For many years I’ve listened, through the distance, to the city of New Orleans , and both her cooking and her music, the blues, have spoken to me. This summer, though, I finally met her face-to-face, and I loved our charming and witty conversations.
She was an excellent entertainer, and I loved my fishing and boating trips with her in both the sparkling Gulf and the vast Mississippi . I also had great fun swimming, hiking, snorkeling and water-skiing with her, and of course, on more relaxed evenings, I would step into one of her casinos or simply go bowling.
I was very complementary about her cooking, but her very original dishes earned each bit of praise. No ordinary mind would add savory honey to hot sauce or stimulate coffee with a pinch of pepper, but her originality made each stop at a restaurant or café a revelation of new tastes. Though always excited, I purposefully began eating as slowly as possible to savor each unexpected flavor.
Most of our talk was in the language of music, and for the first time in my life I heard the full variety of her Blues, her Jazz, her Dixieland and her Zydeco music, as well as an entirely new sound, a voice of anger called The Reds. Hearing the bona fide descendents of the founders of her many musical traditions added much texture and feeling to my favorite sounds, and my first encounter with her newest musical expression was an evening of audio adventure. I ended up with no idea of what to expect at any club, music hall or sidewalk stop, and I often sat in the same club till closing in continuous surprise.
After my two-week meeting New Orleans, I can recommend her as a social contact for anyone with the heart and mind to appreciate her. She is one of the most stimulating places on Earth, with many talents, skills and experiences to keep a smile on your face. Drop in on her to see…
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