The Tastes and Sounds of NOLA

FINAL PRESENTATION

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AN5EETHZZdJrtw9v4x11VSMQKarw11CXyrn4OYNeRYY/edit?usp=sharing

I would like to start this post by saying that every resource I have read gives slightly different information. History is rocky and subjective, and most of the real New Orleans food is passed on from generation to generation. With the constant changing of cultures and colonization and traditions, it completely depends on who you talk to. This is my understanding of the history of New Orleans cuisine – THUS FAR. I am constantly finding new information and learning new things that completely change my perspective!

New Orleans culture is a mesh of 7 different nationalities. Before the land was colonized, Native Americans dwelled in what is now Louisiana. The first foreigners to hit the land were the French (a group of nuns?), who brought with them classic french cuisine, which was quickly influenced by the resources that the land there provided. Soon the Spanish came in bringing their architectural flair and distinct spices. in 1720 the first slave ship was brought to Louisiana. Africans were often forced to be the cooks for Germans who came over as well, and in doing so blended all of the influences of the different foods that all the cultures that had landed in the area had with their own traditional cooking. Eventually England and Italy also found New Orleans and added even more diversity to the menus. While the history of the food is – as much of history seems to be – filled with suffering, confusion and oppression, out of it came an extremely unique and delicious way of cooking. Because the food is such a melding of cultures, there is no other taste quite like it.

Gumbo is a dish that combines every single influence into one pot. Every pot of gumbo must, to some people, have 7 different types of greens, most of which would grow along the water. The superstition says to never have an even number in your dish. Peppers, which came from the Spanish (almost always bell peppers) and other vegetables are added to a giant pot to simmer in lard for at least an hour with rice and multiple types of meat, depending on what is available at the time. The goal of this dish used to be to add as many flavors as possible. Spices added include cayenne, tabasco, mustard, sage and paprika. Water is added slowly over time as the stew simmers, until eventually a pot of spicy, meaty goodness is served.

While in New Orleans I ate a mufaletta po-boy, which is a classic sandwich very specific to the region though it is mostly influenced by Italians.  A french roll is often used instead of the traditional mufaletta bread, to which ham and sometimes other meats are added along with olive oil, cheese and an olive relish. The taste was extremely salty, greasy, and satisfying with a slightly acidic aftertaste. The textures were smooth and moist. This dish demonstrates the influence that multiple cultures may have on a certain food.

Two words immediately come to mind when thinking about New Orleans cuisine – Creole and Cajun. Cajun originates from the French term “les Acadians”. The Acadians were forced out of  their homes in Canada and many found their way to settle down by the Big Muddy. The Cajuns lived out on the bayou and levees, swampland, and coastal marshes using resources such as the greens that grew next to the water and hunting for local game. Creole references the flavors that came directly out of the city of New Orleans, mostly originating with the French. One article stated that the only difference you need to know is that “Creole cuisine uses tomatoes while proper Cajun food does not.”

“Creole cuisine is “city food” and Cajun cuisine is “country food.”

From what I noticed in the city, the two (millions) types of cuisine have, in the tradition of New Orleans, melded together to create common flavors.

The flavors reflect the colors and sounds. Bold, spicy, hot, unique…

Side note: These terms do not only relate to food either. Racially, New Orleans has a fucked up history and present that is often hushed and ignored in comparison to the other fun and exciting things that the city offers. There is no other way to put it, and in reality I don’t have a place to say anything on the matter because it is not my story. Something that I learned recently from a documentary of people who grew up in New Orleans  speaking on this matter, for a time there were 3 “groups” of people. People who were white skinned were the top of the chain. Many were slave owners and oppressors. Then there were people with the darkest skin, who were considered the lowest. In between these two categories you had people with mixed skin, and many sources refer to this as “Creole”. “Creole has as many definitions as the people defining it.” (Spoken: Colorism and the New Orleans Creole). There is no one definition to this word, and no one way to describe it. It is a personal matter to those who identify with the culture itself. A more basic definition of Creole is relation to food is described in the paragraphs before this.

“Because truly that existence is auspiciously formed, rasa truly is that existence; for once one here reaches that rasa, this person becomes completely blissful.” (TaiU. 2.7.1)

What is RASA?

Rasa, in performance art is the feeling or emotion that a performer gives to their audience. The goal is to make the audience physically and emotionally feel the things that the artist felt themselves. But! This is not at all the only meaning of the term.

In terms of food, RASA could be the art that a chef is sharing with their diners, or in terms of Terroir, though it is a stretch, I see Rasa being the elements of the terroir of a place that go into the food that is grown. The earth is using Rasa subconsciously in a way. Something I’ve noticed about Rasa during my research is that it has endless meanings, and so far all I’ve concluded is that Rasa can be everything. Which, funnily enough, is a way that I view “terroir” after taking this class.

The term rasa has been applied to many things over years of study and usage of the word. It originates from a sanskrit word pertaining to taste and nectar from plants. It is used 5 times in the Bhagavaghita with a similar meaning. In another part, Krishna actually refers to himself as rasa – human taste. This is very interesting, because over time the word was more commonly used in variations of theater and acting rather than taste. It is a way to experience art – any art, which to me includes food. From my understanding that can also extend to almost anything that evokes emotion and comes from a place of truth. And that also extends to everyone who is in the smallest way affected by a performance or whatever the term is being applied to. Sidenote: there is a specific type of theater that uses rasa to achieve certain goals emotionally and aesthetically, but in this writing I am looking at the term on a larger scale.

It reminds me very much of “emotional terroir” but with a broader range of subjects that can be related to it.

There are 8 (sometimes 9, sometimes 10) Rasas, each one pertaining to a different emotion, color and often times diety.

śṛngāra ̇ , “romance” or “passion”

hāsya, “comedy”

karunạ , “compassion”

raudra, “fury” vīra, “heroism”

bhayānaka, “horror”

bībhatsā, “revulsion”

adbhuta, “amazement.”

According to some resources, the achievement of rasa is divine love and acceptance.

I think that elements of New Orleans embody this idea. Not only is much of the music centered around expressing and sharing deep human emotion, but it is often experienced while stimulating more than just one sense. Connecting the environment with the physical acts with the emotional unseen.

While studying the word terroir in class, I started thinking about how the relationship that so many people experience with emotional terroir is, while true for me, much more prominent and almost interchangeable with music. When I hear a specific song, I can be transported to years that I hardly have memories of at all. Music evokes very distinct and personal feelings, just like a certain food may do. While in New Orleans I looked at the terroir of the food, but also the music. What I found is that the two are interchangeable. New Orleans is a city that turns suffering into art (which includes food in my opinion), and in the process creates a sense of community. From the origins of blues music (a genre that gave people a vessel of expression for common sufferings) to food that combines several cultures with the local resources to create extremely unique tastes, New Orleans emits “a good time”. While there is such a rocky history and present in New Orleans surrounding racial issues, wealth disparity and natural disasters, there is still more of a sense of the universal human-ness that we all have compared to other cities I’ve been to such as Seattle or New York. While I was there, a sinkhole appeared on one of the main streets in the city. Instead of fixing it right away, an event was created called “Sinkhole de Mayo” and people threw a party surrounding the mini disaster before repairing it (answer to my questions?).

I spoke for awhile with a man who was busking in the French Quarter. More than awhile, it turned out to be, because we had so much to discuss. I explained to him the basic idea of my project (he is actually featured in one of my videos playing guitar and singing) and he was very excited and intrigued. He told me stories of seeing bands like The Talking Heads at hole in the wall venues many years ago. He would tell me a story, and then sing a song. They always went together for him. Music provides pockets of nostalgia and transportation of mind from the present to a memory or feeling. Now I will forever associate the song “Carmelita” with him, because that moment and story of his meant so much to me. He was providing answers to my questions without even realizing it. He also forced me out of my comfort zone as we played music and sang together out in the middle of a very busy street. I also can’t forget the po-boy I ate right after the meeting, and I am sure if I ever taste it again I will fly back to the sidewalk with Angry Joey.

According to online research I’ve been doing, the relationship between sound and taste is actually something that is only just recently being looked at. A word that pops up a lot in relation to the subject is “synesthesia”. Dictionary.com defines it as “a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.” I remember reading a book called “A Mango Shaped Space” as a child, which centers around a young girl who lives with severe synesthesia. I remember relating to certain aspects of what she experienced, and didn’t find any of it to seem out of the ordinary. I was aware that my experience was much more subtle and less life-altering, but at the same time I found a little solace in that book. I wonder if being raised at a Waldorf inspired school or something to do with the environments that surrounded me affected that part of my brain/ ways of sensing and perceptions. Based on my research, every person may make these connections, but few people have the distinctly visual and vivid reactions. Interestingly enough, a researcher from Oxford University who has been looking at the relationship to sound and taste and the mind also works with Starbucks to find music that fits their coffee. A quote from an article discussing this same researchers studies stated: “Their other experiment found oysters presented in a shell and basket accompanied by sounds of the sea were rated as more pleasant than oysters served in a petri dish while farmyard noises played.” Another interesting point that this article brought up was the affect that this knowledge has on advertising. For example, the Kit-Kat commercial with the satisfying, snappy crunch sound (that is without a doubt not from the candy itself) creates a song that plays when one eats a Kit-Kat, and makes the food itself sound more appealing.

Restaurants in New Orleans seem to radiate satisfying sounds, colors and tastes. Particularly in the French Quarter, which, interestingly enough, is the main tourist destination. The relationship between taste and sound within our brains can be personal and intentional, but oftentimes is used as manipulation subconsciously. But, if that manipulation leads to great music and food, is it such a bad thing?

The music scene in New Orleans is very diverse. Since I am staying with a friend who is studying music industry, we went to several house shows that showcased local and college bands, usually comprised of younger people. The music tended to be on the grungier side, with influences of rock and punk as well as a decent amount of young rappers and DJs. The music played by these people rarely had any influence from New Orleans traditional sounds. The music played in restaurants, or that you hear coming out of every bar on every street (often live) is much more soulful and matches what one thinks of when imagining music in New Orleans. I realized that the traditional sounds are very much now desired by tourists who are trying to make a complete experience. The trumpets and brass bands pair so well with the oysters! I think that the music and food of New Orleans are very intertwined historically to the point where the two naturally go hand in hand in the city.

Rhythm and blues and jazz are often considered to be birthed from New Orleans, but the music is just as much of a gumbo as the food. So many different cultures influence the overarching culture that exists today, so in my opinion there really isn’t one word to describe the music with a single word. One thing is for certain, and that is that some of the greatest and most influential artists and genres in American music history have come out of the Big Easy. Funk itself is said to have emerged from the second line, which is a type of parade/music/dancing that originates with jazz funerals.

New Orleans is a city that is answering the questions raised by my ILC proposal. I don’t think that all cultures or places are as intensely influenced by pleasurable things such as music and food, but most seem to have at least some traditions surrounding it. I have noticed that, more than any other place I have been, people in New Orleans are very aware of taste and sound. Activation of the senses for pleasure is an essential part of life.

I spent most of my time walking due to lack of transportation and curiosity. This lead me to have a very up-close relationship with where I was. Instead of zooming past things in a car, I had time to observe all types of places that I may not have even looked at before. My favorite observation I noted during these walks is also my favorite example of answers to my questions. In almost every neighborhood, regardless of the size or quality of the homes, people sat on their front porches. Not only did this activity span to every type of person, but it included their families or friends as company, often enjoyed along with music and food.

Flying over the state of Louisiana as my plane descended into a muggy abyss of clouds and swamps, my heart began to race with excitement. It has been 3 and a half years since I last stayed in the city of New Orleans on a life changing exploration of blues music, and I felt a small rush of adrenaline when the reality of my trip set in. Once my feet stepped off of the plane, every single one of my senses was overwhelmed with shock and excitement at the unexperienced mixed with deep nostalgia and familiarity. The air was hot and sticky, yet the sky a muddy gray and the voices of the airport employees sang strong with thick Louisiana accents.

The first thing I noticed while walking through the airport (after a red eye and 2 hour layover… my mind was in a very squishy place) were the smiles. From the taxi drivers to those working storefronts or waiting tables, even simply walking down the streets, the people in New Orleans are alive and seem cheerful. Or at least they let it show. There seems to be no space here for pretending. Even negative emotions are shown without walls. And people seem more inclined to talk with strangers – everyone is friends.

I arrived at my old friend’s house – green stucco with a small front porch covered in various plants from mini palm trees to tomatoes, as well as a dead cockroach- and settled in for just a minute only to be dragged out to a breakfast joint down the road, where everything is seasoned with Cajun flavors and comes with a side of grits.

That night we took a long walk through the nearby neighborhoods and visited the campuses of Tulane and Loyola. After awhile we made our way to a large inner city park with trails that wrap around a golf course and several ponds which were buzzing with mosquitos and massive bugs I’ve never seen before. The trees reached high but hung low, creating mini havens of refuge throughout the park. Each person who passed by gave a cheerful “hello!”. We then tried some local fermented beverage, Abita, which comes in a purple can and contains raspberry flavor to add a fruity sweetness. The packaging is very “New Orleans”- fun colors, advertises a good time, and contains extra sweetness. The flavor was slightly reminiscent of pee and berries. I feel like it wouldn’t have tasted great somewhere else, but the weather and surroundings turn it into an ideal drink.

The next day, feeling overwhelmed with excitement and curiosity, I made it my mission to walk all the way to the French Quarter from where I am staying as well as visit the places that Sarah recommended. This turned into a day of exploring for over 12 miles on foot. Not once did I get bored. The colors, architecture, smells – literally everything – kept me captivated and intrigued the entire time. I spoke with locals and ate some traditional cuisine – coffee with chicory, real southern BBQ and a fried shrimp po-boy. The flavors are very particular to the place. Even po boys, which are in all honesty just a deli sandwich, have something about them that I have not tasted anywhere else. Every tourist store advertises spices and recipes to take home, but in reality it is an experience that cannot be recreated anywhere else. It is not just about the taste of the food itself either. The music, the air, the smells, the people, the colors – all of it play into why a meal in New Orleans is so fantastic.

While everything is stunning and happy, in the midst of all the wonderfulness there is always the reality of wealth disparity, poverty and drug use which I  also noticed as I walked. Cities always have this juxtaposition and it is something that I find sad yet beautiful. Every place has every type of person, but something about NOLA unifies them all.

I spoke with a taxi driver on the way home who turned out to be a native of New Orleans as well as a fisherman. We talked about oysters for a good part of the drive. I learned that all of NOLA’s oysters are caught wild. No bags or other methods of farming are used. The spawn is thrown into the muddy water and rests along the bed. I did wonder, and will do further research to find answers, how destructive the harvesting of shellfish in the area must be to the local ecosystems and what methods are used to bring the shocking number of oysters from the water to the table. Environmental concern is not very big in this city from what I have seen thus far (it is only the beginning). Plastic bags are used without thought at grocery stores. When I went shopping, my bread and eggs were put in bags of their own, something that would never happen in Olympia or the Bay Area where I am from. I’m curious about exploring the steps people may be taking to live sustainably in this environment. I’m also curious about the mycology of the area. I have been noticing many different mushrooms and fungi, some I’ve never seen before and some that I’m almost positive I identified correctly. There is not much of a culture surrounding these subjects, which makes sense seeing as it is a city with so many other things to keep one occupied.