My Father’s Day Tribute
My father moved us to Los Angeles from New Orleans, when I was young, in search of a better life for himself and his family. He took us back to visit as often as he could, and I have many fond memories of steamy summers spent there.
read moreThere Will Always Be a Need for Parties!
In June of 1969, Stephanie Mills created quite a stir by announcing in her valedictory speech at Mills College’s graduation ceremony, that the future was a cruel hoax, and that she would not be bringing children into this world. I was graduating from high school that same month, and about to go off to Mills College in the fall. My mother wrung her hands, not quite sure what she was sending me off to. I’ve just finished reading a personal perspective by Ms. Mills in my latest alumnae publication, entitled “the brighter side of doom and gloom” where Ms. Mills states that we must begin to distinguish between wants and needs to survive. I’m so glad that she includes conviviality as a need, along with water, food, shelter, clothing and dignity. Indeed, there will always be a need to gather with friends and family to celebrate the special moments in our lives, to share each others’ company and great conversation. Sometimes we’ll need to gather to support each other and reassure ourselves in tough times. And sometimes we’ll just need to kick back. We’ll always need great food and drink, along with great music, entertainment and storytelling to remind ourselves of our humanity. So in spite of what’s going on in our economy, parties, whether casual or more formal, large or small, are still on the...
read moreChoices
I wrote earlier about meeting Misty in the French Quarter at En Vie. She gave me her phone number, so I called her again towards the end of my trip. She asked how I had enjoyed my visit. I shared with her that it had been somewhat difficult for me. She said "New Orleans tests you if you want to live here." Indeed. I say she's a tough mistress. Charming and beautiful, but petulant and demanding. She’s difficult, and entrenched in her ways, but her allure is undeniable. She gets her hooks in you, and doesn’t let go. Misty suggested I just sit back and let things happen when I expressed my frustration to her. How differently people there approach things. Here in Los Angeles everyone is into making things happen, “creating","manifesting” their own reality. They believe in attracting everything to themselves that they need or want. I’ve even heard the suggestion that you can change things in your life in an instant by changing your mind, making a choice. But in New Orleans, people have squarely hit against forces they cannot control. I remember using the phrase “ever since they started trying to tame the river” in the presence of my friend Jerry, a fellow expatriate of NOLA. What exactly I was discussing, I don’t remember, but I was, no doubt, showing off my newly learned knowledge after reading RISING TIDE: THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI FLOOD OF 1927 AND HOW IT CHANGED AMERICA , and learning a great deal about the history of the Army Corps of Engineers’ flawed attempts at flood control in the region. Jerry let out a hearty guffaw. “You can’t control that river.” And so it’s true. The river is mighty- wild and powerful- and a force beyond our control, as it keeps reminding us. I talked to a friend last week who asked about my trip. Once again, I found myself saying to someone, that it was “somewhat difficult.” I started in, relating to her the various moods I’ve encountered in NOLA during my trips since the flood. The celebratory mood at the homecoming to the first Mardi Gras PK, the realization of the hard realities they were hitting a year later, and the entrenched discouragement of this trip, in spite of small and individual successes. “I was reading something about New Orleans the other day” she said. “The article said the city isn’t coming back, that whole neighborhoods are still empty.” “It’s not true. It is coming back” I responded. “Some neighborhoods are back and doing well. Some are not. But it all depends now on the choices they make.” Yes-choices. While choices are important in creating our reality-and when I think about Ray Nagin (hmmm-maybe it would be good if they kept him in China) I realize it’s something the people of New Orleans need to consider very seriously- the rest of us can learn from them that we cannot control every force. We learn that we must live in balance, that we must make good and proper choices to live harmoniously with those forces, and that our good and proper choices must still sometimes inevitably yield to forces beyond our control Okay- I promise we'll get back to food and fun next time. Ciao,...
read moreI Do Radio
Hello All, I just wanted to let you know about a great resource- I Do Radio- with host Rev.Angela Butts Chester of Chester Ministries and Blessings All Around located in Long Beach, CA. Rev. Angela's mission is to celebrate the the stages of our lives in ceremony. Now there's something I can really get behind. I truly believe in the power of celebration. Her show, I Do Radio, features wedding advice from all angles, and this morning she interviewed- me! You can click on the link below to listen in. Rev. Angela Interview BonAppetit!...
read moreTreeless Leeves- The Army Corps Is At It Again
Army Corps orders thousands of trees chopped down Here they go again. The Army Corps of Engineers’ track record when it comes to flood control along the Mississippi has been disastrous. Remember the drowning of New Orleans. Here’s a clue- it wasn’t the natural disaster Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city. Just a couple of months before the post-Katrina flooding of NOLA, I finished reading a book I highly recommend to everyone. RISING TIDE: THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI FLOOD OF 1927 AND HOW IT CHANGED AMERICA by John Barry is, among other things, a history of the flawed policies regarding flood control in the Mississippi Delta. It’s a book that took Mr. Barry 20 years to write, and although it is history, it reads like a novel. I highly recommend it to anyone who ever wondered how it was that New Orleans found itself in the position it did in late August of 2005. In fact, I recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand New Orleans. You’ll also come away learning much about this country, and how things work in the corridors of power, just in case you didn’t know already. And now, I read today the article linked to above on the latest pursuits of the Army Corps. Please read it (and seriously-pick up Rising Tide) and then do whatever you can to get the word out about this, and hopefully stop it. Do we really need, in a world threatened by global warming, to have our government destroy thousands of trees (many old growth) across the country? Please take action now! ...
read moreThe Chinese in New Orleans and Yaka Mein
Yaka Mein – chasing down the origins of a New Orleans favorite with Chinese roots
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