09/29/11

Reaching for "the Stars"

Is it just me, or are matters a little dull around here? Of course, saying things are dull in New Orleans is a relative measurement, but things still seem a bit humdrum.

Yes, the wee ones are back in school, the Tigers are the No. 1 college football team in the land, and the Saints are finding their rhythm for this current season of NFL football. Given all that, I was looking forward to a big September, but that month has come and is now gone, and I’m still in the summer doldrums.

Even the usually crazy season of gearing up for elections does not seem to have caught fire yet. The Times-Picayune the other day even ran a story on candidates’ nicknames. Interesting, but hardly the stuff of past election seasons when Dutch, Moon,...

Posted at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

09/22/11

Blurry

Some may read the headline and relate it immediately to a physical condition that sometimes follows a night of way too much fun. But it actually refers to a rediscovered (at least, we've rediscovered it here) phenomenon of the dining and party scene.

We have in our almost 300-year history always had places that dispense fine adult beverages and places that create excellent dining experiences. Our reputation as a wonderful place to live and a terrific place to visit is practically built on these two premises. Even back in the early days of the village, certain establishments met the requirements of the local citizenry by offering drinks, food and, in some cases, beds.

Galatoire’s, Antoine’s and Tujague’s can all trace their origins to...

Posted at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

09/15/11

Oh, and a Couple of Other Things

One of the aspects of customer service that makers of wines and spirits do not have to worry about is service after the sale. Sure, every maker of such products would love to have you purchase another bottle at some other time. But very little is done by way of service or interface to encourage you to do something like that. The manufacturers really don’t know who you are, so there is no ability to follow up to determine your satisfaction with their product, and if there is something wrong with the experience, you will take it up with the retailer or the restaurateur, who may or may not take it up with the wholesaler, the winery or distiller. In any case, your name is out of the entire situation.

Social media have tried to correct this lack of communication between those...

Posted at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments: 2

09/08/11

There's a Moral in Here Somewhere

Many years ago, I spent a few days with a visiting Californian. We did the usual business meetings, interspersed with the activities of the Crescent City, which we all take for granted: Eating, drinking, walking around the Quarter, listening to some music, then drinking and eating.

All seemed pretty normal to me, but at the end of the visit, the Left Coaster said, “I’ve heard about this New Orleans lifestyle but did not buy into what I was told. You people really do eat an awful lot of food that is not very good for you, including fried just about anything. And you drink a lot. I mean, a lot. Haven’t you people gotten ‘The Word’ yet?”

What she was referring to, I’m sure, was our consuming lifestyle, and our penchant for living...

Posted at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 4

09/01/11

Coming to Grips

Self-assessment is such a tentative business. Can we truly see ourselves as others see us? I think not, but many folks have a much more interesting view of themselves than those of us on the other side of those eyeballs.

We often find ourselves witty, when others just see us as really stupid. We believe our viewpoints make perfectly logical sense, when others just see us as really stupid. We view the clothes we wear as fashionable, making the proper statement about us, when others just see us as really stupid.

Apply all of those differing viewpoints to our hair, our footwear, our penchant moving our lips while reading and our talent for carrying on a coherent conversation while chewing on an egg sandwich - among a host of qualities that we value in ourselves and for which...

Posted at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0