    "Eating, drinking and carrying on..." -- Adelaide Brennan
Commander's Palace reopens Sunday! We certainly need some good news first, on an awful day like today. New Orleans' grandest restaurant is back with us. Here are some pictures, which Mary forwarded in email but which originally came from Lorin Gaudin:    The photos were taken early this morning; apparently there's still a lot of work to be done in the next couple of days, but they're close, "and it's very, very pretty. The kitchen is incredible; 1.3 million BTUs of burners on the line!" Woohoo! Again, I'm tearing my hair out not to be there. Nettie and Diana will be there tomorrow night, representing the Fat Pack. Eat a crab cake for me, dawlins! In other news ... a United States Congress both rabid and cowardly casts its vote to help give birth to a peculiarly American fascist state. Tristero:
Digby explains exactly how seriously godawful the situation is, and how it could happen to you:
And that bastard in the White House is going to sign this into law in a few days. Habeas corpus, R.I.P. (1215 - 2006). Molly Ivins:
The government of this country has very little to do with "basic decency" anymore. Democrats for Torture. A new congressionial caucus, although an unofficial one for the moment. Here are the Democratic senators and representatives who voted to gut habeas corpus, who voted to allow the president to authorize the torture of human beings, who voted to authorize secret trials where the defendants are not allowed to confront their accusers or examine the evidence being used against them, who voted to give the president and other officials the power to imprison people indefinitely and without charge, without the possibility of review by the courts. It's not surprising that the rubber-stamp Republicans voted for this, but these Democrats should be challenged by Democrats with consciences and a sense of human decency as soon as the polls allow. Did they really think the bill they voted to make into law was only going to be restricted to brown people with radical ideas of what Islam means? Are they really that naïve?
Steve offered two new defining attributes of the parties: Republicans = For Torture Democrats = Too spineless to stop the Republicans from torturing, but feel really bad about it. [ Link to today's entries ]
Our new motto? I know, I know ... we come up with a new motto every other day around here, it seems. Actually, this is the same motto as before -- "Make mine bacon-wrapped" -- but in a more "classic" rendition, shall we say. I was considering designing a heraldic crest for me and Wes, perhaps a shield divided into fourths with the quarters having an Irish harp, a fleur-de-lis, a cocktail glass and a bacon-wrapped hot dog respectively. The dividing bars would be strips of bacon. It would be topped by a swine rampant, and the motto ... Fac meum involutum in lardo. That, according to a friend of ours, is "Make mine bacon-wrapped" in Latin, or at least as best as he could manage; we have yet to check it with another friend who actually has a classics degree. Works for me, though! Keepin' it goin' on. Somehow I got behind on a couple of my favorite blogs, including Dan Phillips' superb site Home of the Groove, all about New Orleans R&B. About a month ago he did a feature on the Dirty Dozen Brass Band's superb remake of Marvin Gaye's album "What's Going On?", and the piece features a nice interview with Dirty Dozen co-founder Roger Lewis. Baghdad Police Academy. (Contributed by Wes.) No, it's not another Steve Guttenberg comeback attempt. Would that it were that funny.
Wait ... you mean the Army Corps of Engineers and Parsons Corp. have effed up again? I don't believe it! We are truly the greatest country in the world. [ Link to today's entries ]
America: Rogue State. "Lawbreaker and torturer," says Matt Yglesias. "That's America, loud and proud."
At the moment, one of this country's favorite interrogation techniqes is waterboarding, described by Porter Goss, the CIA director until last May, as "a professional interrogation technique." It is, in fact, torture, and is described thusly:
The technique was only specifically banned for military interrogators three weeks ago. The CIA is not subject to this ban, and can still employ waterboarding at will. This particular torture technique was used by the Japanese against American and Allied soldiers during World War II. Then, it was considered a war crime. Those who used it were in fact found guilty of war crimes, and some were executed. At this moment, I'm not proud. [ Link to today's entries ]
Who day sayin' we bouncin' back? WHO DAT?! Well, if I'm gonna watch a football game every 10 years or so, it might as well be a good one. 23 I'm so happy the Saints won. Everyone is. Even the Falcons, congratulating some of the Saints afterward, seemed happy for them. Great game. But in the midst of all the frenzy, Da Po' Blog makes some excellent points:
Yep. The game was very important for New Orleans, I think, for the whole region, and subsequent ones will continue to do so. It was a good thing, and made everybody feel good. God knows everyone needed to feel good, and that's part of recovery too. Po' Blog wrote this before the game, and I hope he was satisfied with its results and its coverage. I loved the clips they showed set in a church, with the preacher telling the congregation about all that still needs to be done, with Miss Irma singing, and later on with the announcers repeatedly imploring viewers to come visit New Orleans. People coming back, even short-term, is going to help with the recovery. Now let's get those houses rebuilt. [ Link to today's entries ]
The reopening of Angelo Brocato's! Fat Pack denizens Nettie and Diana, currently residing in New Orleans in Faubourg St. John, attended the gala, and Diana served as intrepid Looka! field reporter for the day:
THey can't invent teleportation soon enough for me. New Orleans must not be banned. From the nation's consciousness, that is. During the readings and events in New Orleans to mark Banned Books Week, Poppy Z. Brite read this original essay at an event at the House of Blues:
You're so welcome, and as always, thank you. Neighborhood redevelopment plans. As Diana mentioned above, the day before yesterday saw the long-awaited release of New Orleans' citywide grassroots planning efforts, where all the district and neighborhood associations presented their plans for how they want to see their neighborhoods rebuilt. First problem -- it's gonna cost $2 billion to do it all as planned. That aside ... I think the plans look pretty damn good. I need to study them more closely, but so far it give me a lot of hope (which I hope shall not be dashed). Basically, people are just asking for basic services like well-paved streets, working stop lights, good schools, etc., but they're encompassed in a wide-ranging rebuilding vision that looks like it'll make every area better. I just hope they don't forget the lower-income people who still haven't been able to come home. Nettie reported that the guy who presented the plan for her area, Plannign Area 4, was great -- he's a consultant (aah, the dreaded "C" word), but apparently he really got the neighborhoods and the feel of the area, and got a rousing hand from the area people when he finished presenting. Here are all the plans for your persual:
Just make sure it still looks and feels like New Orleans, OK y'all? Quote of the day. Today provided by Mary:
"Well, YEAH," she said. "And here I thought Augustine was just a humorless grump." Well, he at least scores one point for this! Dear Gawd, not like I ever give a crap about sports, but can we please, please have the Saints win tonight? Amen. [ Link to today's entries ]
Angelo Brocato's reopens tomorrow!! In the Grand Scheme of Things, the Big Picture, whatever you want to call it ... it may seem to some to be a small thing. It's a tiny little Italian bakery and ice cream parlor in Mid-City. Despite the fact that huge swaths of the city of New Orleans still lie in ruins, tomorrow's reopening of Angelo Brocato's Italian Ice Cream and Italian Desserts is a big, big deal for the wounded collective psyche of New Orleans. Like so many others, I grew up on those cookies and lemon ice and spumoni, and I can't wait to get some more. Sadly, in my case, mail order will have to do; they've been baking the cookies elsewhere for a while now, but I didn't want to order any until their store on Carrollton was ready to reopen. Now I find out that they're not geared up for that until the beginning of November, so hopefully the NOLA contingent of the Fat Pack will put a lil' care package together for me. Here's what it looked like on October 10, 2005.    I'm hoping Nettie or Diana can send a picture of what it looks like tomorrow. In our kitchen I still have a coupla bags of cucidata (Italian fig cookies) and assorted biscotti that I bought at Brocato's about two weeks before the flood. Afterwards I devoured most of them but left a couple in the bag. I couldn't bear to eat them, even though I left them in there so long they became stale, because to have eaten them all made me feel as if I'd never see any more again, ever. Now, I can finally throw those rock-hard things away. There's gonna be a huge party on Carrollton at the tiny Brocato's, starting tomorrow from noon until the last body drags itself home. Dance to the music of Benny Grunch and the Bunch from noon to 3, then Bobby Lonero from 3 to 7. You might want to get there early, because I'm getting the feeling that the entire city is gonna show up. They're also celebrating one hundred years of delighting New Orleanians' taste buds ... go in and help 'em celebrate, and may they have one hundred more. Cent'anni alla famiglia Brocato! Yep, we're ready for some football! Now now ... don't worry. Upon reading those words just about everyone who knows me is either going to rush up to me, feel my forehead and submit me to a battery of medical tests, or else look at me suspiciously and finally with hostility and demand, "Where is my friend Chuck, and what have you done with him?!!" This is because I am perhaps the most apathetic person in the world when it comes to sports. I really, really don't give a crap about any of it (except the Olympics, and the primarily the opening/closing ceremonies ... oh, and swimming, diving and gymnastics of course). However, last week in email our friend Michael, a Marigny resident, reminded us:
Jeezus Gawd. Even I'm gonna have to watch this game! Geaux Saints! Who dat sayin' dey gon' beat dem Saints? Who dat? WHO DAT?!! [ Link to today's entries ]
All hail the deep-fry guru! "How was your trip?" someone asked my friend Chris after I took him to New Orleans for the first time. "Battered and deep-fried," he said. Yeah, we'll deep-fry the normal stuff (seafood, of course), and some slightly strange stuff (fried pickles at Liuzza's, mmmmm), and some really wacky stuff (I'm not sure, but there's someone out there deep-frying muffulettas). However, I have to admit that New Orleans has nothing on Charlie Boghosian, the man who really will batter and deep fry anything that isn't nailed down, and then put it on a stick. He runs Chicken Charlie's at the L.A. County Fair and elsewhere on the fair circuit. We've had his deep-fried macaroni and cheese on a stick, and he's also deep-fried pickles, avocados, Oreos, Twinkies, churros (which are already deep-fried, but he stuffs, batters 'n deep-fries 'em again), cauliflowers and more. There's even deep-fried Cosmopolitans (which aren't really Cosmopolitans, but a cranberry-lime cheesecake pastry) and, apparently, deep-fried Coke (I must know what that is). The Fat Pack asks, "Why hasn't THIS guy gotten a MacArthur Grant?!" And, "I heard a rumor that next year he's going to offer deep-fried globs of MSG. On a stick. With powdered sugar." And, "Oh, I'd gladly eat that if, as he did with the churros, they're 'coated in pancake batter,' then 'doused in chocolate syrup, powdered sugar and rainbow sprinkles.' I think I'd eat shoe leather if it were prepared in that fashion." And, "This guy needs a Food Network show. I'd gladly scrap Rachael Ray to make room. Goodbye EVOO, hello PUVO." And, "I was excited by his savory churros stuffed with sweet Greek cheese and walnuts, then fried. The man is a GENIUS, I tell you! Why isn't he our friend?"
(Wimps.)
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