Thoughts from New Orleans

Hello from the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans! Simon and I are here for a quick trip (this is what it's like to have vacation days?!) and it's been great so far.

To my surprise, there is a fair amount of delicious vegan food in the land of po' boys and alligator! Last night I had gumbo z'herbes--a traditionally meat-free gumbo, originally served during lent (see below). I plan to recreate this dish when I return to the North, so stay tuned!

I also went to the Southern Food and Beverage museum today, where I found a great quote from 1901: "The Creoles hold that boys and girls who are raised on beans and rice... will be among the strongest and sturdiest of people." (Again, see below.) Excellent!