Julia Street Dock: Embarkation

There are two potential boondoggles when you go on a cruise: embarkation and debarkation. Both have the potential for being a total nightmare--a nightmare, at least, if you hate long lines, being wanded by security, losing your luggage, and uncomfortable surroundings.

This day, the weather for embarkation was sunny. We arrived by car and ended up parking almost at the top of a multi-tiered parking garage ($12 per day to park). From there it was a fairly short walk (while pulling luggage) to the terminal.

The Julia Street Cruise Terminal itself has the architecture of a warehouse. It is not elegant, but we have been in worse. At first, everything went well. We did, though, have to swear that we did not have any flu symptoms (cruise lines are hyper about Norovirus). Then the wait began. And the lines waiting to get on the ship got longer. People began to get irritated. And then things got worse. By now, boarding should have begun and everyone knew it. What in the world was going on?

We had arrived early and so were at the beginning of one of the lines. Then, to our surprise, a Royal Caribbean official came up to us and said that anyone who was not a V.I.P. (meaning a member of the Crown and Anchor Society) had to get immediately out of the line and go the end of the line next to us. I looked to the end of that line. I squinted and looked again. It was a long way off.

Other people started to complain. "Why hadn't you told us about this earlier" they asked. "Where is there a sign saying Royal Crown Society Only?" The officials were saved from at least a verbal pummeling by the fact that at that very moment the lines started to move.

Then cruise justice stepped in. Someone at the front of the other line grabbed us. "Dude," they said. "Merge in here." And we went with the flow.

New Orleans: Port of Embarkation

So what's important to know about New Orleans?

First of all, the things that tourists have always loved about the city are still there-- almost totally (from a physical standpoint) unaffected by Katrina: the Garden District and the French Quarter. True, the eastern portion of the city (that closest to Lake Pochartrain) was--and is still--devastated by the hurricane. And true, a lot of the people of New Orleans have undergone a diaspora--a dispersion to other parts of the country. And true, there are not enough cops in the city; the crime rate in certain categories has increased. But the typical tourist is not even aware of these things.

What is really important to know about New Orleans is that it represents a way of life: music, good food, and an environment that encourages the creative spirit. It is not Disneyland, but it is a cultural gem to be savored. Try the crawfish pie; try a Mufalatto sandwich; listen to the street musicians; savor the Mississippi River; go to a bar where a New Orleans jazz band is playing; enjoy Jazzfest; enjoy the Noise Parade; be entranced by the museums and art galleries; try the coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde; listen to the steam calliope from the paddle wheeler Natchez.

If you want to get the pulse of New Orleans--warts and all--subscribe to these two podcasts:
Blogging New Orleans: podcast.bloggingneworleans.com/rss.xml
and
New Orleans Podcasting: neworleanspodcasting.com/rss/NewOrleansPodcasting.xml

Introduction to Our Western Caribbean Cruise

The above video is of the embarkation of our ship, the Grandeur of the Seas. In the coming days, I will have posts describing and critiquing this cruise.

We left the port of New Orleans on March 3, 2007. This was a Western Caribbean cruise with stops on Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. The cruise line was Royal Caribbean.

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Travels of the heart, mind, and spirit.
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New Orleans and Creole Cooking

Question: What takes 2 pounds of sugar, the juice of a dozen lemons, a quart of strawberries, a pineapple, a bottle of champagne, and a bottle of white wine?
Answer: A Champagne Punch (Ponche au Vin de Champagne), New Orleans’ style.

Such is one of the recipes from Sue Laudeman’s cookbook, Elegant Entertaining Along St. Charles Avenue: Authentic Menus and 1890’s Recipes from the Garden District of New Orleans.

I had a chance to go to a series of lectures by Laudeman during a recent cruise out of New Orleans. She works for one of the museums in New Orleans, the Historic New Orleans Collection located on Royal Street. During the lectures she discussed Creole cooking and the history of New Orleans. One of her passions is for the culture of Creole cooking to survive--despite the pressures of modern society, and despite the diaspora caused by hurricane Katrina. Here are a few of the recipes from her book.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH SHRIMP (Tomatoes Farcies aux Chevrettes Bouillies)
Slice the tops off desired numbers of fresh tomatoes. Scoop out the inner membranes with a spoon being careful not to break the outer skin. Turn upside down to drain. Remove the shells and veins from boiled shrimp. Mix with chopped celery, a couple of hard boiled eggs, a few chopped shallots and a tablespoon of drained capers. Mix together with Remoulade Sauce (see below). Serve on a plate garnished with French endive leaves. Chill and serve.

REMOULADE DRESSING (Sauce Remoulade)

2 Hard-Boiled Egg (Yolks). 1 Raw Yolk of Egg.
1 Tablespoonful of Tarragon Vinegar
3 Tablespoonfuls of Olive Oil
1/2 Clove of Garlic, Minced Very Fine.
1/2 Teaspoonful of Prepared Mustard (Creole or Brown)
Salt and Cayenne to Taste.

A Remoulade is a cold sauce. Put (3) hard boiled yolks into a bowl, and mash very fine, till perfectly smooth. Add the mustard, and mix well. Add the seasonings, vinegar, and salt and Cayenne to taste. Then add the olive oil, drop by drop, working in the egg all the time, and then add the yolk of the raw egg, and work in thoroughly, till light. Then add the juice of half a lemon. Mix well, increasing the quantity of oil or vinegar, according to taste, very slightly. If the sauce is not thoroughly mixed it will curdle.

Then for dessert, have strawberries and whipped cream(Creme Fouettee aux Fraises).

1 Pint of Sweet Cream (Whipping or Heavy)
2 Tablespoonful of Powdered Sugar
6 drops (1/8 tsp.) of Jamaica Rum
1 Pint of Strawberries. 1 Cup of Sugar

Whip cream which is very cold with two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and 6 drops of rum until it firms. Set on ice to keep it cool and firm. Stem the berries, sprinkle nicely with white sugar, and set aside for several hours in a cool place. Serve with the whipped cream. Dish the berries first and heap the cream prettily on top.

You can obtain Sue Laudeman's book at http://www.hnoc.org.