Last Day of Work and House of Blues

Friday was the last day of work. I helped out with the kid's camp, and the kids brought in a lot of desserts. We had chocolate cupcakes, brownies, chocolate cheesecake, banana bread, and chocolate chip cookies along with breakfast burritos and turkey grilled sandwiches. The rest of the day I just looked up some membership card info for Liz and chilled.

After work I walked with Ashley (the other intern from Yale) to the Praline Connection Restaurant on Frenchmen. We had a variety of foods there, including catfish, okra, pickles, and chicken liver, which were all fried. They also had alligator sausage, which was really good. I didn't try the chicken wings which were supposedly extremely spicy. They had gumbo (which was really dark in color and had sausage and chicken wings in it) and extremely rich, creamy pralines.

We went to the House of Blues to hear Andrew Duhon and Jessica Lea Mayfield after the dinner.

African-Creole Food Tastes Chinese?

We (me, Graham, and Andrew O.) made an excursion into the French Quarter to Bennachin's for some African-Creole food. It took awhile to walk down Royal and we saw Andrew W. and his girlfriend coming back from Bennachin's. They said it was good, so I was excited. When we finally got there and ordered, we asked the waiter about half the menu. Andrew W. told me later that the bennachin, or African jambalaya, was really good. I was going to order that! But the waiter discouraged me. Sigh. Next time I will go with gut instinct. I ended up with boneless chicken, cashews, and rice with a brown gravy. To tell you the truth, I was not impressed. It tasted like Chinese food. Maybe there's some relation?

St. Bernard Excursion

Today we went to work with Amanda and volunteered on two houses. I went with Ashley, Naomi, and Amy to a house in Chalmette while the others (Meghan, Andrew O., and Graham) went with Amanda to a house in New Orleans East.

It was fun to take a break from work and pitch in some hours towards finishing a family's house. We were at Lee Davis' house, putting on the finishing touches. Amy and I spent the morning taping the trims around the floor and windows while Naomi caulked the doorways and Ashley painted the white patches on the walls. After lunch (we went to Charlie's where I got a huge loaded baked potato), we painted primer on the front of the house and finished taping up the rest of the house.

Chris Duhon and New Orleans East

After work I walked over to Ruth's Chris Steak House for the meet and greet with Chris Duhon. Work was mostly just doing writing and looking stuff up. The event was fun and I got autographs and a picture. Once we were all gathered we made our way over to Cafe Giovanni for dinner with the Durham ELI group and parishioners from New Orleans East. The food was good but overpriced. Hearing stories about the aftermath of Katrina definitely put things in perspective and in a rather somber mood. Even though it's been four years out, people are still struggling to pull their lives together. The group was given two questions, what people don't know about Katrina and what we should do/take away from our experience. I think the consensus was that the world doesn't realize how communities affected by Katrina are still working towards rebuilding and that New Orleans and the other neighborhoods still need volunteers and lots of help.

Bread and Butter is Delicious

At work I just finished up the Big Read contact list.

Four of us (Amy, Andrew W., Graham) went to a Holocaust survivors speaker event put on by the Southern Institute. Anne, who was born in 1935, and almost 5 when WWII started, shared her story. It was very interesting hearing from a person who experienced the Warsaw Ghetto and being smuggled out of the ghetto. I can't imagine being a little girl sitting silently in a small chest for days and days. It's difficult to comprehend how fast Anne and her sister had to grow up under the circumstances. But I really enjoyed hearing her story because it brings alive the stories you read in history textbooks and memoirs. When asked about the malnutrition and food in the ghetto, Anne declared that her favorite food is still bread and butter because that's what her father fed them when he came back from Russia for the family. Anne also had a funny story about how she confronted David Duke. Apparently he's tall, and she happens to be short, so she had to reach up to tap him on his shoulder.

After the event we walked over to Crepes a la Cart for some dessert. I got the fruit compote crepe with strawberries and cream. It was really good, and I definitely have to go back to try the other crepes.

Bastille Day

Today was Bastille Day, although I didn't really do anything for it. I met with Liz and another guy for the symposium. After that I spent a lot of time looking up all the contact info for the Big Read.

The museum hosted the French consulate's private event tonight, but I wasn't able to make it. I'm sure there was a lot of good food.

We had a reflection session tonight, and Ashley brought cheesecake for Meghan's birthday!

No Camp = No Free Lunch

Since we canceled camp this week, I don't get free lunch. But that means I have more time to help out around the museum. I'm still working on symposium stuff and I'm helping out with the Big Read contact list.

And we found out today that the Harry Potter midnight show was sold out. Sad.

Birthday Weekend

Meghan's 21st birthday was Sunday, so we went out to Republic New Orleans on Saturday night to kick off the celebration. I didn't realize I pass Republic on my way to work every day. But it was a really cool venue with two stories, couches, and chandeliers. The DJ was good and played a lot of different songs, so it was a good mix.

After Republic we headed over to F & M's for cheese fries! They were really good. The best way I could describe it would be to say that it was like eating Chick-fil-a waffle fries with thick melted cheddar cheese and green onions. Mmmm so delicious and horrible for your arteries.

In the morning Amy baked the cake, and we hid it in one of the drawers in the boys' kitchen until we "surprised" Meghan with the cake. It was nice and moist chocolate cake with chocolate funfetti frosting.

For dinner we went to Zea's Rotisserie and Grill again. It is always an awesome choice to come here to eat. This time I got the half rack of ribs Thai style with sauteed corn and Zea potatoes. The whole plate was delicious. The ribs were juicy and full of flavor with a tiny bit of a spicy kick. Meghan got free sweet potato bread pudding, so we all got a few bites of it. It definitely reminded me of carrot cake, but it was still good.

Preservation Hall

After work I headed over to the French Quarter with Andrew W. and Graham for dinner and Preservation Hall. We planned to go to Coop's Place, which is supposed to have great Creole food. I was excited, but when we got there, the guy at the bar informed us that only people 21 and over could be in there. I didn't realize you had to be 21 to gamble, but anyway, we walked over to Preservation Hall and went to the Gumbo Shop for dinner. I had the chicken andouille gumbo with garlic mashed potatoes, and it was quite good.

Preservation Hall was a lot of fun because the band took requests. I thought it was going to be a show where they played a planned set of songs. People requested The Saints, You Are My Sunshine, St. James Infirmary Blues, etc. It was definitely an interactive environment. Andrew requested West End Blues, which is supposed to have one of the hardest trumpet parts, and the guy just went, "We could, but no."

Boys Hope Girls Hope

Our speaker tonight was Cory from Boys Hope Girls Hope where Naomi works. It was really interesting hearing about the organization. I'm glad that there are people who are making the effort to help kids from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed. The organization is set up with two houses, one for the boys and one for the girls. Participants are recommended by counselors, teachers, or the court, depending on the situation. Once selected, the kids live in the houses with house parents who make sure homework gets done and direct reflection sessions. Cory said that 100% of the kids who participate and who stay for at least 1.5 years, make it to college. The program grants scholarships to the kids to attend private Jesuit or Dominican schools and then college. Apparently Boys Hope Girls Hope can be found in 16 cities around the nation and in 4 foreign countries.

P.S. We had food from Cajun Seafood for dinner. Hot sausage po boy, corn on the cob, and a potato!

Yummmmm Ice Cream!

Wednesday wasn't too exciting. We made spaghetti and meatballs, and it was really good because we added celery and green peppers. Then we actually made garlic bread (really wheat bread with butter and garlic seasoning) and lemonade.

After dinner (I took some more of those shrimp and corn pies leftover from the gala), I walked to Creole Creamery with Graham and Andrew W. I got a single scoop of cake batter on a sugar cone. It was sooo good, and it was a lot of fun to go hang out in an ice cream shop whose tagline is: "Eat ice cream. Be happy."

Rainy Days

It's been raining a lot recently, which brings down the temperature, but then everything is wet. We made red beans and rice. And I finished writing up the interview with Anthony from Marcela's Cookery.

For dinner I had some of the leftover crawfish and corn pies from the gala. They are still delicious!

Tuesday was breakfast foods, so nothing special. For our reflection session we had food from Juan's Flying Burrito. I've been waiting to try their food. I ordered the Flying Burrito (chicken, steak, Gulf shrimp, yellow rice, salsa, guacamole, cheddar and jack cheese) without beans. It was so good! I've been craving Chipotle, so it was nice to get a burrito.

The reflection session definitely made me think about what the museum does, and I wrote a blog entry on our group blog.

Fourth of July and the National WWII Museum

After Essence, it was nice to sleep in and have a relaxing day. Most of us hung around the suite and ate. We headed out to the Riverwalk for fireworks at 7:15, and we enjoyed the show by the river. Afterwards we walked down the river to the French Quarter for beignets.

On Sunday we went to the VooDoo BBQ grill for lunch! It was soooo good. I had the loaded baked potato with jerk chicken. I'm sure the food there is horrible for your health, but it tastes delicious.

After eating we walked down to the National WWII Museum right off Lee Circle. It was a really nice museum with a lot of videos and oral histories that made it fun. Certain parts of the museum were depressing, but it was very informative overall.

Essence Music Festival 2009

Friday was a super short day at work. It was nice having some time off before going out for Essence.

We headed over to the Superdome and got there right before 8 o'clock. It was exciting walking in, and I have to say that I'm super impressed how cold they kept the place even with so many people. We saw Ne-Yo, John Legend, and Beyonce. Beyonce is amazing! She sounds great and the high energy she keeps up is absolutely insane.

Leah Chase Gala

The dedication on Wednesday was really nice. We had several speakers, and Mitch Landrieu, the lieutenant governor showed up, too. I got to meet Leah Chase, and she autographed a plate for me.

Thursday night was a blast! There were so many different kinds of food and desserts, and it was a lot of fun helping out and eating. The music was great, too, with Leah Chase's daughter performing and the Soul Rebels playing afterwards. My favorite dish of the night was definitely the mushroom and beef from Dickie Brennan's.

Shopping!

Wednesday was mainly prepping for the gala. We ended up making breakfast foods of pancakes and eggs for the food camp.

After work the girls went shopping at Oakwood. The mall was fairly small, but I had fun. Victoria's Secret has a lot of very nice smelling body sprays, so I'll have to go back and explore those options.

Amy made snickerdoodles, and they were good. We definitely have a never ending supply of baked goods. For some reason Meghan's oatmeal raisin cookies disappeared. I wonder who had the munchies...

Education in NOLA

We made different things today during camp! We had potato salad, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Potato salad is actually really easy to make considering we used potatoes, celery, green onion, mayo, and mustard. And some Tony's to add a little flavor.

Our programming for Tuesday night was at the TFA headquarters at the KB Building in Lee Circle. It was definitely a very interesting panel because I've started looking at the organization a little differently. I remember attending a recruitment event during the school year in the fall, and I always thought that TFA has a great goal. I think it's admirable that the organization wants to help struggling educational systems, but in New Orleans, in a post-Katrina time, I don't know that they have exactly. I'm not saying that they haven't provided teachers in a place that desperately needed revamping, but what about the 7,500 teachers who were fired? The panel said that teachers were given a chance to "re-apply" for their jobs after Katrina, but I wonder how big of an effort was made to insure that teachers who did deserve to stay did get to stay. And I wonder how well TFA people manage their first year of teaching when they're put in a classroom that is the furthest from anything they could have ever imagined. Take for example Schwartz, an alternative school. A teacher who had been teaching there for 15 years was recently fired, and he's being replaced by a TFA teacher. He was talking about how some of his students have seen their entire families killed. I don't know, but I'm just not sure how well an unexperienced TFA teacher would be able to handle this.

Overall I think it's a great organization that's dedicated to contributing to communities, and I hope they continue to help students, but I hope more people who are truly interested in education join the team. I know a lot of students do TFA to boost their resumes, so I hope for the sake of the students that the recruited TFA teachers are committed to educational welfare.

Audubon Zoo and Monday Tradition

On Sunday we went over to the zoo in Audubon park. Unfortunately it was really hot, and we zipped through most of the zoo so we could hide out in the cafe. We saw the coolest porcupines, though, and more white alligators! We also got sno-balls, which were really good in the heat.

For dinner, Meghan, Andrew W., and I walked down St. Charles with the intention of going to Vincent's, which is supposed to be the best Italian restaurant in New Orleans. We got caught in the tremendous downpour that is thunderstorms here. By the time we got to Vincent's and peeked in, we realized we were not in the appropriate condition, so we kept going on to La Madeleine. I had the Chicken Parisien, which was delicious! It came with a tomato basil pasta salad, which tasted really good, too, with green onions. The vinaigrette was tangy and salty. The sandwich was meaty with creamy mayo.

Today we made red beans and rice, but we used only one pot, so the beans weren't seasoned well.

We had the most epic journey to go to the grocery store tonight. So Andrew W. still has the keys to the Ford Taurus at work, and we decided to go over to Tulane at around 8 PM to go get the car. Turns out his boss is at work, and Andrew slips in under the pretense that he forgot his cell phone at work. Good thing he left his cell phone with us when we were hiding out across the street because his boss called it. Amy had to pretend that Andrew had left the phone back at Loyola in the kitchen. Eventually Andrew asked if he could borrow the car for groceries and we made it out to Winn Dixie.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Meghan and I woke up early enough to walk down St. Charles for some brunch. We stopped at the intersection of St. Charles and S. Carrollton at the La Madeleine French Bakery and Cafe. The place was cute, and we both had the country French breakfast which comprised of eggs, sausage or bacon, a potato cake with green onions and herbs, and a croissant. It was absolutely delicious, and we had the fluffiest eggs.

After brunch we all headed over to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas next to the Riverwalk. It was fun to go through the place and touch nurse sharks and sting rays. We also saw a lot of fat animals, including penguins, sea otters, and a white alligator. At the end of the place there was a huge tank with humongous fishes, sharks, and sea turtles. It's a lot of fun doing kiddy things again. We then walked over to the IMAX theater next door and watched "Hurricane on the Bayou." The presentation was good but rather melodramatic because none of us realized most of the movie was going to focus on Hurricane Katrina. We all thought it'd be a nature-y movie about the wetlands.

Ashley took us on a second crawfish boil by Lake Pontchartrain after the aquarium. The potatoes and corn were delicious. After eating we sat by the lake and enjoyed the sunset and had some interesting conversation when we were looking at David Beckham's underwear ads.
We planned on going to Republic, but then most people ended up staying in and hanging out. I baked the rest of my pie crust cookies, and I decided that it'd probably be more successful if I made them dumpling style. They still tasted really good, especially with my Ben and Jerry's Mission to Marzipan ice cream.

Twilight and Apple Pie

The students brought in some really nice snacks, including pigs in a blanket, bruschetta, apple crisp, nilla wafers with yogurt, cheez-its with peanut butter, and po-boys. It was a very interesting mix of food.

Friday night was really chill. I watched Twilight with Meghan and Naomi, and we had warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. It was AMAZING. I love eating hot baked desserts with ice cream. The combination is absolutely delicious. So it was definitely a very satisfying and enjoyable experience.

Gala Prep and Mental Health Discussion

Wednesday was fairly uneventful. I led the class, and we made soft tacos and burritos. The troublemakers weren't in class, so that definitely made life easier! Back at Loyola we made a grocery run that night to restock the fridge.

For food camp we made breakfast foods (french toast, eggs, and bacon), and we found out we'll be on the cover of the Junior League's magazine. Throughout the museum we're just setting up tables, prepping decorations, and doing silverware inventory to prepare for the dedication next Wednesday and the gala Thursday.

Thursday night we headed over to Dr. Bronfin's home in Metairie for a discussion on healthcare. There were two child psychiatrists from Tulane, and we had a great discussion about child/infant mental health care. Interestingly, Louisiana actually is cutting-edge in this field since they've put mobile clinics in schools and around the neighborhood. One of the doctors mentioned that in some aspects Katrina did let New Orleans start over from the ground up with certain institutions, including education. For education, though, I've heard about experienced teachers being replaced by fresh-faced TFA instructors. I'm sure some of the replacements will be better for the students, but in other situations, I would disagree. How can someone who just graduated from Harvard or some other equivalent university have the experience to handle a large class of delinquents? Maybe it'll all work out, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

It was definitely interesting to think about all the different manifestations of mental health problems in children of all ages. And you start to realize how difficult it is to get mental health treatment to children, especially those from families with little means. It's rather depressing to hear about all the factors that come together to prevent kids from getting the treatment they need. At the same time, it's good to know that there are problems and that there are a small number of people who are fighting to make a difference. Dr. Bronfin's wife, Melanie, who also happens to be a lawyer, does a lot in public policy related to children's mental health care, so she's certainly one of the people working to improve this aspect of health care.

Monday, Tuesday, Rebirth!

Nothing much happened on Monday, either. We made red beans and rice as per tradition. The boys' pot had a lot of sausage, so it tasted good.

Tuesday was pizza day, and I'm not sure if we baked the dough enough because it was rather chewy. Nevertheless, the pizzas still tasted good.

Around 9 o'clock, me, Graham, and the two Andrews headed out to Maple Leaf Bar on Oak St. right off Carrollton. It's a really small place. The moment you step in, the bar takes up the entire left side, and the separated right side has a tiny stage and benches next to the walls. There's a back patio with blue lights and a lot of bugs (at least I think there were since my ankles were itchy when we came back in). We were there to see/listen to Rebirth Brass Band.

The sound they produced was insane. The music was totally in your face, loud, sassy, and upbeat. I don't know how many people they have in the band, but it was at least eight guys. They had two trumpets, two trombones, a saxophone, drums, and a french horn. It was definitely a bunch of intense music. The sound, though, really blows you away. I loved the scene, and it was a lot of fun hanging out with the guys and enjoying some great music. I'll have to admit that the cover was pricey! $12!

Magazine Street

Today was a lazy day. We ended up walking down to Magazine and stopped in Whole Foods to cool off, and we saw Ashley there. That was our only venture for the day. Andrew W. made red beans and rice for dinner, and it was good.

GW Finns Demonstration

We went to SoFAB for the GW Finns demonstration, and the food was awesome! The head chef made four dishes, two cold and two warm/hot, all with shrimp. The first dish was a salad with mango, papaya, tomato, and avocado. The mango was really sweet, which surprised me. For the second dish the shrimp was paired with two different cocktail sauces, one mayonnaise based and the other tabaco sauce based. The last two dishes were cooked in butter whipped with garlic and simmered in Abita amber beer. All the presentations were yummy, and the shrimp were huge.

After the demonstration we walked around the Riverwalk, and I finally bought a pair of fleur de lis earrings, so I was very excited. I also got some fudge (New Orleans praline flavored).

Then Meghan, Graham, Andrew W., and I walked over to Mother's Restaurant on Poydras for po-boys and gumbo. Three of us ordered the famous Ferdi special which consists of baked ham, roast beef, debris, and gravy. It was so much meat, but it tasted delicious. Andrew got chicken and sausage gumbo which was really tasty, too. It was really casual dining, and the service was fairly prompt. We ordered and paid, and after we sat down a server came over and got our receipts to put in our orders. The place is apparently a local favorite, and I can see why. It's definitely a good place to go after walking around.

Pat Fannie's

Friday was fun. We finally went grocery shopping, which was awesome. I got to buy my pie crust and blackberry jam so I could make the cookies. That turned out kind of unsuccessfully since I didn't use water to seal the dough. The cookies still tasted good, though, so I'm going to make another batch. Amy made these pineapple cookies from scratch that are nice and moist. They're not too sweet, and they've got a chewy/doughy texture. After baking we went out to Maple St. to Pat Fannie's. It was a chill scene with a lot of other college students. On the way there it was funny when a girl yelled at Amanda, and it turned out that a few Robertson Scholars were living at the house we were passing. We went up and hung out with the people there, and I met someone who goes to Cal. Pat Fannie's was fun and there were other Harvard students there, as well.

Rotisserie Chicken is Delicious

We made a lot of food today for the camp, including burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. Not too much otherwise except I got more lists of addresses, so I'll be sending out more invitations.

For dinner we ate Zea's Rotisserie and Grill. It was amazing!!! I ordered the ROAST GARLIC AND HERB CHICKEN SEASONED, ROASTED 1/2 CHICKEN, GLAZED WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND HERBS with the two sides sauteed corn and Zea potatoes. AMAZING. The chicken was really tender, and the garlic and herbs sauce was thick and green and salty. It was a great complement to the meat. The corn was really good; it tasted like the kernels had been cooked in a sweet meat juice. Either way, whatever it was, it was so good. The potatoes were slightly fried, I think, with a bit of crunch, and they were super good without being too oily. I ate half of Amy's roasted corn grits, which did not taste like grits at all. They were very buttery, almost too buttery to want to take a second bite, but it still tasted great.
Our speaker was Jim Kelly, the CEO of Catholic Charities and Providence Community Housing. He was really nice, and his daughter graduated from Duke a year ago. Mr. Kelly was very nice and the talk was definitely more of a discussion, a chance for us to ask questions about his experiences serving as the CEO and president of two large nonprofit organizations. He's accomplished a great deal helping the people of New Orleans, and he was extremely humble and personable. Mr. Kelly also spoke about the landscape of New Orleans, and I didn't realize St. Charles is built on a ridge, which is why there was little flooding. And off St. Charles some of the roads dip up and down, so there will be certain blocks that are destitute while others are fine. It's interesting to see how much landscape has had an impact on the outcome of a neighborhood's welfare. Mr. Kelly quoted many numbers, as well, painting a picture of how much landmass was under water (Great Britain size when including New Orleans and places in Mississippi). It's great to hear that people like Mr. Kelly are spearheading the effort to contribute and help rebuild New Orleans.

The Hangover

For the SoFAB food camp, we made sandwiches, paninis really, using a grill.

After cooking some dinner at Loyola, Naomi, Meghan, Amanda, Andrew W., Graham, Andrew O., and I all went down to the Canal Cinemas and watched The Hangover. It was extremely entertaining, and it was nice to hang out with the majority of the group.

Borders

Not too much happened today. We made french toast with vanilla and cinnamon batter for lunch. After I came back we had a reflection session with Ashley. The pizza from Cafe Roma was delicious (I had the Hawaiian and the shrimp and garlic one). The turtle cheesecake was pretty sweet, and the tiramisu wasn't too bad. It was kind of soggy, but it tasted good.

After dinner I walked to Borders with Meghan and Amy. I bought a really pretty postcard of the St. Charles streetcar that I'm going to frame and put up in my room.

Gumbo Demonstration and Rolls Royce

As per Monday tradition, we made red beans and rice again. Since we had a lot of leftovers, I brought back more than half a pot for the other DukeEngagers. Everyone who tried the food thought it was great, so I'm glad the food didn't go to waste. The museum hosted two events today, a gumbo demonstration which was led by Stephanie and a Rolls Royce owners meeting. I sat in on the demonstration along with Zella, and it was interesting picking up more fun facts.

Lazy Sunday at the Seafood and Tomato Festivals

A group of us (me, Meghan, Graham, Amy, and both Andrews) went to the seafood and tomato festivals by the French Market. It was really hot out, but the crawfish etouffee was delicious. We stopped at Cafe Maspero to eat some more and escape the heat. In the end we decided to head back and just chilled back in the dorms. Then for dinner Graham, Andrew W., Naomi, and I walked over to the Pita Pit. The falafel wasn't too bad.

Honey Island, Crawfish Boil, Lake Pontchartrain Galore

Early this afternoon, we headed out to Slidell for our swamp tour at Honey Island. The swamp was peaceful, and there are people who live year-round in houses right on the water. We saw eight different alligators (El Guapo, Big Al, Sissy, Bubbles, and a bunch of small baby ones) during the tour, and our guide fed them marshmallows and hot dogs. We were also able to see two blue herons (they're really big, and apparently have 6-foot wingspans), turtles, and honey bees. Since the swamp wasn't stagnant, there weren't any mosquitoes, which was a relief. It was cool getting to see all the trees and wildlife.

After we arrived back at Loyola, a group of us (me, Meghan, Graham, both Andrews, and Naomi) went with Ashley and her niece who is also named Megan to get po-boys and crawfish to eat at Lake Pontchartrain. The food was delicious!! I got a hot sausage po-boy and it was really tasty. Just very meaty. The crawfish was quite good; the seasoning was even throughout, and we also had corn on the cob and potatoes with the same seasoning. The food had heat to it, and I could feel my lips burning. But it was just so yummy, spicy and meaty.

Once we had stuffed ourselves, we went by the steps leading into Lake Pontchartrain and sat there and talked for awhile. The weather was cool, so it wasn't too hot, and we had a breeze going. We watched the sun set and enjoyed each other's company. It was peaceful watching the beautiful skyline and the water lapping across the thick green algae growing on the steps.

Beignets are a Great Finishing Touch

Whew, it's finally Friday. Today was really fun because the kids brought in recipes and made different snacks. Seth brought in hamantashen (these Jewish cookies eaten during Purim), and they were delicious. They were so easy to make, and I'm going to make them once I can get my hands on some jam and pie crust. Andrew made peanut butter and jelly, Trevor had crackers with Irish cheddar (quite a distinctive taste, but really good), and Nicholas had baked macaroni. All in all, the food was great.

After dinner I went to Fat Harry's with Graham and Andrew W. It turned out that it was a bar, but the food was good. We headed to the French Quarter and Frenchmen to Snug Harbor. Actually once we got off the streetcar, at the entrance to Bourbon, a really awesome brass band was playing. We enjoyed the music for a bit and watched people dance. It was a really cool corner with loud hip hop/jazz. At Snug Harbor Jason Marsalis was playing, but the place was packed, so we decided to leave and explore other places. Unfortunately nothing else was good, so we made a stop at Cafe du Monde for beignets, which were delicious as usual. After waiting for the streetcar for an hour, we decided to walk down and eventually took a cab back.

The Opposite of Love Isn't Hate, It's Indifference

So a quick tidbit about the food we had before I talk about the discussion last night. We had Greek/Mediterranean food (falafel, pita, hummus, baklava, grape leaves, and some sort of chicken). The grape leaves were good, and the baklava wasn't too oily, but I have to say that Baba's still has the best falafel I've ever eaten. Otherwise, the hummus and pita were quite tasty (I'm not the biggest fan of hummus, so that says a lot).

Dr. Lance Hill, a history professor at Tulane and the director of the Southern Institute, talked about the racial segregation of New Orleans before and after Katrina. It was definitely an interesting topic since I didn't know much about the demographics or social interactions in the city. While Dr. Hill spoke extensively from the black community's point of view, I think it would have been interesting to hear from someone representing the other opinion. I like to hear from both sides since in a conflict between two groups there are always two points of view. But otherwise the talk was informative and I gained a better understanding of a part of what happened. Still, it's difficult to grasp the sentiments and complexity of the situation since I've never experienced anything remotely close to what occurred. It was surprising, to say the least, to hear that New Orleans is one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States.

Totally Spaced...

Wow, I completely forgot to write anything for Wednesday. This always happens after I start keeping a journal of sorts. I'm enchanted by writing down tidbits about each day, and then either I get bored with it or something happens and I forget. But to recap, we made breakfast foods (pancakes, sausage, fruit salad) for Wednesday. I didn't get any of it, so that was disappointing. Otherwise, not much else exciting happened.

Today we made sandwiches, grilled cheese, and strawberries dipped in chocolate! I'm saving an entire bowl of the fondue chocolate because it's so good. Tonight we have a talk with Lance Hill, a historian over at Tulane (and Andrew W.'s boss), so that should be really interesting. The reading he sent us definitely put some perspective on the recovery efforts in NOLA.

Meatballs and Spaghetti

We made meatballs and spaghetti and pizza today for the food camp. The cajun seasoning we used on the meat tasted really good (salty and spicy at the same time). I didn't get to try the pizza, but I'm sure they were good. Otherwise today was fairly uneventful, I just helped out at the front and sold a lot of books.

We had our first meeting/dinner with Ashley tonight, and we had pizza from Reginelli's. The Mediterranean mix (garlic, roasted red pepper, and olives) was good. And the other pizza I tried was a bruschetta mix, I think. I'm really excited for the events we have planned. Swamp tour this Saturday!

First Day of SoFAB Food Camp!

Today I helped Myesha with the kids in SoFAB's food camp. We made red beans and rice, which is traditionally served every Monday. The history behind the dish is that people would cook it because they would use leftover ham from Sunday in the pot. Also, since women did the wash on Mondays, they needed to cook something that didn't need constant stirring. We added green peppers, celery, and onion (the trinity) to the red beans. We also added some sort of seasoning/spice and sausage. The dish turned out really well. We also made cornbread, which didn't turn out so well.

I then sent out the menu project memo, addressed some more invites, helped move stuff for the event, and pretty much just sat around. The event was really, really interesting. The evening was centered around absinthe. There were three chefs from three different places doing demonstrations. One dish was a salad with a vinaigrette made of absinthe and some creamy ingredient topped with shrimp and Canadian nuts. It was so good. The taste was rather interesting, a bit caesar salad dressing but with a different twist. The second dish consisted of pork belly (which has a lot of fat on it but tasted delicious) and clam. The sauce was made of absinthe, vinegar, and orange juice, so it was sweet but not citrusy. On top of everything, the chef added parsley. The third dish was a spoon of oyster with green (I think it was made out of absinthe) little caviar-like eggs. The garnish was crunchy. That dish definitely tasted very different, unlike anything I've tried. It wasn't bad, but it was a definite seafood taste.

I'll say that absinthe tastes really gross like licorice.

Oatmeal raisin cookies always taste good!

Audubon and Family Dinner

Audubon Park is beautiful. I went for a run this morning. And there was this swampy area with many trees and a ton of white birds. It looked so crazy. When everyone else got up, I went back to Audubon with Meghan, Graham, and Andrew W. It was nice laying out and reading. We also got snowballs, and I got the nectar creme flavor. It was sweet, almost like cotton candy, but creamy.

We cooked family dinner tonight (spaghetti with meatballs, tomatoes, and marinara sauce; iceberg lettuce salad with croutons and caesar salad dressing; and cherry cobbler with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream). The cherry cobbler was amazing piping hot out of the oven paired with the ice cream. It was absolutely delicious.

French Quarter Adventures

Last night was a lot of fun (except for the waiting for the streetcar for half an hour part). We headed back to the French Quarter to Cafe du Monde for beignets (I still cannot pronounce that word correctly). They were amazing! I think they were freshly made because they were really hot. And the mounds of powdered sugar. I was warned not to inhale when close to all the sugar. But the combination of beignets and the sugar was delicious. Neither one was too sweet, so it wasn't overwhelming to be consuming that much sugar. The insides were nice and moist and fluffy. And they didn't feel too greasy or anything like that. Just a light, tasty, sweet snack.


After eating we walked over to Frenchmen St. where there are a bunch of jazz clubs. Unfortunately by the time we got there it was quite late, so there weren't that many venues. We did go into Snug Harbor, and I really enjoyed the set the band was finishing. The next set they started was interesting...kind of New Age. I don't quite know how to describe it, but I wasn't that big of a fan. We're going to come back next Friday or whenever there's someone good playing. We left and started moseying our way back to the St. Charles streetcar. Let me tell you, there are some very interesting people on the streetcar at 2 AM.

New Orleans School of Cooking

Now this was really, really cool. We caught cabs to the French Quarter this morning around 9:30 for our 10 AM appointment at the New Orleans School of Cooking. During the presentation we got to eat gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding, and pralines. Soooooo good. The jambalaya was amazing. And now I'm addicted to pralines. I don't know how to describe the food, but it's a big mix of different flavors. Both dishes weren't too spicy, but with a peppery kick. The rice with the jambalaya was delicious, and the layering that Tom, the chef did, with the trinity (celery, onions, and green pepper) definitely made the dishes rich in flavor. There was a mix of chicken and andouille sausage, as well, which made the dish hearty. It's funny that they call garlic "the pope."

We actually made the bread pudding first since it had to bake. Tom added a lot of different flavors to make it a tropical bread pudding (pina colada mix, pineapples, etc.). There were pralines on top, and the crust came out so nicely. The rest of the dessert was nice and moist. The flavor wasn't too strong, so I definitely enjoyed the hints of sweetness and acidity. I can't believe the pralines hardened so quickly once they were poured out on a baking sheet. They just melted in your mouth, nice and creamy and very, very sugary.

After lunch we walked around the French Quarter and went to the praline store that Sushma likes called Southern Candymakers. The pralines were a little more powdery since they've probably been out longer, but they're still really good. I got a quarter pound of regular pralines for Sushma and a quarter pound of a mix of regular, coconut, and peanut butter.

Tipitina's

So let's see....Friday. After quite a day at work (emailing a group from Singapore, setting up the Leah Chase exhibit, looking up names for Room In The Bowl, and setting up for the food camp starting next week), I headed back to Loyola. I went with Graham, Meghan, Naomi, and Andrew W. to Whole Foods, which was amazing. The food is sooo good! I had a broccoli salad and a crab corn cake. I also got a praline cheesecake. We ate outside on the patio and talked for awhile, so it was nice enjoying good food and good company.

After we got back to Loyola, we had some wine with French bread and brie, and it was really good. It took awhile, though, before we were able to get the cork out of the bottle. Once everyone was ready to head out, we went to Tipitina's. It was nice that there's no cover on Fridays, and we listened to a cool rock band. The set up at Tipitina's is nice in that there's a second floor balcony, so you can see everything.

Bruning's Bar Restoration

Yesterday was really chill and relaxing. Work was kind of hectic since there was a lot to do. I wrote a short piece tying together the 1884 and 1984 New Orleans World's Fairs, the WPA Guide to New Orleans (first published in 1938), and a culinary symposium SoFAB wants to host. Then I worked a bit on finishing a letter to parents sending their kids to SoFAB's summer cooking camp. I'll get to help out next week, so I'm excited to learn a bit about cooking and interact with the kids. Some event planning association was renting out the museum for their cocktail mixer, so I helped set that up. Zella and Liz also came back with a bunch of dishes from Leah Chase, so we'll get to start setting that up today.

After work I came back and found out that I had a meeting with Ashley (I got left off the email...). Then Meghan, Andrew W., Graham, and Naomi ordered pizza, so we all hung out. We actually got in some Mario Kart, and apparently I still suck at it. But it was fun attempting to keep up with everyone else. Then I talked with Amy, Andrew O., and Simon for awhile before going to bed.

Trombone Shorty!!

Today was fun. I got to run the register at the front of the store and greet all the customers coming to visit. While I was at the front desk, I set up a Facebook group to promote the book Room In The Bowl that SoFAB and the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) put together. It was really funny because I sent a message to this lady who had started an IACP group, and she actually called the museum to talk to me. We had an interesting conversation, and apparently she could tell I was from California. She gave me a few good tips about looking at some other sources to get the word out about the book.

And I also found an 1884 New Orleans World's Fair on eBay for $52,000, which is so much money. We're putting up an exhibition for the 1884 and 1984 fairs that were held in New Orleans, so I'm trying to find posters from either event.

Later on I started compiling an electronic copy of the members/donors of the museum, so we can send out invitations to the gala. I then left to meet everyone else so we could head over to Lafayette Square for Wednesday at the Square for Trombone Shorty. The music was awesome, and there was a large crowd there. Most people looked like they had just come from work, so it was an interesting mix. The Yale kids were also there, so we said hi. After enjoying the music, we walked down St. Charles and onto Canal where we grabbed dinner at Arby's. We waited for the streetcar for awhile but finally made it back. It was definitely a lot of fun being able to go to work, go to a cool event, grab dinner, and ride the streetcar back. And I got to use my streetcar pass that I got this morning!

Leah Chase and Bruning's Restaurant

Since I didn't really elaborate about yesterday, I'll write a bit more about it. The museum has a really cool donation from the owners of Bruning's Restaurant. After Katrina, the bar sat in water for about three weeks before the owners could take it out and put it in storage. In the end the owners decided not to keep the bar and donated it to SoFAB. It's supposed to be set up on Thursday for a fundraiser on Monday.

I'm really excited about the gala on July 2 celebrating Leah Chase. Even during the Civil Rights Movement, she didn't care about segregation and welcomed everyone to the restaurant Dooky Chase's, first run by her husband's family. In addition Leah Chase has been a patron of black art and her restaurant displays her collection. We put up the letters on the wall because the museum is dedicating a gallery to her, so one side of the gallery spells out "Leah Chase Louisiana Gallery."

After work I got a ride back to campus and cooked dinner. Then I watched part of "When the Levees Broke" with Naomi, Andrew, and Kevin (Yale). It was really good, and it definitely gave me some perspective as to how high the waters were and the timeline of events.

First Day of Work and the Elusive Streetcar Pass

I didn't get lost today! It was fun squeezing in a swim before work today. I got to work about 10 minutes early, and I met Liz. She's super nice. I then met another intern from the University of Toronto, and she's really nice, too. I got to wander through the museum to check out the exhibits, and there was a cool presentation of china from the White House and official invitations with the menu. There are a bunch of different exhibits, so it was fun going through and picking up interesting facts. I did a lot today. I ran a few errands with Liz, put up the letters for the Leah Chase Louisiana Gallery, and stuffed and addressed a bunch of envelopes. I have a list of several things I need to do in the next few days.

The elusive streetcar pass. Alas, after going to several places to find one, no one sells it! Hopefully tomorrow the Shell Federal Credit Union will have it.

It's been quite a day...

Over 80% of New Orleans Flooded in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Today was quite eventful. We all met as a group at 9 this morning to go over logistics about getting to work. Even though I had directions, I still got lost. It was nice taking the streetcar over to Lee Circle, though. Tomorrow I'll have to remember to take the second street off the traffic circle instead of walking past the entrance that connects to Julia St. After figuring out where the Southern Food and Beverage Museum is (it looks really really cool from the outside; I didn't have time to go in), I met up with one of the other DukeEngagers working near me, and we ended up taking a cab over to Jackson Square to meet the rest of the group by Cafe du Monde. We went around the French Quarter for a few minutes and decided to go to Johnny's Po Boys for lunch. They had some really great food. I ordered the special that consisted of half a shrimp po boy and a bowl of gumbo. The gumbo was brown colored with a hearty helping of rice and several pieces of shrimp that melted in your mouth. It was a bit peppery but not particularly spicy. The po boy was pretty good. Since I didn't add mayonnaise, it felt a little dry, but the fried shrimp was really good.

After eating, we headed over to the lighthouse to catch our tour of New Orleans. We went all over, including the French Quarter, St. Bernard, the Lower Ninth Ward, City Park, and New Orleans East. It was really hard to imagine the water being that high in a majority of the places in the city. I've seen the pictures, but still, it's extremely difficult to understand how much water there was. Seeing the water lines on the houses was surreal, and looking at the Xes noting how many dead were found in the buildings was just weird. I don't know how to explain it, but there is a big difference between seeing pictures and seeing the actual houses. I know pictures can't do it justice and there's no way I can ever understand how horrible the situation was, but still it's crazy trying to comprehend the scale of the disaster. Our tour guide really pushed the point that over 80% of New Orleans flooded in the aftermath of Katrina, and that a lot of people, not only the poor, were affected.

The tour lasted about three hours, and we went back to the inner courtyard in the French Quarter to debrief and talk about the tour. We walked back on Bourbon Street (very interesting to say the least) to catch the streetcar on Canal back to Loyola. After a quick trip to Winn Dixie (totally reminded me of the book), a group of us went to Reginelli's Pizzeria, which has great food. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the restaurant and the food, but I'm sure we'll be back. I ordered the chicken pita (tender chicken cubes with roasted red pepper and garlic cloves on soft pita bread). Meghan ordered the chicken salad which was amazing! It was a combination of greens and nuts and chicken and apple with a vinaigrette. Next time we go back I'm definitely getting that. It was a nice walk back to campus.

I'm excited to take the streetcar to work, and hopefully I won't get lost!

In New Orleans!

After a smooth trip, I'm in New Orleans! The whole group is staying on Loyola University's campus, so we're in a very nice area of the city. Once everyone arrived on campus, we all took the St. Charles streetcar to Superior Grill for dinner. We had good Mexican food (I had the taco dinner with chicken and vegetables). The vegetables were salted and grilled, and they were really good. After dinner we took a cab over to the Wal-mart to get supplies and some food.

Once we got back (waited for the cab for half an hour) and unpacked everything, we hung out in the communal area in the girls' suite. A few of the Yale students who are living on the fifth floor came up to say hi, so we met part of the group that's here for ten weeks. Some of the group went to The Boot, which is supposed to have good beer deals.

Tomorrow we're doing test runs to our work places, and then we're taking a bus tour of New Orleans.

Fingers Crossed for a Smooth Trip

It's the night before I leave for New Orleans! I've just been packing and trying to fit as much stuff as possible into my luggage while keeping it under 50 pounds. I've actually resorted to a packing technique that calls for rolling clothes. I guess it kind of works because I've gotten slightly more space, but still not enough for a pillow.

For those who don't know, I'll be in New Orleans for two months courtesy of DukeEngage. I'll be working at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum located by the Riverwalk Marketplace. I'm not completely sure what I'll be doing, but I'm excited to help out in any way that I can.