Food & war in New Orleans!

Food & war in New Orleans!

Contd. from last week’s https://anupamaexcursions.blogspot.com/2024/06/music-is-new-orleans-soul.html

There is such a lot one can do and experience in New Orleans that I am unable to decide what to share and what to leave.

Anyway, we started our second day with a hearty Southern-style breakfast at Willa Jean (photo above) with Ross, a member of our extended family, and his girl-friend Reagan Garvin, a pleasant, cheerful young lady. 

A visit to the World War II Museum, earlier called D-Day Museum, was the second activity on our agenda. As the name suggests, it is a museum of military history.

With the help of a huge workforce of 30,000 Louisiana workers from Higgins Industries, Andrew Jackson Higgins designed and built 20,000 Higgins boats during WWII. These carriers transported US soldiers for and back from land and water attacks. The boat is in New Orleans and thus the museum is situated here.

A plaque put up there read

‘The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world -why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today- so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.’

There are several permanent galleries in the museum which include Home Front, (about civilian population and domestic industries during the war) Planning for D-day and the D-day beaches. Planning for D-day is the story of how the preparations were done during World War II for the Normandy landings and airborne invasions as well as Operation Neptune, (code name) for the biggest ever naval invasion by allied forces.

You can take photos without a flash. There was so much to see- valour, sacrifice, death, misery; so much to absorb, ponder over and feel sad about, that I left it midway to process my emotions. Naturally thus, my selective memory chose to delete a lot of painful detail about what I saw.

A special exhibition on US soldiers of Japanese origin who fought WWII, was going on. There were scores and scores of pictures and description of these soldiers. I found it ironic and heart-rending that people who left their country for a better life had to go through this agnipreeksha (test by fire) of fighting their own brethren to prove their allegiance to the country they now called home.

There sure are those built with sturdier emotional structure than mine who enjoy wargaming that the museum organizes. The museum focuses on ‘board or miniature games rather than electronic games’ where players are face-to-face in reality. The aim is that the players learn ‘social skills’, ‘critical and strategic thinking’, ‘development of creativity’ and ‘accuracy’.

The other notable collection we saw during out stay was the world-renowned MS Rau Antique gallery, founded in 1912.

Silver punch service of Czar Alexander III, 19th century. Price:$495,000

Well-lit, bright and with colourful rare artifacts, it changed the idea I had of a gallery in my mind. Reagan (remember we had met for breakfast), who is the Sales Operations Manager there, graciously offered to be our guide. It made the tour easy for me because with her expansive knowledge, she explained the history and background of the objects well. That also somehow softened the jolt I felt when I looked at the listed price of any object ’d art there.

Will you believe that the picture on the left is a mosaic creation? See the details in the picture on the right.

Why do I remember that the tag with the lowest price there said $ 95000?

The Battle of Issus chess set : each piece is 14 k gold, has semi-precious stones and enamel, and can move mechanically. Price $1,985,000

Nothing there seemed ordinary or commonplace. There were paintings, works of Chippendale, Monet, Tiffany and Co, etc., besides unknown craftsmen. There was vintage designer jewellery, most with huge stones. I feasted my eyes on  works of art, proofs of skilled craftsmanship, and objects that mirrored the pride, love and care with which they had been kept by their owners. 

I could not take the photo of the 1100-piece cutlery set with my phone,
so here is one of the 272 piece set. No wonder the asking price was $1,24,500

Now let me come to the other topic that tempts me during my travels- food.

Culturally and historically, New Orleans is one of the most interesting places I have been to. The French founded, named, ruled and sold it, Spanish won it, it was an American settlement, and home to people from Africa, the Central and South Americas and the Caribbean and European immigrants. It is no wonder then that like architecture and music, the food here also has diverse array of flavours. One is spoiled for choice among French, Spanish, Acadian, Native American, Creole and spicy Cajun (last two with their Holy Trinity of onions, celery, carrots/bell peppers) cuisines.

There are vegetarian options available everywhere, as also kid-friendly so no one has a cause for complaint. But the fact is that the city, smack on the Gulf of Mexico, is a heaven for fresh, great quality seafood. At almost all the places, you need reservations made well in advance, such is the demand.

Roasted branzino 

I had told you the food at Maison was great. Although I felt that the service was a little slow at BABS (earlier Bywater American bistro) for dinner, the brunch at Peche Seafood grill for brunch was an excellent choice. The latter’s crunchy fried calamari, fish sticks, whole grilled fish and grilled chicken could tempt me again if we were staying for another day.    

Now let me preface by saying everyone has their own taste and choice, so let it be. But the most underwhelming food experience in the city was trying out the much-hyped beignet (pronounced beynye) at Café du Monde (started in 1862). People wait in several metres long queues to try out these fried, doughnut-like square pastries buried under a heap of powdered sugar, with coffee. The beignet might excite kids or sugar lovers, but something with nearly no taste of its own, and so much plain sugar powder? No wonder it became tough for us to finish even one each while I could clearly see all others polishing off three-in-a-plate serving alone easily. A pity, their hot chocolate too was nothing to write home about.

We wrapped up our visit to New Orleans with a walk on the Riverfront along the Mississippi river. The cool breeze during early evening hours was refreshing. Many festivals are organized in the riverfront area during the year but our timing was not correct.

The ship that sailed away!

Would I ever visit New Orleans again? Why not; if just for the food and the colourful cocktails; after all, there are scores more places to eat at in New Orleans on my list. Mark twain had said, ‘New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.” Is it a good thing or a bad thing?  (Concluded) 

Saw this table at Peche; my Telugu friends tell me it merely says Tent House, Chintapalli! Does the tent house know the table is missing? How did it reach there?

                                                                                        -Anupama S Mani