The Latest from New Orleans

The Exciting Life and Times of a Traveling Saleswoman (Minus the Sales Part)
Turns out I had a fantastic Valentine’s Day, thank you very much. I was in New Orleans (by the way, it’s pronounced Nyou Oilins, not N’awlins) for work. My coworker and I pulled off a great presentation, and I felt pretty good about that. And to top it off, we were taken to the famous Drago’s Restaurant (pronounced drah-go’s, not dray-go’s). Drago’s is where charbroiled oysters originated, now a semi-delicacy copied by other oyster bars. And I must say they were incredibly delicious. As I enjoyed the exquisite food, I simply chalked Feb 14 up to a good day to have grilled oysters.

At Home on the Road
I realized today I’ve been spending too much time in the Crescent City because I caught myself saying:

1. “I axed her a question…” Metry (Metairie) folks don’t ask, they axe. I’m becoming one of them.
2. “You welcome.” People from “the parish” drop the “r” in you’re welcome and emphasize each syllable. This is one of those moments where I wish I could tape record some conversation and play it for you because I can’t possibly diagram the pronunciation.

Life after the Storm
My coworker hadn’t seen New Orleans since Katrina, so I took her through the area flooded by the 17th Street canal. If I didn’t feel that it seemed so exploitive, I would take more people down there, because you can’t understand the dilemma New Orleans and Louisiana is in until you’ve witnessed the devastation firsthand. (I just have a problem with the tour van that passed us complete with microphoned driver giving the $30/per person(?) tour.)

Anyway, I’ve been to the area three times now, and each time is heart-wrenching. I am glad to say that this time (six months after the storm, mind you), I did notice some progress. I saw a power truck, so maybe in the next few months, electric service may be returned to the area. Demolition crews were starting to tear down some of the condemned homes, and sad as it sounds, it was good to see that first step is underway. Burger King is still advertising $10/hour jobs on their marquis. But it seemed like more restaurants were open since last time, so perhaps people are starting to return to the area.

Mardi Gras Mambo
Katrina certainly couldn’t stamp out Mardi Gras. Bleachers were already up in the neutral ground (median) on Veterans Blvd. I will be seeing purple, gold, and green in my sleep for a week from all the gaudy decorations in the hotel lobby and practically everywhere you looked in any restaurant or shop.

New from Lake Weauxbegone
Back home, the big news at choir tonight was the opening of the Taco Bell in Walker. Word is that several kids from the high school camped out in their cars in the drive thru line all night so as to be the first served. I’m not in the least surprised because a few years ago my classmates fought over the prestigious honor of being customer #1 the morning MacDonald’s opened. No word yet on who won the Taco Bell competition, but I’m sure my Dad will find out for me if a Dominic’s barber shop trip is on his agenda any time soon. And that’s the news from the homefront where pick-ups still have gun racks and oysters are in season.