You are getting very sleepy … and when I snap my fingers, you will believe it is February 7, 2012 Today would have been the 100th birthday of my aunt and godmother, had she lived a few months longer. She spent her ninety-nine years, six months, and about two weeks in New Orleans—minus the […]
Also tagged aunts, godparents, me, Mom, Mr Lee{ Archive: the following essay appeared in Java Magazine in 2005 – Photos (except old family photo) by Jon Gipe } The hurricane victims landed in Phoenix wearing the same clothes they’d been in for five days. I met them at the gate, the last two off the plane. Each hugged a faux leopard skin purse […]
Also tagged aunts, hurricane, Java, Katrina, MomMy aunt and uncle had three dogs, all Wire-haired Terriers, all named Kaimuki. We moved to Arizona when I was just a kid but returned to my birthplace almost every year. I think my parents were homesick. All of their siblings and my mother’s father still lived there. I don’t remember taking any vacations that […]
Also tagged IZ, Kaimuki, Wire-haired TerrierNew Orleans is not all fun and games. It’s serious business. And it requires paper, pencil, and plane math. Begin by making a list of everything you intend to eat. It’s best to do this on the airplane, when hunger is most acute. Next, divide the items on the list by the number of days […]
Also tagged cannoli, mint julep, muffaletta, oysters, po'boyQueenies come from all walks of life. Some love to shop. Some live to rule. Others take leisure. And some like to cook—and eat (mostly eat). This is a story about the latter. I blame my parents. They like to eat. It’s not completely their fault, though. They were born and raised in New Orleans, […]
Also tagged Cuisine Queenies, Dad, quenellesEverybody has a state flower and a state bird. For Louisiana those are the magnolia and the brown pelican. Their official musical instrument, I’m pleased to report, is the “Cajun” accordion. (I admit a fondness for accordions of all sorts since I appointed one an important character in a hopefully-soon-to-be-completed novel.) If you know any […]
Also tagged absinthe, Antoine Peychaud, cocktail, French Quarter, Louisiana, Napoleon House, sazerac