Edible Triage

- "I can't believe the school system here, its such a mess. I mean...three separate caretakers (RSD, Orleans School Board, and Charter), that's going to crumble."
- "Well yea, the school system has been in the doldrums way before Katrina ever hit. They are in the red. Could you pass me the spinach dip please."

What a shock it must have been for the two volunteers from Stanford to walk around the streets of Central City. The grime and blight was overwhelming. Or as one later described the Lower 9th, "There's just nothing there. It's a ghost town." Everyday the people in New Orleans and devastated communities along the gulf coast cope with a gnawing depression. That seemingly insurmountable vision of a revived city.

Earlier in the day, Cheryl Diggins from NO East reminded me we need to plan an upcoming festival for a Sunday, not Saturday. Saturday was the day for work. Tough, gritty gutting or mind-numbing form filling. For residents with little time to reconstruct their former lives in the East, Saturday was a momentary window of opportunity not to be missed.

Back at the table the two volunteers noted they were encouraged by recent student efforts to remedy the school shortcomings as shown by the Fyre Youth Squad and ReThink Project. But frozen school lunches and no running water, how is that possible in a school? How can I make a difference is the common instinct. Great let us encourage that.

Yet the matter at hand was deciding on which lunch platter to order at Zea's. Hmmm, Ribs with a Thai or Dry rub? Thai definitely. Thank goodness for the gift certificate, otherwise we would have had yet another po-boy from greasy spoonPlease-U on St. Charles. Not bad, just the arteries can only take so much fatback.

Zea's is pretty damn phenomenal. Is it impolite or hypocritical to discuss "the condition of New Orleans" as the juice from a sweet and sour chicken dribbles down my chin? Perhaps not. As Anna put it, "It's nice to see people in here and the restaurants just enjoying themselves a little bit. People would be really depressed otherwise." Yea! Food has always been a staple of New Orleans' spirit. But perhaps now it is a little bit less a tourist commodity and more a form of edible triage. Just a little bit of good eatin' will ease some of your troubles.

Zea's is on the higher end for lunch (about $10-14 per person when it's all said and done), but the food is well worth it. Have you had a stressful week? Cook a good dinner with a friend. Need some company, go out for a quick lunch. Perhaps this a prescription for morbid obesity, but just be smart about it. To celebrate the Hannukah I made some potato latkes. My grandmother would have been proud of these crispy, oily spud patties. Besides cultivating tradition, peeling potatoes was a welcomed reprieve from the hurried burden of daily work. Looking to try something new? Try this recipe.

Grandma's Latke
5 Potatoes (russet work best, but also try sweet potato).
4 Eggs
1 Tablespoon of Flour
1 Small onion Chopped
Salt and Pepper
Ton of Canola Oil
*NOLA style, add some Tony Cacheres seasoning

Peel potatoes, grate all. Crack eggs and mix by hand and add all other ingredients. Fill up a large frying pan with oil and set to high. Make a patty and toss in oil. Cook to desired crispness. Try it with Ketchup, Sour Cream, Caviar.

Dear Alisha

Fat, gurgling brass notes usually pour out of Le Bon Temps Roule on Thursday nights. Most guys and gals will be jiggin away, elbow to elbow, sweating up a storm. Maybe one of these cavalier cowboys grabs a girl by the hand and begins to strut his stuff. If the guy isn't careful the swing of Soul Rebel's trombone will knock him flat on his ass.

As other nightcrawlers walk towards Le Bon Temps'nn weekly pilgrimage to catch one of the best acts in town, a green mini-van is parked across the street. For those who are unfamiliar with this sight, it is actually quite easy to miss. There is no sign, no menu, no store. Just a friendly woman named Alisha frying the best chicken drumsticks in the Parish. Yes, I appreciate the seriousness of that claim but hey it's just an opinion. Go try it yourself

For $5 dollars Alisha'll fix you 5 drumsticks, fries and a piece of sliced white bread to soak up your greasy fingers. They're un - bee- lievably crispy and the coating has a great kick. Oh, it's something special. Spicy, crunchy skin and juicy tender meat. Of course, Alisha knew that she could make a mean chicken. That's how it all got started.

After Katrina Alicia returned to Louisiana and found a job at her friend's Wendy's. Having Alisha fix a Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwhich is no different than asking Dwayne Wade to play in the NBDL. Two days later Alisha straightened out her situation, throwing in the towel and said to herself "I can do this much better myself." And man she was not kidding. I once asked her how she liked running her own little fry mini-van shack.

- "Oh, its much better. First the money's better but I can work when I want. Have me a little drink, maybe even smoke me a little stuff if I'm feeling it. Yea, this works out very well."

Alisha, it certainly does.

Make sure to get your chicken loving fingers on these morsels. Alisha is at Le Bon Temps Roule most Thursdays, Tipitina's on Fridays, and after that its whichever spot is most happening. If you happen to be going out for the night and you spot a green mini-van with a good-sized woman tending to a fryer, rest assured the party is gonna be just as jumpin as the chicken.