College Student Moving to New Orleans

[faine]

I'm moving to New Orleans next week to attend Tulane University. My mom's side of the family is French Creole, but I've never lived in the Ancestral Homeland and am looking forward to it. I know I loveeee Crole food, I pronounce New Orleans "New Awwhlins" and I have been taught how to correctly eat a crawdad, so the culture shock won't be too bad.

My primary motivator for attending Tulane was food: I want to be a journalist with a speciality in food/travel/leisure, and I figured heading to one of the country's big dog food cities was by no means a bad idea.

Anyway, I've got a few questions if you natives would be kind enough to help me out:

1. Are there any good food-related organizations/clubs/whatever that I could get involved with in NOLA? I'm really interested in food heritage and history and it'd be great to meet like minded people. (The obvious answer would be "duh, get a job in a restaurant" but that is already the plan.)

Does anyone know about this? : http://www.tulane.edu/~wclib/culinary.html

I sent an email to Susan Tucker but got no reply. The website does look pretty elderly.

2. Are there any good publications/magazines/and so on that take interns or contributions from outside sources? I've done some writing for local magazines here in Sacramento regarding food and would like to continue.

3. What's some good eats around the Tulane campus/St Charles avenue? The grottier the better as long as things is tasty. I am especially inclined to getting weak in the knees regarding all things oyster. Especially fried.

Thanks for your time....looking forward to getting to know New Orleans better and blogging about my experiences.

[docsconz]

1. Are there any good food-related organizations/clubs/whatever that I could get involved with in NOLA? I'm really interested in food heritage and history and it'd be great to meet like minded people.  (The obvious answer would be "duh, get a job in a restaurant" but that is already the plan.)

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Given this interest, I would suggest getting involved with Slow Food in New Orleans. There may already be a chapter on campus. If not (and even if there is), Slow Food New Orleans is run by Poppy Tooker, a very energetic and charismatic woman, who is responsible for the Ark of Taste program for Slow Food USA, which sounds like it should be right up your alley.

[TAPrice]

1. Are there any good food-related organizations/clubs/whatever that I could get involved with in NOLA? I'm really interested in food heritage and history and it'd be great to meet like minded people.  (The obvious answer would be "duh, get a job in a restaurant" but that is already the plan.)

Does anyone know about this? : http://www.tulane.edu/~wclib/culinary.html

I've been to a few of their events, but it doesn't seem like they've been real active over the last few years.

It's not an organization, but both the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and the Museum of the American Cocktail plan to hold regular talks. If you become a member, then you can go without paying the entrance fee each time.

3. What's some good eats around the Tulane campus/St Charles avenue? The grottier the better as long as things is tasty. I am especially inclined to getting weak in the knees regarding all things oyster. Especially fried.

Cooter Brown's is a bar with an oyster bar that's walking distance from campus. You'll learn to love them raw there.

[HungryC]

Shameless self-promotion: you can take my LOUS 303 Food & Culture in Louisiana class in Spring 09 (through the School of Continuing Studies at Tulane). The spring schedule of classes comes out in October, I believe.

More ways to get inside NOLA food:

--if you're interested in food history, visit the Hermann-Grima House on Thursdays, when volunteers cook in an original 19th century historic house kitchen in the French Quarter. A regular cadre of folks sustain this activity; you could join them.

--Louisiana Cookin' magazine is a pretty decent effort: http://www.louisianacookin.com/ The various features vary in quality, but it's definitely worth a read.

My main tip to a TU freshman wanting to understand NOLA food is to get the hell off campus. Too many Tulanians don't ever explore much of the city beyond the immediate University area and the French Quarter. So much of what's great about our locale lies far outside of those two neighborhoods.

[saturnbar]

An egullet member did his thesis on culinary traditions/roots in New Orleans cuisine. It's online, but its in french.

http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-03232007-130307/

The topic is here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...01732&hl=thesis

Sorry for the url's. ch

[saturnbar]

Another excellent starting place, other than the many posts here, is egullet member Danno's website nolacuisne.com. He is a died in the wool creole cuisine afile and has recipes and photos of many if not most of the real standards that made the old line restaurants famous. I go there often for inspiration. A great resource. ch

[faine]

Thanks for the replies!

HungryC, I'd love to take that class if I can work it into my schedule in the spring. I'm actually going in as a junior (transfer student) so that should help me get outside the campus vortex a bit. I'm living on St Charles right on the streetcar line, which should give me access to other parts of town.

I was curiously drawn by Cooter Brown's but didn't go in. That's definitely on the list. (The name of the place in and of itself is awesome.)

We're Slow Food members here in Sacramento so joining up in New Orleans seems like a good idea...

[TAPrice]

I was curiously drawn by Cooter Brown's but didn't go in. That's definitely on the list. (The name of the place in and of itself is awesome.)

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That's ok, because you don't want to be eating oysters in the summer.

Another close place by Tulane campus is Dunbar's in the law school cafeteria at Loyola. Just cross St. Charles Avenue and follow the smell of frying chicken.

[MikeHartnett]

My main tip to a TU freshman wanting to understand NOLA food is to get the hell off campus.  Too many Tulanians don't ever explore much of the city beyond the immediate University area and the French Quarter.  So much of what's great about our locale lies far outside of those two neighborhoods.

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Completely agreed. I just graduated, and most of my friends never made it past Fresco's. DON'T go to Fresco's, btw.

Get to Bywater for Bacchanal's weekend events for cheap food in a great environment. Get to Esplanade in Mid-City for Lola's, Liuzza's by the Track, Cafe Degas.

Magazine for Casamento's. Best oyster loaf, bar none. If anyone disagrees, ignore them.

Mid-range: Cafe Granada on Carrollton. Excellent tapas and sangria.

More high end, go for Stella! or Iris. Both are fantastic.

Edited August 21, 2008 by MikeHartnett (log)

[faine]

Just wanted to drop back in and say I'm settling in very nicely. Done lots of NOLA food blogging and am in general very happy with what I've found. I've already been to August twice and have been knocked on my ass impressed on both occasions. Also hit Antoines...food is fine but you're really there for the history. (Though the soft shell crabs Almondine is awesome.)

I actually live right up the street from Casamentos. Need to head down there sometime this week. Anyone been to Ignatius? That place is becoming one of my standbys. I had a really fine okra and tomato stew with sausage there day before last.

I do have one request for anyone reading this: who's got the best boiled crabs in town? I got me a hankering.

I'm already in love with this city! (But it could use more grocery stores.)