New Orleans Music, Food and Glossary of Terms

One of the first things that strikes you when you arrive in New Orleans - after you get over the wonderful smells of Creole food emanating from every restaurant - is the vibrancy of the music scene here. First off - the local public radio station does not play typical public radio fare; no BBC news, no Ira Glass, no Car Talk and no classical music. Monday through Friday, they play jazz, blues and some Cajun
and it's all LOCAL music and musicians. Bands that are scheduled to play in a club that night will often stop by the station to announce their gig and the DJ who is on staff at that time will usually conduct a short, impromptu interview with the band. At the top of each odd hour, the station broadcasts a recorded list of all the live music scheduled for that evening and the station even maintains a 24-hour phone line with a recorded message listing the bands and venues for that evening. http://WWOZ.org if you want to check it out. In addition to this, the best radio station ever, there are at least 2 free music magazines that list all the schedules of the local live music venues and offer music reviews and interviews with artists and bands. Most of the clubs are located in or around the French Quarter, so even if you don't know which band you want to see that night, you can just go for a walk and stop in whichever club sounds good to you. Many clubs even have two sets with two different bands on the weekends, one early show and one late. The other night, Lyderic and I saw a trio of washboard, tuba and guitar, a Flamenco dance performance and a country-blues band in three different clubs, all for the price of a few drinks.

Another thing I've noticed, and I believe this is typical of all the South, is that people are much more civil to each other. They say "hello" or "excuse me". They will chat with you in line at the grocery store or at a cafe or bar - and no one honks at you when you're driving - even if you do something foolish like go the wrong way down a one-way street.

Glossary of Terms:
Cajun: A person of French descent from rural Louisiana.
Cajun music: Music by Cajuns. Usually includes accordion, guitar, fiddle and drums. The lyrics are often in French or a French dialect.
Cajun food: Typically spicy and either boiled or, more commonly, deep-fried. Cajun vegetables are, without exception, deep-fried, usually to the point where they have lost any semblance of their original color, flavor or texture.
Creole: Formerly the wealthy residents of New Orleans of French or Spanish descent. Although Cajuns will commonly refer to themselves as Cajuns, a person would not refer to themselves as being of Creole descent (unless they were really snooty).
Creole food: See "Cajun food", then bump up the price. Actually, food in New Orleans is really good and much less greasy and fried than Cajun food. The quality of the ingredients tends to be high and the flavors are more delicate. Vegetables and salads often appear on the plate in their original - or close to original form.