New Orleans--food and culture

                              

Friday, March 1, 2026--New Orleans.   We have really done New Orleans.  We've been staying in an 1810 house, said to be the 30th oldest structure in New Orleans.  Fireplaces and brick floors and extremely good food.  Crab, oyster, shrimp, fish...good Creole style cooking from friends and hosts Jon and John.  We introduced them to our traveling companions with a wonderful time of wine and shrimp on their patio.

We did a final dinner with Jane and Peter and Marc and Sheila at Herbsaint--  a really lovely restaurant with exquisite food.   Ben and John enjoyed starters of mussels in a butter cream soup.  Ben followed with flounder, while John did a mix of two small plates:  green fried tomatoes with poached shrimp and local fried oysters with a killingly hot sauce.  All superb.  It was pouring with rain so we managed a taxi home. Half the price of Uber!

The following day we enjoyed time decompressing.  Ben found a local coffee shop, Only Coffee, where the barista artfully designs hearts in his cappuccino foam.  We had a lovely lunch at Galatoires.  We all began with potato puffs, then turtle soup.  Ben finished speckled salt water trout meunière amandine while John enjoyed drum, a fish that makes a drum sound when mating. also almandine.  Both very tasty.  

Last night we didn't even try to eat dinner.  Too full.

Today, our last day in NOLA, we started with a walk around the sculpture garden at the New Orleans Museum.  It's very good collection of impressionist and modern sculpture set among the trees, some festooned with Spanish moss, and surrounding a lake--with a walkway that is below the top level of the lake, just like New Orleans, which is mostly below sea level, protected by levies.  

We lunched at Johnny's Po' Boy restaurant on St Louis Street near Jackson Square.  Host John's first apartment was on this street and blogger  John visited there in 1972!  The oyster po' boy was juicy, and perfectly done.  We walked back partly along Bourbon Street;  it's quite tacky.  Jackson Square is still as interesting as ever with art pinned to the fence walls and music from performers in the air.  A performer friend of John's was making her music on a corner on the way home. She had been nominated for a grammy.  New Orleans has musicians everywhere. 

A couple of groups of players got on the streetcar we rode from the museum gardens to downtown--a newly-built antique looking tram.  Befoe dinner, we went to the Maison Club on Frenchman Street to listen to a fine group that's one of host John's favorites.  Beautifully done.  

Now we will enjoy crab for dinner and off home tomorrow.

Vacherie and on to New Orleans

Wednesday, March 11, New Orleans--This morning we finished our eight day voyage down the Mississippi, about 700 or so miles of twisting and turning through the channels. It's been a cultural experience, enjoying the company of 163 fellow passengers, our four friends, Jane and Peter, and Mark and Sheila, and a wide variety of lectures, tours and entertainment.  

Many of them have been lots of fun--the nightly entertainment, which last night was traditional jazz played by New Orleans artists, the food that ranged from classic French and Italian styles to Southern and Creole, and the variety of battlefields, mansions and plantations that we visited.

On Monday we visited the Whitney Plantation to see a documented plantation with many of its horrors.  Slaves were often penned up in small cells, like this one shown below, five or more to a cell on their way to market.  On the platation, the enslaved were expected to cut sheafs and sheafs of cane that were boiled down to raw sugar for later sale to refineries.  They worked up to 18 hours a day, with some time off for services on Sunday.  They were named, but few retained their African or Muslim names.   In Louisiana, following French civil law, the files record their sale as pieces of property--all done precisely by the French notaire, a position that includes the registry of purchases, (and slaves were treated almost like real estate) and the actions of our notary public and other government agencies recording property sales.

Yesterday we worked our way through the National World War II Museum.  We searched for information on the importance of radar to the victory, because it's what Ben's dad worked on with the Bureau of Ships, to no avail.  We did sit through the rumbles, bright lights , and gunfire of the film extravaganza that is shown every hour.  It is a magnificent production.  Although historically correct, it leaves out a completeness of story that would have pleased us as historians.

We were treated to a lecture entitled "Twain at Sea" about Mark Twain's travels and writings around the world after his Mississippi River writings.  "Innocence Abroad" is one about his worldly travels. 

Now, we are off the boat, sadly because we really enjoyed the trip and the friends we made.  We are now at friends John and Jon's home in the Quarter looking forward to New Orleans cuisine.  We even saw the St Charles Streetcar!

Vicksburg, Natchez and St Francisville

Vacherie, Louisiana, Monday, March 9--We await our shore excursion to learn how to make jambalaya.  We're told it's not very difficult, so we'll perhaps remember it.

Remembering, though, all we have seen and done in the past few days is just plain fun--though some of the history we learned is not so much fun.   We went picking cotton on a plantation, learned about cotton gins (one, a steam driven one, was a year younger than John's grandmother, who had worked in a wool mill at one point in Yorkshire, UK).  We visited the Vicksburg National Battlefield Park, learning about trench warfare, and seeing all the monuments to the regiments from the states in the battle.  Regrettably, Rhode Island's monument, from the state where John grew up, is being rebuilt after a flood washed away the hill it was on.

One of major and fascinating sites at the Battlefield was a Civil War gun boat, dredged from a stream near the Mississippi.  It had hit a Confederate mine and sunk.  Found about 60 years ago, it is now rebuilt and part of the park's history.  It's fascinating how far technology has come in the last 160 years since the Civil War.  There are other names for that war here, and none of them mention "civil."

Then it was on to Natchez.  While Vicksburg was mostly destroyed by the Union Army and Navy, because it was central to transportation for Confederate military, Natchez had voted to remain in the Union and was saved bombardment.  Hence it has a magnificent collection of pre-Civil War buildings, and the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi make a grand park. 

We stopped in St Francisville where Ben headed off on a walking tour.  He and friend Sheila appeared lost to a pair of young boys who were out cycling on a Sunday.  They helped them, to the extent of accompanying them to a local (excellent) coffee shop.  Both Sheila and Ben were most impressed with their manners and help.

This part of the world is very mannerly.  Lots of "Mister John" and "Mister Ben", lots of addressing as "sir".  And the pace of life in the towns we visit is significantly slower than what we are used to.  Friend Jane remarks that it is so different from her home in California.

Afternoon:  We saw our alligator, we made and ate jambalaya, and enjoyed the banter of Cajon humor this morning.  The jambalaya was very good.  John learned to make sure that the onions were properly browned before adding the rice and pre-cooked sausage and marinated pork loin

 

Last night we had a humorous entertainment, with a good deal of inspirational input from a Black standup comedian.  We learned how to distinguish a meaningful "Bless your heart" from a disparaging remark. 

On the Mississippi, North of Vicksburg

March 5, 2026, Thursday--What a busy few days.  We have enjoyed our visit to the countryside of Tennessee, a visit and overnight in Memphis, and now aboard the American Splendor, moving at a quick rate down the Mississippi.

Our visit to Tullahoma with friends Marty and Corabel was a grand time.  Marty has a long family history in mid-Tennesssee.  He has a 1100 acre farm, among other properties, that we explored with him and Corabel.  It's set in rolling hills, trees just beginning to bud, though an invasive Bradford pear was in flower, (Marty says he will hurry to remove the growing trees from his farm).  We had a fun lunch of Granny's old-time Southern food for lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's in Lynchburg where the Jack Daniels distillery is based.  Lunch is served family-style with Ms. Emily as mother directing the chatty and sometimes gossipy local conversation.  Batter-fried chicken, steamed green beans, batter-fried okra, sweet potatoes, and other home-style were on the table for 14 followed by chocolate puddin' pie for dessert.  Most of them were heavy and deep-fried-- a treat that we enjoyed, but it is a fairly heavy cuisine.

At Marty and Corabel's we enjoyed venison steaks served with a green salad and a light spaghetti with fresh sautéed tomatoes and garlic sauce. 

The next morning we got in the car for the long drive to Memphis.  It's about five hours, more with stops, through beautiful country.  We stopped for shopping in Pulaski.  We visited the Tennessee River Museum in Savannah, and arrived at Graceland stiff from driving, but regretting to say good-bye to good friends.

(John is writing this as we move down the river.  We just passed a tug pushing 18 huge barge containers heading upstream.)

The highlight at Graceland was an hour talk with Doris Kerns Goodwin, a close aide to Lyndon Johnson and a presidential historian at Harvard and well known TV commentator, on presidential excellence.  She places Lincoln at the top of her list.  None of our recent presidents make it.  TR comes up as does FDR and LBJ.  We were blown over with the excellence of the discussion.

We learned the role of Sun Studio and Stax Records in rock and roll development and the interaction of the music of Black performers with Whites.

Then we boarded the boat.  Our first stop, this morning, was the first black town in the country, Mound Bayou.  It's named that way because there was no railroad station and the Black passengers said to the conductor to let them off at the bayou near the old Indian mound!  It was founded in 1888 by formerly enslaved cousins.

We learned an immense amount about Black history, the effects of segregation on development and how revitalization is planned for this mostly derelict old town that was once huge but now only as about 1500 residents.

Tomorrow we spend a whole day in Vicksburg.

The Grand Ole Opry: A Stellar Performance

Tullahoma, Tennessee, March 2, 2026--100 Years of the Grand Ole Opry and we get tickets, along with a full house audience of 4000.  It was fortuitous, and out of the ordinary.  GOO normally puts on a variety show of country music twice a week.  This past Saturday it was not only a celebratory concert of country, gospel and blues music but a special show celebrating the 25th anniversary of the George Clooney movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" which featured a movie score of country music.  GOO got musicians to sing every song in the movie, including the actors who sang as well as acted.  What a show!  Of course, they have had 100 years of practice broadcasting, still, on an AM radio station WSM,

We knew many of the stars, even though we had not been country music followers.  Emmylou Harris, Allison Krauss, and many others.   Each of them doing a song from the show.  A robust, successful beautifully done standing ovation concert.

What followed was a discussion with three of the movie actors and singers who talked about the movie production 25 years ago and how it significantly enhanced their careers.

Of course, this meant a web search for the movie, which hosts Corabel and Marty found...a movie in their living room that led to a pyjama party with popcorn and good wines.

We enjoyed Nashville immensely, though the Parthenon was only seen from a distance.  The Centennial Park was so crowded there was no parking to be found.  Still, it's a lovely building.  We also enjoyed a stroll through part  of Vanderbilt Universities campus. We had lunch, late, at Brown's Diner, and then to the Opry.  Opryland, hotels and shopping centers surround the huge concert hall. Crowded and enormous, with crowds of people dressed in style for the performance.  Peter tried his movements before the show.

We departed Nashville yesterday for Tullahoma and Shelbyville where Marty's family has long-time roots.  We are staying in a French style home with a magnificent patio where we enjoyed dinner last night, outside--on March 1, no less, with temperatures of 70F/22C.  Lots of roast veggies, good roast on the BBQ and risotto.  Good wines, including a 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape.  The fire blazed away and kept away the chill away as the temperature cooled under the full moon and stars, not so strongly affected by light pollution since we are out in the country. 

Today we are off to expore Marty and Corabel's farm and then tomorrow to Memphis.  Learning to farm today, how to wiggle llike Elvis tomorrow.

Of course GOO recognized our collecitve talents