A great documentary on the Vietnamese in New Orleans. A well done overview of the history and the recent changes since 2005. The Viet community truly led the recovery of the entire city by showing focused entrepreneurial intent and deep community values.
Vietnamese Cuisine in New Orleans | WYES.
copies of the documentary can be bought on dvd by calling 504-722-3048
And a link to a video that I did for the food system organization Market Umbrella about the Vietnamese:
(…and was as elitist as expected back then…)
New Orleans jumped onto the bandwagon, forming the New Orleans Bicycle Club (NOBC) in 1880. The NOBC’s evolution mirrored the changing times. Born first as a ‘gentleman’s club,’ they initially described themselves as “men of affairs of relatively high standing.” The less affluent were kept from membership by default, as they wouldn’t be likely to afford the expensive bicycles.
… Issues of race arose because the Northern cycling groups accepted applicants regardless of color, while the NOBC wasn’t ready to do that.
Cycling History on Baronne St, Embodied in New Orleans Bicycle Club
Brand new card game for Carnival enthusiasts from one of my favorite illustrators, Dalt Wonk (whose name resembles my real signature way too closely!)
The Riddles of Existence is an oversized deck of fifty cards, each with a full-colored figure wearing a costume. Beneath the illustration, there is a riddle in verse. The costume is the answer, or hint, to the riddle. This is the game. The illustrations and the verse provide great pleasure, above and beyond, the game. There is also a card with the answers to The Riddles of Existence for those who are stumped.
other work: http://www.daltwonk.com/illustrated-texts/
We have officially begun the 2014 Carnival season in Louisiana. The season starts on the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan 6th (aka Twelfth Night) and runs through Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Interestingly, January 6th is also the birthday of the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc who is honored in New Orleans with a startlingly gold statue
Joanie on her pony, French Quarter New Orleans
and her own lovely parade on her day. As you probably can tell, all of this is closely linked to the Catholic tradition deeply embedded in French Louisiana. For those who have the impression that Mardi Gras is a weekend spent on Bourbon Street, that would be quite far from the actual truth of our season of revelry, which has much more to do with tradition, family and friends and ornate or satirical public costuming. The link to the video shows how a commercial king cake is made, which is the cake we eat throughout the season. The tradition is explained well in the video, so I’ll just add that with the surge in local and artisanal foods, many more types of king cake are now available in the area. Whole wheat cakes, french-style Galette des Rois cakes and more can be found at markets, at stores and bakeries. Happy Carnival!
Galette des Rois (french king cake)
yes there is a plastic baby in there. If you get it in your slice, you buy the next cake for your next party.
I prefer the brioche with cinnamon version of king cake, but there are literally dozens of varieties available now.
<a href=”http://www.wwltv.com/entertainment/mardi-gras/How-a-king-cake-is-made-111899959.html?autoplay=y”>How a king cake is made</a>
French Quarter block by block 
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