New Orleans

[adrian_turtle]

I don't usually travel to a place for the place, as such. I've left home a lot, but in all but one case I've been going to visit a person or going to an event like a con. But Cattitude was having a hard time coping with winter, and then we had a blizzard, and it all got to be too much. So Redbird and Cattitude and I picked up and went to New Orleans for a few days, because it wasn't snowing there.

One of many challenging things about winter is that we still don't want to eat in company indoors. It has been SIX YEARS, and sometimes it feels like we are the only people in the country who care about public health and it is just so exhausting. (There were a few other people wearing masks in the airport, which felt good.) But the general frustration is still wearing, especially in winter. We were informed that New Orleans has lots of restaurants with patios that are open, even in February. The crowds recede after Mardi Gras, and the weather forecast was glorious.

New Orleans is a great city for dining. Unfortunately, it's a terrible city for ME to dine. I keep kosher in a very haphazard way (I won't eat pork or shellfish, but I don't care how the chicken was slaughtered), and I can't eat dairy products at all. Everything had shellfish or dairy or both. I went down there thinking most restaurants would have have at least one vegan item on the menu, but the places with outdoor dining or takeout generally did not.

The music was good. I need more music in my life.

Comments

[otter]

That's really disappointing to hear about the food choices in New Orleans. I'm still eating take-out and not inside restaurants as well. Patios might start opening here soon.

[redbird]

My brother's partner had assured us that every restaurant in New Orleans would have at least one vegan option. That sounded like Adrian might be bored by the food choices, but could count on there being something she could eat. Alas, this was not the case.

[pameladean]

Cam and I aren't eating in restaurants or socializing indoors as a rule, either. We mask up in spaces with other people. But I feel we are all very few and far between. It's really hard. Intriguing news about different, more effective vaccines keeps popping up, but then disappears.

I'm so sorry about the deficits in outdoor New Orleans cuisine. I'd have expected much better. Like you I'm not actually vegan, though along different axes; but vegan food is always safe for me and I really like most of it. I'd have been awfully displeased.

P.

[adrian_turtle]

The combination of anti-vax sentiment and resistance to public health in general is so discouraging. Covid could have been a transformative force for ventilation and air filtration, and for sick leave and a culture of people staying home when they are sick. I know vaccines work better if you can vaccinate enough people, but each vaccine only works against one illness.

As for the vegan options on menus, I can't tell if my expectations were skewed because my sources go to trendier restaurants than we did. Or because they look at a menu and see "impossible burger" and don't realize it's served on a dairy brioche with a sauce based on sour cream. And who notices that the "fried mushrooms" or "corn bites" appetizers use buttermilk batter? (Being out of stuff the day we went was just bad luck.)

[evalerie]

I'm glad you got to go someplace warm!

What works for us for traveling with a lot of food restrictions is to stay at a vacation rental place with a kitchen, so that we can pop by a grocery store and then make our own food. (Sometimes youth hostels have kitchens too, or "suite" type hotels.) I hear you about traveling and not being able to find food!

[adrian_turtle]

I had hoped to stop by a grocery store to get some things for backup, but we were in a very touristy area with no groceries. There were a few convenience stores, but they had hardly any snacks without dairy. It was maddening. And I didn't want to just go exploring by myself when I have no sense of direction on a good day (and it wasn't a good day; it was only a 5-day trip and I had 2 seizures after not having any since November.)

Besides, one of the big things we were looking to get from the trip was the experience of eating in restaurants. Having somebody else cook different things for us, and do the washing up. With the option of cajun-spiced fried mushrooms for me (Andy is allergic to mushrooms and Vicki can't eat cayenne) and shellfish for Andy and something cheesy for Vicki. Cooking for ourselves would be like being at home, only less comfortable...certainly an option if we were going to visit someone or go to a con.

[evalerie]

That does sound like a loss. I wish it had worked!!