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As a resident of southern Louisiana for eight years, my memories of New Orleans came flooding back as I saw footage of the city after the storm hit.
What has happened is indeed tragic. A beloved city and unique culture have taken a huge blow and months of relief work will barely make the city livable.
Regardless of whether a person has been to the city, the name New Orleans conjours ideas of excitement, history and entertainment. New Orleans blends the night life of Las Vegas, the history of Boston and hospitality found only in the South. Those who think New Orleans is just about Mardi Gras and year-round party scenes are mistaken.
I lived in the area while in grammar school. When I moved away, I was eight years away from the legal drinking age. Even so, the mystic and mood of New Orleans caught me.
Eating beignets and getting powdered sugar all over the tables and chairs at Café du Monde or going to high tea at Windsor Court will never be forgotten.
Riding streetcars down St. Charles Avenue and imagining life in one of the mansions that line the road or walking around the Quarter with my dad as he pointed out historical buildings gave me a sense of Southern pride and an appreciation for architectural beauty.
Boating and canoeing in the surrounding waterways and swamps created my commitment to environmentalism.
But besides the personal memories New Orleans has left me with, the area is where a culture was born that the rest of America lovingly adopted.
Almost every weekend, a festival is taking place in some parish, and New Orleans is home to some of the largest. The Jazz Festival, Ebony Festival and Seafood Festival are held annually to celebrate heritage, community and, of course, food.
Jazz music and the musicians who began the movement were from New Orleans. The city, with its unique blend of people, embraced and powered this form of music.
The food native to the region has a similar story as jazz. Dishes such as jambalaya, red beans and rice, and po boys are staples to area residents and are preserved with recipes handed down through families.
The truth is New Orleans was a city that focused on living a life full of heritage and fun. It may be awhile until I can say “Laissez les bons temps rouler” (Let the good times roll) with the zeal I once did. At this time, it seems wrong to remember some of the happiest moments of my childhood because they all involve the area of the country that is destroyed.
However, as I mourn for the city and culture it created, I have faith that one day I will be able to eat a shrimp po boy or catch prized beads at a parade.
At this time, we should remember the city for what was and the magic it created. New Orleans would have wanted it that way.
Submitted 09-08-2005
MALIBU, CA
