I
have to admit, when I first saw Michael Murphy’s new book, “Eat Dat, New
Orleans: A Guide to the Unique Food Culture of the Crescent City,” my first
thought was here goes another food book written by an outsider, someone who
visited New Orleans, fell in love and is now an expert.
Well,
slap that native prejudice right off my face! Murphy excels both at the
explanations of cuisines, unique food styles, culinary biographies and
genealogy and history, in addition to the individual restaurant reviews.
He’s
also clever in his descriptions and brutally honest, and although I don’t
always agree with his reviews, I love reading them. For instance, how many
times have I visited Central Grocery for muffulettas and enjoyed every minute
devouring those Italian creations but the truth is they aren’t the most
friendly people. Murphy admits as much, luring readers to other more friendly
muffuletta eateries. On almost every description he also includes
recommendations on what items to order.
So,
if you’re looking for a handy guide to the New Orleans food scene, one that
will steer you away from the tourist traps and into the heart of what makes the
Crescent City special, check out Murphy’s “Eat Dat” guide.
Book events
"Porch Posts: A Book Release Party"
features Diane Marquart Moore and Janet Faulk-Gonzales signing "Porch
Posts," a book of essays about the art of porch sitting and porch stories
from 3-5 pm Sunday, April 27, at Belmont Plantation, 512 Belmont Road in New Iberia.
Artists Karen Bourque (artist of glasswork on cover), Paul Schexnayder,
illustrator of eight drawings in the book, and Victoria Sullivan,
owner/publisher of Border Press Books, will be present.
Lafayette’s
designer and comic book creator Kody Chamberlain will discusses a variety of
oddball techniques for creative thinking at the “Idea Iceberg” at 3 p.m. Tuesday
at the Lafayette Science Museum. The workshop will include data mining,
oscillating notebooks, and pop culture creative advice from Bob Ross, Jaws, Bruce
Lee, and Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Chamberlain has presented at
Macworld, HOW Design Live, CTN Animation Expo, and major universities and AdFed
groups around the country. Admission is free. The event will also stream live
online as part of the INNOV8 Lafayette’s Webinar series at
Dr.
Zeb Baker and Dr. Matthew Teutsch present “Sports in the South” as part of the
2013 Jamie Guilbeau and Thelma Guilbeau UL Lafayette Collections Fellowship
lectures at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Room 141 at UL’s Dupré Library. The fellowship
and lectures are sponsored by the UL Lafayette History Department. Baker hails from
Miami University of Ohio and Teutsch from UL. Baker will be speak on the
integration of football in the South and Teutsch will present on Ernest J.
Gaines’ use of athletes and sports in his fiction, especially his incorporation
of Joe Louis and Jackie Robinson in his novels “The Autobiography of Miss Jane
Pittman” and “A Lesson before Dying.” For more information, contact Teutsch at jxt0090@louisiana.edu or at 482-1848.
The
Writers’ Guild of Acadiana meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Barnes & Noble. WGA
is an organization made up of local writers, published and unpublished, who
meet on the last Tuesday of the month to share and gain knowledge in the craft
of writing. Beginners and veterans of the writing industry are welcome.
Cheré Coen is the author
of “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic
Guide to Acadiana,” both from The History Press, and co-author of “Magic’s in
the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” She teaches writing
at UL-Lafayette’s Continuing Education. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.
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