Riding the wave of New Orleans culture

There is a unique combination of cultural elements that come together to make New Orleans what it is. Without this cultural gumbo we would just be Memphis – but with better food and mosquitoes.

You see, there is a seductive mystery that sucks you in and gets into your blood and never leaves you alone. If you get it, you are ruined for life in any respectable town. You know in your heart you can’t live anywhere else. Its the big easy. It explains pot holes and parties. Both result from our loose grasp of boundaries.

This is an edgy town. Part of that is its feudal social structure. We have almost no middle class. There is a thin white layer on top and a low paying service industry underneath. (That may be changing post Katrina.) African Americans have considerable political power but little economic power. The middle class (of whatever color) is what provides stability and tax revenue to a city. Here, we have neither. We are an edgy town.

Maybe it’s the heat and humidity. Maybe it’s our lax mores. Whatever the reason; there is a noisy, almost frantic quality riding on top of an insouciant charm in neighborhood bars and restaurants all over town. The relaxed rhythms of the city contrast to the edgy quality. We ride along this crazy wave, waiting for the next happening.