s just and old milk cow, they don’t hurt nuthin’. They go for a little while longer and see a person. This time Mama raises her claws and start running away. The baby crawdad asks “What’s wrong Mama?” and she says “Run boy! That’s a cajun, they’ll eat anything!”_ BTW, I say crawdad. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crayfish-crawfish-crawdads-or-mudbugs/564452/42 "2010-12-18T17:25:06Z")
The first crawfish I ever had was caught in a stream in Maine. But when we moved to New Orleans we learned of the glorious crawfish boil. Oh Og, I miss those! ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crayfish-crawfish-crawdads-or-mudbugs/564452/43 "2010-12-18T17:30:08Z")
We called them crawdads when we fished them out of Lake Tahoe when I was a kid. They’re crayfish if they are over rice with Cajun spices. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crayfish-crawfish-crawdads-or-mudbugs/564452/44 "2010-12-18T17:39:19Z")
A nearby town, Isleton, has a huge Crawdad Festival every year. So I call them crawdads. I’ve never eaten one, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crayfish-crawfish-crawdads-or-mudbugs/564452.md?page=2)