New Orleans- Coming Up on the Fourth Anniversary of Katrina
New Orleans is still a city very much in the process of rebuilding itself. My trip to Jazz Fest was the third time I’ve visited since the Flood. They’re coming up on the fourth anniversary this summer. There’s definitely been progress, but I also felt a real heaviness across the city this time around. The people who had quick insurance payments have rebuilt, their houses are beautiful-freshly painted, new tile floors, granite counters, new furniture, carpeting, big flat screen T.V.’s. Those without the quick insurance payments, or any insurance at all, are still in limbo – at best. The Road Home program has been dissolved, and many neighborhoods, including the one where I was born and spent my early childhood, are still fairly deserted. And everyone is anxious about the hurricane season which begins in just a couple of weeks. “It snowed in December” my cousin Linda said. “ It snowed in December the year of Katrina, too.” Monique called on one of my last days in New Orleans. I told her that this had not been a particularly comfortable trip for me. “I gathered that” she said. There’s been personal stuff, but it hasn’t been just that. There was a negative vibe across the city, and it seem to have settled in. I picked it up in those I visited with – Raoul, Uncle Roy, Marlene. I said to Monique that my first visit after Katrina had felt celebratory. It was the first post – Katrina Mardi Gras. People were beginning to return, there was a sense of homecoming, and everyone was upbeat. When I visited a year later, reality had settled in, people had hit the hard task of rebuilding, and all the problems that came with it. I could feel it everywhere. I remember saying that to Deb Cotton at the time. She responded, “Yes, I just have to take frequent trips out of the city.” “Yeah, it just goes that way here”, Monique said. “I remember it being that way in 1989, too, with the oil bust.” She laid blame on the mayor currently, though, “A mayor is supposed to reassure the city. It’s his job.” “One more year” Lloyd said. But the day after my conversation with Monique was Cinco de Mayo, and even though it has nothing to do with New Orleans, the city is working itself up to celebrate it. “Any excuse for a party” Marlene...
read moreVaucresson Sausage at Jazz Fest
On my first day at Jazz Fest, I had the privilege to follow and interview Vance Vaucresson, owner of Vaucresson Sausage. My mother's family lived on the same street as the Vaucressons when they were children. My mother and uncle are life long friends of the Vaucressons, as was my grandmother with the Vaucressons of her generation. Vance's grandfather, Robert, was a butcher in the 7th Ward (click on the link and scroll down to Day One of this blog at its former location for background on the 7th Ward), and made sausage in that capacity. One of my uncles still speaks lovingly of Mrs. Vaucresson, Julia, Robert's wife, who during the Depression would often send over bits of leftover meat for their family. Their son, Robert Jr., aka Sonny, took over the business, eventually transforming it into a sausage company, in addition to being the first Creole of color to open a café on Bourbon Street, and becoming one of the original Jazz Fest food vendors. Vance is Sonny's son, and in spite of their facility being devastated in the flood following Hurricane Katrina, continues the tradition of selling sausage po' boys at Jazz Fest. Here's a clip of my time with him. Laissez le Bon Temps Roulez ! Gisele And please visit my other blog...
read moreSitting in a Starbuck’s in New Orleans
Well, I wouldn't normally be sitting in a Starbuck's in New Orleans. I like to support the great local coffee shops like Community Coffee on Esplanade, Rose Nicaud in the Marginy, En Vie in the Quarter, or even the old tried and true tourist icon Cafe du Monde. But I checked into Harrah's Hotel last night, and exited on the Poydras side instead of the Canal Street side, and found myself wandering around uptown- a new area for me. (BTW, New Orleans is probably the only city in the world where uptown in south, and downtown is north). I walked along the River walk, and passed the thanks to Katrina, now infamous Convention Center, which is bustling with conventioneers. The Starbucks is situated on the outer rim of another luxurious hotel, the Marriott. Last night I exited the I-10 at the also now infamous Superdome exit. I heard someone on the radio say a few days ago that the decline of public support for the war in Iraq began with Katrina. Once again, New Orleans gave from its blood to this country. It's my contention that the city has always given more to this country than it's given back. Would that they'd start now. I am staying at Harrah's courtesy of good family friend Leora Gonzalez, who is sharing her luxurious"stay-cation" suite with me. I had a much needed and fabulous night's sleep, after a grueling week of work, and day of travel across country- first flight was a half hour late and the second was an hour late. And regardless of recession, the airports were packed. Leora is comped the suite because she spends hours sitting in their casino, to which she treated me to a tour of at 11:30 last night. "Play the slots" she urged, " you'll probably have beginner's luck". We'll...
read moreWelcome
I am Gisele Perez, native daughter of New Orleans, Louisiana, who was transplanted to Los Angeles as a young child, along with a large number of residents of the 7th Ward of New Orleans. I began a blog in the wake of the flooding that besieged that city in the summer of 2005. It has been posting at another platform since then on my journey form LA to L.A> and points in between. As of today pain perdu is moving here to Typepad. I will be in New Orleans for the next 9 days, attending the Jazz and Heritage Festival. I'll be following some chefs, food vendors and great home cooks, as well as, of course, hearing some fabulous music, and reporting back some tasty tidbits here. Please check in, and please visit http://painperdu.blogstream.com to read up on the past 3 i2 years of my LA to L.A....
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