Research Log Sources

Fussell, Elizabeth. "Constructing New Orleans, Constructing Race: A Population History of New Orleans." The Journal of American History 94.3 (2007): 846-55. Web.

            The source “Constructing New Orleans, Constructing Race: A Populations History of New Orleans” by Elizabeth Fussell is about Hurricane Katrina and the effects the hurricane had/have on New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina became an extremely important part of New Orleans culture and history on August 23, 2005. Hurricane Katrina was classified as a category 5 hurricane and resulted in the submersion of the city and approximately 1,800 casualties, becoming one of the deadliest hurricanes in the United States. From roadways and transportation to traditional houses and culture, the aftermath or the natural disaster resulted in many changes in the characteristics of New Orleans including but, not limited to, the sociodemographic of the city. Elizabeth Fussell focuses on is the constant change of “Population of New Orleans by race, legal status, and nativity”. Starting back in the eighteenth and nineteenth century there was a majority of whites and a minority enslaved black/creole population. As the years proceeded, the majority white population began fluctuate (some years more largely than others) whereas the black/creole and foreign population has slowly increased. As of the 2000s, leading into 2005, many whites (the majority with a higher income in the region) left the community for a safe haven during the hurricane. As a result, the amount of minorities left in the community, even after Hurricane Katrina, began to steadily increase due to many whites not returning to the area after the disaster. This slight change in population has resulted in a slight change in the culture and traditions in New Orleans.

I feel the topic of Hurricane Katrina an important aspect to my food blog because, ethnic groups and their traditions were greatly affected by the environment of New Orleans after the natural disaster, which submerged the city for a multitude of days and left people stranded in their own city. The change in population and culture I believe has affected the food of the area (however not greatly) and has greatly affected the environment both physically and socially. The appeal to change New Orleans into a cosmopolitan city is a big debate as of today. Huge business companies want to build in the city due to the amount of tourist that visit New Orleans. The change New Orleans is headed is towards is going to start taking away from the historical, urban, jazzy feel of true New Orleans. Change is good but, too much change can also be bad. The reason why New Orleans is so special/unique to people is because, it still holds its heritage and culture in place while annual practices of traditions are still scheduled on everyone calendar. If, that is taken away New Orleans is just another city with standard food found anywhere in America.

Gaudet, Marcia. "Ribbon Pulls in Wedding Cakes: Tracing a New Orleans Tradition." Folklore 117.1 (2006): 87-96. Web.

            The source “Ribbon Pulls in Wedding Cakes: Tracing a New Orleans Tradition” is a source I chose because it incorporates marriage. Marriage, is a bond/legal pact made between two people to love each other, and is an essential part of our American culture. There are many stereotypical ways in which marriage and a traditional wedding are supposed to be; however, in New Orleans marriages and traditions are looking in a different light. A New Orleans wedding is very different from the traditional wedding we normally think about. As described in the abstract of this article, “The ritual of cutting the wedding cake at weddings in the New Orleans area is preceded by another ritual, tradition: unmarried female friends of the bride each “pull a ribbon,” to which a silver charm or “favour” is attached, from the cake. Charms can include a ring, a heart, a thimble, a button, a horseshoe, and a clover, each with a traditional meaning” (1). The author, Marcia Gaudet, through the article explains why ribbon pulling, charms, horseshoes etc. are some typical traditions of New Orleans weddings. She continues her depth by explaining to the reader the meanings behind all of traditions along with giving other derivations of wedding traditions with their meanings as well. The essential part/ main objective Marcia Gaudet really wants the reader to grasp is the importance of the wedding cake. “The Great Cake and its layers upon layers of sublimated meanings –erotic to commemorative –are certainly here to stay. It is a food that has become a veritable institution. A wedding without it would be a wedding without protocol, a rite without confirmation” (1). The wedding cake and its multitude of layers represents the love and its multitude of layers that the bride and the groom have for each other. For a wedding is not complete without the ribbon pulling of your wedding cake. If this essential piece of the wedding is missing it is almost as if wishing the newly wedded couple unwanted bad luck in their future marriage.

This source will be incorporated into my food blog because, marriage is a huge part of American culture and I think that the food associated with a typical marriage in New Orleans is very unique to the area and a really neat aspect to add to me blog. Plus, I want to show that even in America, there is more than one typical standard wedding. New Orleans is one of the only places that does “Ribbon Pulls in Wedding Cakes” whereas, in contrast, most traditional American weddings the bride throws her bouquet of flowers behind her and the person who catches the bouquet is the next person to get married. The New Orleans flare shows a little different culture, flare and attitude towards weddings which, is something I truly enjoy because it is different.

“History | Creole &Amp; Cajun Cuisine | Langlois.” Langlois, Travel Leisure, 2015, http://www.langloisnola.com/creole-cajun-history/.

                                                                                     

            The source “History | Creole &Amp; Cajun Cuisine | Langlois” addresses the historical aspect of New Orleans. A huge aspect of New Orleans is focused/ intertwined with French, Spanish, Native American, African, German, Italian, Creole and Cajun history. The intertwined histories of all these different cultures helped make New Orleans one of the most diversified cultural cities in the United States. On top of that, the combination of different styles and spices of food helped to create some of the most top notch southern food in America. In order for one to fully grasp the colonial history of Louisiana you have to understand all the different cultures as a whole first. As a quick overview “[i]n 1718 La Nouvelle-Orleans, La Salle’s dream city at the mouth of the river, was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the governor of French Louisiana” (1). At the same time, you have “German farm families were given free land to settle in Louisiana along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge” and “the first ships filled with African slaves [arriving] on the coast of Louisiana”. The West Africans brought “gumbo” stew to Louisiana while the Native Americans started the evolution of Creole cuisine. The French brought architectural design and governance while the Germans brought their famous sausage and dairy. The cultural immersion continues to the Spanish rule and the Italian immigration brought changes as well including a language fusion of words, phrases, and symbols. The combination of all the different migrations of people and change in governance over the area has resulted in one of the most diverse food, cultural, traditions, and clothing cities in the United States. Creole and Cajun Cuisine is possibly one of the most well-known foods in the United States and the best place to get it is in New Orleans.

The source “History | Creole &Amp; Cajun Cuisine | Langlois” is one of the best sources that I am going to include in my food blog because, this source I feel gives a great description of the different histories that all make up New Orleans. I would use the information in this source to help recreate the historical aspect for my readers so they would know how the formation of all these different cultural and traditional foods came about. I would also use this historical perspective to show why it is important for us as Americans to protect our heritage no matter how good or bad it is because, it is our foundation and makes us who we are. Not only that, it helps to explain why we do certain things the way we do and also gives us a perspective of how far we as a whole have come and where we are heading.

“Traditional New Orleans Foods.” New Orleans Hotels, Restaurants and Things to Do, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, http://www.neworleanscvb.com/restaurants/traditional.  

            Addressed in the source “Traditional New Orleans Foods” is unique foods made in New Orleans, Louisiana. The “Traditional New Orleans Food” source is essentially a cookbook for any tourist or local who wants to know about the historical aspect, culture and traditional foods that can be found in New Orleans. Many foods like Gumbo, Po-Boys, Crawfish Etoufee, Muffulettas, Beignets, Red Beans and Rice, and Jambalaya can be found here. A historical aspect of each dish and a culinary description of each dish is given along with a picture to associate yourself with what the food should look like. A list of recipes for each dish and many others can be found on this site as well. As for places to eat in New Orleans, a food guide can be found using this source to help locate top restaurants and food hubs with some of their most popular dishes of those restaurants. Some of the restaurants are even listed as ‘very popular’ due to the chef that make be cooking that night. Traditional recipes to a multitude of cocktails, appetizers and entrees, and desserts can also be found along with an event schedule/ calendar of when and where the next culinary festivals are located and what types of foods and drinks will be present at those events.

The source “Traditional New Orleans Foods” is an excellent source to include in my food blog because, this source focuses on different traditions and cultural dishes that are known in New Orleans. Plus, I can talk to a personal travel agent, who works with this source, to give me personal feedback about what he or she thinks of the food and culture in New Orleans. The presentation of this website is also another reason use them to incorporate with my owns ideas to help make my food blog look presentable and clear for the reader.

Abrahams, Roger D. Blues for New Orleans: Mardi Gras and America's Creole Soul. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006.

           

            Blues for New Orleans: Mardi Gras and America’s Creole Soul by Roger D. Abrahams is a book about the upbringing of the New Orleans Mardi Gras carnival. Mardi Gras is one the most famous carnivals held in New Orleans. The festival, Mardi Gras aka “Fat Tuesday” incorporates “such events as costumed float parades, neighborhood marches or second-lines, street gatherings, informal parties, and formal balls in New Orleans, Biloxi, and Mobile, among other Gulf Coast cities and towns.” (1) The author, Roger D. Abrahams throughout his book, speaks of the carnival for all differ perspectives and compares it to other countries held around the world. He also addresses, how before Hurricane Katrina and afterwards, the Mardi Gras festival and culture/ tradition are still being practiced today. New Orleans, to him, is considered to be “the crown of the Caribbean” due to all the mixtures of Caribbean cultures with a French and Spanish Caribbean twist (1). Another major aspect addressed is the racial divide between blacks and whites and the combination of culture. Due to Hurricane Katrina, many black communities were destroyed. Roger D. Abrahams understands the racial divide in the community writing, “As black New Orleanians regroup and put down roots elsewhere –some temporary, some not –many wonder: What will become of one of the nation’s most complex African American cultures” (2). The revival of Mardi Gras is considered very symbolic because Mardi Gras is a deep part of African American culture and the fact that the New Orleans community wants to continue the tradition shows the respect the people of New Orleans have for all the different cultures.

            I am using Blues for New Orleans: Mardi Gras and America’s creole Soul as one of my sources for my food blog because Mardi Gras is an essential part of New Orleans as a whole. The combination of culture and food/ drinks is a huge part of what I want to know about New Orleans. Besides, Mardi Gras being mainly a drinking event there are other aspects of Mardi Gras weekend. My purpose for writing about New Orleans is to educate my readers about every aspect of New Orleans food and culture.

           

Hirsch, Arnold R., and Joseph Logsdon. Creole New Orleans: Race and Americanization. Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Press, 1992, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gixulq7j8vkc&oi=fnd&pg=pr9&dq=gumbo+in+new+orleans&ots=rndqgbex1s&sig=2le595mg-xbuamzmnbhlvbqhvwu#v=onepage&q=gumbo%20in%20new%20orleans&f=true.

            The book Creole New Orleans: Race and Americanization by Arnold R. Hirsch is about the “evolution of race relations” in New Orleans. New Orleans, along with cities like New York City, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, are considered to be some of the most diversified cities in the United States. The characteristic that makes all of the cities previously listed so diverse is due to the different races and ethnic groups that live in those cities. New Orleans being a major city in the American South has encountered many race related incidents. Theses race relations have affected the lives of the population of New Orleans through religion, cultural customs, language, food, and racial division throughout the city. Because of the French and Spanish domination in the region until the year 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase, made by Thomas Jefferson, the development of New Orleans was very different from many other cities in the South. The native language of the land eventually became English as more white Englishmen moved to the area. The change in the governance of the area also changed with the transfer of ruling. As one ventures deeper through the novel Creole New Orleans: Race and Americanization, Arnold R. Hirsch address the Spanish, French, Native American and Caribbean histories. Eventually, just like race relations, the multitude of cultures and traditions began to combine and intertwine with one another, resulting in the formation of mixtures of cultures and foods creating Creole New Orleans.

            My reasoning for incorporating this source into my food blog is to give another prospective of how New Orleans became the way it is today. By looking at the history of New Orleans, one can determine where New Orleans may be headed in the future. By looking at the culture and the Americanization of the city you can also see where the traditional food and culture will be heading as well. If more people from the area are being overpowered by foreigners to the area this could change the whole cultural aspect of New Orleans or it could potentially enhance the cultural and traditional food aspect of New Orleans as well.

Stanonis, Anthony J. The Triumph of Epicure: A Global History of New Orleans Culinary Tourism. 3rd ed., vol. 46, https://web-a-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=0b029354-b871-4071-ab05-176cfc726f47%40sessionmgr4007&hid=4106&bdata=jnnpdgu9zwhvc3qtbgl2zq%3d%3d#db=a9h&an=43090719.

            The source The Triumph of Epicure: A Global History of New Orleans Culinary Tourism by Anthony J. Stanonis is an essay based on the relationship of food in New Orleans to the history of New Orleans, Louisiana. Anthony J. Stanonis addresses the development of New Orleans culinary tourism industry and how food in New Orleans is deeply related to the social life, aspects, and conditions of New Orleans. Due to the uniqueness of the food of New Orleans it has attracted many people from all around the world resulting as a huge source of income for the city. As Anthony J. Stanonis traces the historical culinary aspect of New Orleans, he addresses the cultural and culinary fusion of all the different cultures (French, Spanish, German, Italian, African, Native American, and Creole) that have once occupied and still occupy New Orleans. By exploring human’s connections with food Anthony J. Stanonis feels that he can get some kind of understanding of what a typical meal would taste like decades ago in New Orleans. To deeper his study on the topic of food and culture fusion in New Orleans, Anthony J. Stanonis also explores the significance of New Orleans location. The location of the city, as believed by Anthony J. Stanonis, has a huge effect on the food that is native to New Orleans and tourism that is brought in to the area.  

            The Triumph of Epicure: A Global History of New Orleans Culinary Tourism is an outstanding source for me to use for my food proposal because Anthony J. Stanonis addresses many of the aspects of New Orleans historically and culturally and how it’s all relates to the food that is so unique to that area. I will use his knowledge of the food in New Orleans to tie into the dishes I will be presenting to my readers. An interesting twist Anthony J. Stanonis writes about is his study on the relationship between man and food. Reading about his research on the relationship between man and food I think will be an interesting thing to also cover in my food blog as well. I think depending on a person’s relationship with food it can result in different styles of cooking and crafting dishes for people. Plus, when location becomes a factor, you realize how different types of people use the land differently and what results out of that usage.