Jazzfest Chronicles - A Prologue
In Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins wrote the following tidbit of wisdom about New Orleans. At the time of reading, I thought it was just a clever bit of prose, but now I know better. This prologue is merely to start setting the tone. Five days of creole indulgence and gluttony will be chronicled over the course of this week. Day 1 is forthcoming...
"The moment you land in New Orleans, something wet and dark leaps on you and starts humping you like a swamp dog in heat, and the only way to get that aspect of New Orleans off you is to eat it off. That means beignets and crawfish bisque and jambalaya, it means shrimp remoulade, pecan pie, and red beans with rice, it means elegant pompano au papillote, funky file z'herbes, and raw oysters by the dozen, it mean grillades for breakfast, a po'boy with chowchow at bedtime, and tubs of gumbo in between. It is not unusual for a visitor to the city to gain fifteen pounds in a week - yet the alternative is a whole lot worse. If you don't eat day and night, if you don't constantly funnel the indigenous flavors into your bloodstream, then the mystery beast will go right on humping you, and you will feel its sordid presence rubbing against you long after you have left town. In fact, like any sex offender, it can leave permanent psychological scars". -Tom Robbins, 'Jitterbug Perfume'
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