Just call me Scarlett o' Hara



"Gone with the Wind" is one of my favourite movies which started my fascination with the American Civil War (1861 - 1865)  So on this trip to the South, Julie and I decided to stay overnight at one of the most beautiful plantations on the River Road in Mississippi - Oak Alley Plantation.  Two rows of centuries-old oak trees line the way up to a magnificent mansion, built by a rich Creole sugar king named Jacques Roman for his wife Celina Roman in 1837.  After seeing the beautiful antebellum house with my own eyes, I am pretty convinced that the set of "Tara" - Scarlett o' Hara's home - was modelled on Oak Alley.

 

I also came upon a delightful surprise in the form of Andre Jacob, a civil war historian, who has set up a replica of a Confederate camp on the grounds of Oak Alley.  In 20 spellbinding minutes, Andre told us the story of the capture of New Orleans and the major battles that took place around Louisiana in the early days of the Civil War. General Richard Taylor.  General Benjamin Butler.  President Abraham Lincoln.  Such magnificent tales. Music to the ears of history buffs like me.

Aunty Jo Jo with Andre Jacob, who has set up camp on the grounds of Oak Alley

 

Replica of a Confederate General's tent

 

Southern Cookin'

No trip to New Orleans is complete without mentioning the delicious food found in the South, and as a self-respecting blogger, I just have to come up with my own personal list of favourites. This list is purely based on a personal measure called "satisfaction per calorie" so, here goes...

 

 

No.1  Fried Green Tomatoes with Grilled Shrimp from The Creole Grille & Bar  -  This is the first time I've ever had fried green tomatoes and it was to die for!  The crispy battered tomatoes topped with spicy grilled shrimp, egg salad and tartare sauce really made my tastebuds sing for joy.  If this is Southern cookin', I'm happy to do more Southern eatin'  :)



No. 2. Catfish Platter and Potato Salad from The Creole Grille & Bar - I used to laugh when I heard Southern chefs on the Food Channel say, "If we're not sure what an ingredient is, we just fry it!".  Now, I realise why.  They sure know how to fry up a delicious plate of anything.  Including this catfish platter.  It was so good, especially when paired with home-style potato salad. 

No. 3 Duck Po' Boys from Crabby Jacks - When a local waitress tells you that the po' boys from another joint is better than her own restaurant, you don't ask questions.  You just punch in the address into your GPS and head there straight away.  That's how we discovered the best po'boys in New Orleans.  The soft french bread was just the right consistency to soak up all the duck jus, while the pickles and mayonnaise added just the right contrast to the shredded duck meat that was bursting out of this sandwich.  Yumm...

No. 4  Shrimp & Grits from Mother's Restaurant - This place came highly recommended by our hotel concierge and tour bus guide, so we should have known better.  The decor was rather antiquated which I suppose added to the historical cache of the restaurant.  The shrimp and grits were tasty but not as earth-shattering as I had hoped.  In fact, I thought the turnip greens cooked in bacon was the most flavourful item on the plate, although it didn't look very appealing at first sight.  My sister had the Ferdi Po-Boy, which was filled with roast beef, pulled pork and ham.  The one bite she shared with me was very tasty.

 

No. 5 Coffee and beignets from Cafe du Monde - Given the number of times I've heard this place reviewed on the Travel Channel, I really had higher expectations.  The coffee tasted rather watered down, and although the beignets (French doughnuts) were hot and fresh, they tasted quite ordinary.  Much like "you tiao" (Chinese crullers).  Still, the powdered sugar added some fun to the eating experience as I managed to get a lot of it on my face and jacket, much to my sister's amusement!

 

A tale of two cities



Every city has its share of affluent and impoverished neighbourhoods, and New Orleans is no different.  While these contrasts are mostly evident across the economic and social spectrum, in the summer of 2005, it also spelt the difference between life and death.  I'm embarrased to admit that my interest in Hurricane Katrina lasted only as long as the news cycles of the day permitted, but on this visit to New Orleans, I realised for the first time what a devastating impact it had on the community. 

 

The mansions that line St Charles Avenue in the Garden District was home to wealthy American families who intentionally built their homes far away from the crowded Creole neighbourhoods in the French Quarter during the 19th century.  These beautifully preserved houses continue to fetch handsome prices on the market today, and remain relatively flood-free as they are situated on higher ground.

Just a few miles down the road from the Garden District however, is the Lower Ninth Ward where the ravages of Hurricane Katrina are still very evident.  It was only in the last 3 years that the process of rebuilding has begun, and while some streets are benefitting from the largesse of Habitat for Humanity or the Musicians' Village Project, there are still many houses that stand dilapidated and  bear the marks of search dates and body counts.  In this area, the wall of water rose to 20 feet when the levee walls broke, and many who died were trapped in the attics of their homes. 

These new houses in the Lower Ninth Ward were built by the Make It Right Foundation, founded by Brad Pitt.  He was filming "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in New Orleans when the storm hit and decided to do something to help the community when he realized that ugly politics and bad government was getting in the way of reconstruction.  These new houses are being rebuilt the new way, with solar power and earth-friendly materials.  Way to go, Brad Pitt!
 

N'awlins - The Big Easy

New Orleans feels so different from any other city I've ever visited in the US, largely due to its colonial past being more French than English.   New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718 under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, and played major roles throughout American history in the War of 1812 and the Civil War from 1861-1865.  The flavour of the city is decidedly more charming Parisienne with its cathedrals, squares and side streets. It's easy to spend hours wandering in the French Quarter completely beguiled by the lovely architecture that greets visitors at every turn.

 

 

Cathedral St. Louis at Jackson Square, New Orleans

 Charming architecture in the French Quarter

 Aunty Jo Jo enjoying music at Bourbon Street



The Mighty Mississippi is another icon of the Deep South that has fired up my imagination since reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.  I was delighted to catch sight of the genuine steamboats made famous by Mark Twain.  The last time I actually rode in one of these was, I'm sorry to say, in Disneyland...blush...
 

Puppy Love

There he stood, just a mere 10 feet away from me, the first boy I ever fell in love with, singing "Puppy Love" while I screamed in delight and swooned unabashedly.  Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to to present the one and only Donny Osmond! 

Tuesday, 12 February 2013.  Another dream come true.  Watching the Donny and Marie show live at the Flamingo Showroom in Las Vegas.

The dynamic duo are really world-class entertainers.  From the moment they entered the stage, they filled the atmosphere with such dynamism, it literally took my breath away.  The show highlighted musical hits spanning their careers from the 70's right up to their latest work on Broadway.  Marie's renditions of Requiem, Sound of Music and Getting to Know You in soft soprano was amazing and really showcased how much she has continued to grow as an artiste.

Meanwhile, I was pleasantly surprised at how well Donny can dance.  His "Soldier of Love" act contained some really cool hip-hop and even "Gangnam Style" moves!  Amazing how a 56-year old man can rock my world even more than the Chippendales :)

More than anything, I walked out of the theatre that night as happy and hopeful about "tomorrow being a perfect day" as I was as an eight year old at the end of my favourite TV show.

Photo borrowed from Donny & Marie Vegas website

Tok tok chiang...

...Gong Xi Fa Cai from Aunty Jo Jo!