[SOC] Welcome to Louisiana

[Randall Jouett]

> Bonjour Randall !

Hello there, mon ami!

> Tnx for the addendum ...
>
> So, as far as I can see, New Orleans is like every other places/big cities in
> the world, at least "our" world ...

Yes, except that drugs are very prevalent there, with New Orleans
being a port town and all. Crack cocaine has really turned the city
toward an even worse situation, too!

> <<
> Think of it like be a bit of Paris with a lot of Amsterdam thrown in for good
> measure
> >>
>
> Humm ... ok, copy, copy ;o) Do you mean you are also selling "meat with leather"
> in shop windows ?

Well, not openly in public like in Amsterdam, but lets just say
that the cops usually "look the other way" if you're looking for
a good time with a lady :^).

> And do you mean that Lousiana is a good place to eat good cheeses ? As
> Holland/Netherlands is called "the other cheese country" (the 1st one being
> France, do you know/remember this good word from Gal De Gaulle, speaking abt
> France : "How can you easily rule a country having so much different cheeses ?".

LOL! What a statement! :^)

Well, believe it or not, Louisiana isn't known for good cheese, Claude,
although you can pick up some good imported wine and cheese at a local
specialty shop. We do have real French bakeries, real French bread and
pastry, and other types of French cuisine, though! OTOH, most of the food has
a Cajun flare to it, with our seasonings and what not.


> <<
> Locals know which areas to stay away from
> >>
>
> Do you want a list of Paris areas to stay away from ?... Depending of the hour
> of the day/night, it can be up to 30-35% of the city.

Yep. Big towns are like that, even in areas of Houston, where I do
most of my work!

> Some areas are "No police area" all the time.

They have areas like that in New Orleans, too. That is, even the police
don't go to some areas in the "projects," which are public housing facilities
for the poor. If they do decide to go in, it's in force, with tons of fire power
and men.

> And then you can also add "No white area", "No (X)YL area", "No human
> area", "No French native area" a.s.o. Just like in every place in the world ...
> (especially for the "No French area" ;op )

Wow! A No-French area in Paris?! Damn. In the 50's or so, they had
an area of  New Orleans that had Creole bars that were for mixed white
and black individuals. Outside on the entrance to the club, they had a brown
paper bag. If a persons' skin color was darker than that bag, then they didn't get
into the bar! Don't know if they still have those kind of places in New Orleans,
though. An elderly black friend of mine was telling me and my family about those
places. The next time I talk to him, I'll ask him if they still exist.


> <<
> If at all possible, it's better to tour New Oreleans with someone that knows the
> area,
> >>
> Hey, for sure ... (s)he will be able to drive me there where the Orange Juice is
> cheaper ;o)

Yep! Find a good looking woman to direct you to the OJ, Claude! :^)

> <<
> and -- believe it or not! -- the various cementaries located on the outskirts
> of the French Quarter.
> >>
>
> "Cementery" ?? Huummm,  I know that the Mafia is "ocasionnaly" using cement for
> this purpose but well ... ;op (And pse notice that I said nothing abt "Amsteradam" ...).
> Well, have you heard of "Le P�re Lachaise", the well-known Paris cemetery where
> you can also find a lot of vy famous people. This is a place where a lot of
> tourists are going to, along with the Catacombs.

Yes. My sister and brother-in-law visited that cemetary when they were
on a tour of Europe for their honeymoon. If I remember correctly, there are
a bunch of poets, artists, and other notables burried there, along with Jim
Morrison of The Doors.


> There is an other one (near the Montparnasse Tower, called "Cimeti�re
> Montparnasse") where you can also find singers/actors aso).

Hmmm. Isn't Claude Monet burried there, or is it the other cemetary
I'm thinking about? (Shrug.)

> <<
> I now pronounce Claude, F5PBL, to be a full blooded, honorary Cajun! :^).
> >>
>
> Oh, merci for this Honorary Title ... 1st one ever received ! So, I guess I now
> have to train the Cajun accent before my next visit to Lousiana.


LOL! Well, that would be a good idea, but be prepared to hear some
backward-sounding French, Claude! Cajun French is actually a very old
dialect of French that hasn't changed very much! Also, it has a lot of
Native American Indian words and a few Spanish words thrown in
for good measure. If you come over here and speak Parisian French,
you'll understand the dialect here, but you'll probably think of it as a
slang version of the French language. A lot of people here also speak
Parisian French, though!


> I will have a look at QRZ.COM to get a good address to go to ...


Well, if you ever decide to come to this area, Claude, please let me
know when you're coming, and I'll be glad to introduce you to some
of the Cajun women around here and show you around the area! :^).
You'd have to let me know well in advance when you were coming,
though, because I might be working in Houston or maybe even out of
the country, working on some hardware or software in the oil business.
For instance, there's a good chance I'll be going to Rio, Saudi Arabia,
and Scotland in the not-to-distant future. Well, this all depends on
when we finish our current project and if we get the project bids with
the oil companies.

> Forgot to ask you if I have to learn banjo too .. ;o)


LOL! No, but if you know how to play any instruments,
that helps! :^). Most of the Cajuns really enjoy and play
all types of music. Actually, believe it or not, most of
us HATE Cajun music and think of it as too simplistic
and rustic. We actually enjoy good Rock, Jazz, Blues, and
Classical music! :^). We're more likely to go hear a good
four-part quartet or a good blues singer than to go hear a
Cajun band. The original version of Cajun music is old hat
to us, and we tend to like new forms of music, although we'll
dance to the original music if there's nothing else to dance to! :^)
OTOH, there are some musicians around here that are blending
Zydeco music together with "rock sounding" dance music, and the
combination is VERY good to listen and dance to, Claude! We tend
to call it "Progressive Coonass" as an inside joke! :^)


> [SOC Sprint]
> <<
> What's the time and bands of operation?
> >>
>
> Shame on you or ... "Bravo for your pure SOC Style" !

LOL! :^)

> The Rules have been posted on this ML 3 days ago by Bob, N4BP.
> I will QSP them to you once agn. Your "DEL" key is too quickly used :op


Yep! Too quick on the delete key! I usually delete the hundreds
of messages I get on a daily basis in block-hilight style, so I sometimes
miss a conversation or three! :^). BTW, I post messages while off line,
so when I upload this message, I'll look and see if I can locate the
contest info.


72/73!

Randall
AB5NI