“New Orleans is not like other cities, and its Jazz & heritage Fetival is not like other music festivals,”’ Eliza Barclay writes in her article about her po-boy sandwich experience. She describes New Orleans’ Jazz Fest as “wonderfully chaotic and yet orderly.” I feel like this statement could describe New Orleans as a whole city, not just its Jazz Fest. When I think of New Orleans, I think of Mardi Gras, drinking, and Bourbon Street. All of which are “wonerfully chaotic” yet some how orderly simutaneously. The city does a lot of planning and working together with members of the community in order to make events in New Orleans run smoothly. At any New Orleans event, there is always food, music, alcohol, and lots of people. Most cities can’t handle all of these at once bt New Orleans does it year-round. From big events like Jazz Fest to smaller events mostly known to local and not so much tourists that seem to take place weekly, there is always something wonderfully chaotic going on in New Orleans that runs exactly according to plan in New Orleans. New Orleans puts so much effort into these productions because they are what holds the community so tightly together.

At the beginning of the semester I thought nothing of the concept of “Creole”. I heard it was a fun class so I signed up for it. Never had I imagined I would learn so much. I learned more than I ever thought was possible in a month. Not only did I learn about the indefinable Creole culture but I learned about its history and the history of New Orleans in general. When I came here, to New Orleans, at the beginning of the school year all I was focused on was getting through class, making new friends, and honestly, hitting up the boot. This class has broadened my horizons in so many ways. I knew a little bit about the rich culture and roots of New Orleans, but not as much as I should have. I had always thought it would be cool to do the tourist things like visiting plantations and voodoo shops, but without this class I’m not sure I ever would have. Reading about the history and touring the city made me aware of how many enriching and important things I am surrounded by each and every day. I am so thankful that this class and Dr. Hunt enabled me to experience so many interesting things throughout New Orleans. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our Saturday field trip.

Dooky Chase's

There are many, many wonderful things I have learned from Creole Crossroads. I have listened and participated in awesome discussions, read interesting books, and went on some spectacular field trips. Another great aspect of this class is.... NO EXAM! And even better than not having an exam is going out to lunch at one of New Orleans' most famous restaurants, Dooky Chase's. As we read in Gumbo Tales, the restaurant is famed for many scrumptious menu items including its gumbo z'herbes. I am looking forward to experiencing eating a such a famed restaurant! I searched the web for some history on the restaurant and on Ms. Chase, herself.

Here's what I found:

First off, Leah Chase didn't start the restaurant. I found that somewhat surprising. She married Dooky Chase II. His father and mother (her mother and father in law) had started the restaurant in 1939. Since segregation was still present during that time, the restaurant was primarily a social haven for the black community. It was "the place to be." When Leah married Dooky II and began working at the restaurant, she didn't have any formal training or familiarity with the restaurant's cooking. Nevertheless, she jumped right in and began cooking and creating the Creole creations the restaurant is so famous for.

Leah is still cooking at the restaurant today. However, she is getting old and now her grandson is sharing the kitchen with her. Although she is a great cook and a famous New Orleanian, she still is an extremely kind and humble woman. People who have dined at the Dooky Chase's say that Leah will often come out of the kitchen and visit with her guests. Despite all her success, she still has incredible customer service!

While I couldn't find extensive history on Leah Chase or the restaurant, I hope that this little bit of information is helpful. I look forward to lunch at Dooky Chase's. I hope all of you can make it! It's great food and an awesome opportunity to experience some great New Orleans cuisine!

So Long, Farwell....

I must say that not only this semester, but this year has been an incredible one. The highlight of my whole year, though, has been the time I've spent in Creole Crossroads. I never would have thought that I would be taking field trips in college. But thats not the only reason why I love Creole Crossroads, I love this class because it challenged my mind and allowed me to love my hometown again. At the beginning of semester, Dr. Hunt asked the class if we thought this was one of the greatest cities in the world in terms of culture. I said no. The reason why I said this was because I could not get past the negative aspects of the city, such as crime, corruption, and poverty. Over the course of this class I learned that there is more to New Orleans than I ever realized. I learned that though New Orleans gets a bad rap for being corrupt and party all the time kind of city, there is something beautiful through it all. The art, architecture, food, music, and most importantly the people make this city unique and larger than life. Also, I gained a general understanding of the Creoles and Cajuns, but there is still so much I have to learn. I will start by reading Creoles of Louisiana over the summer. I want to thank you all for sharing your experiences and allowing me to know something about your hometowns. I mostly want to thank Dr. Hunt for introducing us to another side of the city and genuinely caring about us. I hope that we all will meet again in the future, but if our paths do not cross again I wish you all much success and happiness.

Peace & Blessings,
Jasmine

sunrise on top of monroe

I though everyone would enjoy the sunrise over the beautiful city of New Orleans!

Goodbye

It is all finally coming to an end. My first semester of college has been a great one, full of learning inside and outside of the class room. I was a bit reluctant about my freshman seminar class, but I know now that it was well worth my time- I have gotten a lot of this class. I have learned the real difference between a creole and a cajun (something that has also perplexed me), and have gotten to know New Orleans and all it really has to offer. I feel that Louisiana, in general, gets a pretty bad rap. We are at the top of the list for illiteracy, obesity, and bad public education. I was always a kind of upset when I had to tell people I was from the south, but now it is one of the first things I tell new people I meet. I have learned so much about creole culture and live in New Orleans, and can spread this knowledge to all of my friends. Thanks to everyone who has made this school year a good one. I hope you all have a good summer, and I hope to see you next fall!

My Final Post . . .

Hello all,

This will be my final post to end up our semester together. I had a very nice time with all of you as we discussed various social problems and went on various excursions. Unfortunately, because we ran out of time, we were unable to read George Washington Cable's book "Creoles of Louisiana." However, I plan to read it over the summer and maybe you can do the same. It answers the question that many scholars debate over, "What really does it mean to be Creole?"

Below are a few photos throughout the course of the year that I've taken. I hope they will kindly "sum up" what we've learned both in and outside the classroom.












Before ending, Jazz Fest is this weekend! I hope you all can go. For those interested, there is also the International Festival in Lafayette. However, with all the bad weather that's expected, it might be beneficial to just wait until the next weekend (like me.)

Anyway, I wish you all a great summer and success on all your exams.

I remain,

Your "Creole" classmate,

--André L.