Postcard: Beignets at Café du Monde

These beignets were the scene at my table one early morning last week at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans' French Quarter; but what was happening at the next table was even better. Two businessmen from out of town sat down. They didn't seem to know each other well, and I'm guessing neither had ever been before to this cafe where the beignets famously come heaped with powdered sugar. At one point I glanced over: one man's mustache is completely white with sugar and the other has perfect dots of the stuff high up on each cheek. They talked on, unfazed, but for all of us watching it was hard not to crack a smile. —Marne Setton