New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

At the Minnesota State Fair there are a few foods that are fun to eat (the bucket of cookies and the bottomless cup of milk), there are a few foods I prefer not to look too close at, and there are a lot of things that make me cringe (deep fried mac’n’cheese on a stick? Really?). It is as if the important factor is not that food tastes good, rather that it defies gravity. The MN State Fair used to be my pinnacle for fair/festival fare.

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was like walking into the hot, crowded, overwhelming heaven of fairs and festivals. I am not lying when I say that every single food vendor there made my mouth water; Boiled Crawfish, Crawfish Monica, Catfish Almandine, Crawfish on eggplant, Fried Oysters, Fried Shrimp, Fried Oyster Po-boys, Fried Shrimp Po-boys, Alligator Po-boys, Jamaican Jerk chicken, East-African spicy spinach and chicken skewers with a banana hot sauce that make you sweat profusely instead of just semi-profusely… I can’t even continue, the yearning is so strong I am getting sad.

Then, after stuffing yourself into delirium, you get a daiquiri and turn around to realize that Kermit Ruffins, Percy Sledge, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, and Van Morrison are all playing music, at the same time! As long as you manage not to pass out from food delirium, daiquiri delirium, or music delirium, you are bound to have a great time. It is really like the heaven of fairs/festivals (where you still get sunburned and sleepy by 5pm).

People come to Jazz Fest every year from other cities, until they realize it is just easier to live here and go to Jazz Fest every year from here. Then when they move here, they end up moving closer to the fairgrounds just to be able to walk there (it is only two weekends long! People are crazy to move just for that!) Oh, and Megan and I did move so that we can walk there. Again, first come, first serve on our one available bed. Floor space is available too.

We had a wonderful day at Jazz Fest with Jake (college roomate) and Natalie (college roomate’s gal). They bought me an alligator po-boy that made me want to go gator huntin’ (not really, but if you go, save me some meat). When we were looking for a place to sit to watch Mac Rabinac (aka Dr. John) and Van ‘the Man’ Morrison play the final sets of the day, we became victims of some very hospitable southerners. They forced us to share their blue tarp (many uses for the blue tarp down here), forced us to share their beer, forced Megan to sit in a chair when her neck hurt, one guy even forced us to accept the concert posters he bought for us. Watch out for that southern hospitality, it hits you real quick, and before you know it you might be enjoying yourself in close proximity to total strangers (although they’ll act like your friends).

FQF

A performer on stage - riverboat docked in background.

French Quarter Festival was developed as a festival for locals to get out and hear local music. It was created due to the overwhelming growth of Jazz Fest, and was 2 weeks before the big show this year. A town creates a festival because another festival is too big – right on! Mid-April is a great time to be outside, listening to great music, eating great food, and enjoying the great scenery. Overall it was a pretty magical time. Meg and I caught the Rebirth Brass Band’s set in Woldenberg Park, which is on the river at the base of the French Quarter. They let it rip and you would have to be terribly ill or a real stuck-in-the-mud to refrain from dancing. I wouldn’t even want to know you if you chose not to dance to Rebirth in beautiful place like that. ‘Rebirth on fire, Rebirth on fire!’

Mardi Gras

I apologize in advance, but my description of Mardi Gras is going to be terribly brief for those of you hoping to get an idea of what this celebration of celebrations is like in the Crescent City. The characters and punctuation of written language are insufficient to describe a scene so grand – EVEN IF I CAPATALIZE A LOT.

Rather than trying to describe the whole thing – as much as I enjoy adjectives and adverbs – I will simply list a few of my reactions;

1) Mardi Gras is a lot longer than I realized. Mardi Gras translates to Fat Tuesday, the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday (i.e., the next day). Basically it is the last big hurrah for the Catholics (and other Christians I guess, but really, the Catholics party best) before all the sacrifices of Lent (No meat on Fridays! Santa Maria!). Hence we all benefit from living in a town that centers around Catholicism (don’t worry Mom, I’m not converting - I’m only in to the partying). In fact, Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) is the biggest day of celebration, mostly because everyone gets tired by Tuesday. But the celebrations starts WAY before then, like a month or so. Megan and I attended the Krewe du Vieux parade 3 or 4 weeks before Mardi Gras weekend. Krewe du Vieux is a very satirical Krewe that is also mainly for adults. Their theme this year was ‘Habitat for Insanity’ (see photo).

2) Despite what I just said about Krewe d’Vieux and what you might see on TV, Mardi Gras is a very family-friendly affair. A majority of the parades travel a route through Uptown that includes beautiful St. Charles Ave. The Live Oaks line the street and the lights and music and whimsical floats turn everyone into a kid. And let me tell you, kids (and by that I mean you) LOVE beads. No matter how silly it seems now to want a string of cheap plastic beads, in the moment it is the most important thing in your life. You will scream and holler and throw your hands up and run after the floats. And you especially want the ones with the plastic rainbow trout on the string (my prize catch this year).

3) Bottom line: you must experience Mardi Gras with a local. There are so many little things that happen, especially during the last weekend, that you have to have a guide to tell you which of the 40 or 50 parades to attend, and how to get into the big parties. Each parade is put on by a krewe, but there are also lots of krewes that don’t parade. Either way, most krewes have a big ball (what’s the point of forming a Mardi Gras Krewe if not to have a big party). The big krewes get huge stars to play at their parties (I saw a photo of James Brown playing at a ball). It was also evident that some wonderful celebrating goes on at people’s homes. All of New Orleans breaks for Mardi Gras weekend, and it takes know-how to party like a New Orleanian. (Megan and I have one spare bed, Mardi Gras is early next year, Feb. 5^th, 2008. First come, first serve.)

This is way more fun than Wisconsin!!!!!!