I got this in an e-mail this morning, from one of my dearest friends. He is still living in N.O. (I left in 2002 to get married and live in Houston). You can sing it to 'A Few Of My Favorite Things' from 'The Sound Of Music'. It was a nice way to start the morning, remembering what I love/d about N.O.:
The Greater New Orleans area has many “Favorite Things”. “Warm woolen mittens”, however, did not make the list. Most are still around, yet some are just memories. Here are some new lyrics for a song celebrating those many things held dear:
Crawfish and crab boil and Creole tomatoes,
Fat Harry’s cheese-covered French fried potatoes,
Lovin’ the way that Fats Domino sings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Flames of the flambeaux,
The satire of Momus,
Beautiful tableaux,
The mystery of Comus,
Colorful coconuts from Zulu Kings,
These have been truly spectacular things.
When the termites
Fly on May nights,
It’s not all that bad.
I simply recall these New Orleans things
And then I don’t feel so bad.
Debris on a Ferdi or shrimp from Manale’s,
Plantation homes with historic oak alleys,
Driving to Popeye’s for fried chicken wings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Andouille gumbo and rich jambalaya,
Pronouncing Tchefuncta and Bogue Falaya,
Galatoire’s lunches on Fridays in Spring,
Any of these is a wonderful thing.
On the Westbank
Garland’s Think Tank
Sometimes gets me sad.
I simply recall these New Orleans things
And then I don’t feel so bad.
Sugary beignets with coffee and chicory,
Trying to navigate Hickory and Dickory,
A six-pack of Dixie with fried onion rings,
Benny Grunch also has favorite things.
Tom Dempsey’s kick when the Saints played the Lions,
Sippin’ a Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s,
Bartholomew’s “Monkey” or “My Ding-A-Ling”,
Oh what a hip yet hilarious thing!
When my snowball
Takes a free fall
On the neutral ground,
I conjure up some of these favorite things
And pretty soon I’ll rebound.
Bacchus, Endymion, Orpheus, Muses,
Lagniappe and grillades and riverboat cruises,
Sazeracs served on some fabulous fling,
It’s off to Adler’s in search of some bling.
Breakfast at Brennan’s and Mass on a Sunday,
Red beans and rice with a Barq’s on a Monday,
A Morgus mistake and the chaos it brings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
There’s Mandina’s,
Tipitina’s,
Big Chief writing pad!
I simply remember these “Big Easy” things
And then I don’t feel so bad!