New Orleans Farmer’s Coop

Today, I went to the Marigny to check out the grand opening of the New Orleans Farmer’s Cooperative. Local bands were playing, local food and health producers were there to talk about their products, and it was generally a really impressive experience.

I bought kinds of random local produce and weird health foods like chia seeds and fava beans, and it was grand. I realize I’m the biggest dork ever to have so much fun grocery shopping, but truly, this is a happy place. Just look at the building!

Welcome!

This place has a great selection as well. I was very impressed. Think smaller Whole Foods with fewer rude people, flowers, baked goods, and alcohol. I’m not sure if it’s good to have fewer of some of those things, but it certainly was a friendlier atmosphere.

My pictures aren’t very good because I tried my best not to be a total weirdo taking pictures, but it gives you an idea of the experience.

Most of the produce was from the U.S., and quite a bit was from Louisiana and Mississippi.

In the past few years, and especially after living in Ecuador where most produce is regional and local, I’ve become quite interested in being responsible about my food choices both for health and for the impact I’m making on the environment and local economy. This is just one of many great examples of ways to invest in the local food economy  in New Orleans.

Till next time!

Weekend Brunch in Uptown

Il Posto’s Veggie Bagel + salad

This pre-Halloween weekend, a couple of best friends came to visit from far-away Oxford, MS, giving us the perfect excuse to have brunch both Saturday and Sunday. Best. Idea. Ever.

Where we chose: Il Posto and Oak Street Cafe. I had visited both places before, but tried new things that were equally as wonderful as the previous choices. I also realized I always lean towards bagels and bagel sandwiches when eating breakfast out, despite the fact I hardly ever eat bagels at home.

My tidbit of brunch advice at these restaurants: The bagels are fantastic, but then again everything looks great. My friends enjoyed omelets as well. You can’t go wrong.

Oak Street Cafe: omelets and hashbrowns

Oak Street Cafe

Soy lattes

Calm during the storm

This week has been filled with constant steps towards leaving Mississippi behind. I’m not sure how I feel about leaving, but I am looking forward to embracing life in New Orleans. I hesitate to say “as a New Orleanian” because I’m not sure I can be considered a native without living there for a very very long time. It’s just that kind of place.  However, New Orleans isn’t on my mind in this moment as I’m truly absorbed in my thoughts about Mississippi.

For four years, I have considered Mississippi my home base. Though I’ve lived temporarily in Ecuador (9months) and in Washington, D.C. (3 summers in a row) during those four years, I have always returned to Mississippi, ready to begin again and ready to embrace life among some of my favorite Mississippians.

In some ways, Mississippi is just as much of a  home to me as Tennessee. My family lives in Tennessee still, and I spent the first eighteen years of my life there, but I have evolved so much in Mississippi–as (dare I say) an adult.  And it’s been an interesting place to learn about the world. Mississippi gets a bad name for many reasons, and it’s most definitely one of the most extreme places in the Unites States for a variety of reasons. The societal issues have taken on a constructive role in my education both in and out of the classroom. I feel like I can understand other people’s points of view and concerns better simply by living in Mississippi. I also have to point out that anyone who says Mississippi is damned for all its problems is woefully ignorant about its rich cultural aspects and its warm people. That’s something I’m not sure I knew before I came. All this being said, I don’t know if I’ll ever live in Mississippi again. There is a possibility I’m sure that I will have a desire to come back.

Before I get sentimental, I want to talk about a few ways that I’ve been dealing (sometimes not so well) with not having much of a place to stay during the last week. I have to be moved out of my friend’s house (where I’ve lived throughout college) completely by the 28th of this month since she has sold the house. Since last week, I’ve been moving things out each day–leaving me with just a bed for the next few days. So, without further adieu, here are some of my ways to deal with moving and living in an empty house for a week.

1. Buy groceries sparingly. This is perhaps the most frustrating problem. I can’t buy too much food because I only have a few days to consume it unless I want to transport it. Not to mention I am seriously opposed to food that has an expiration date that is years away. Overly processed food with lots of preservatives is bad news folks. However, I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of free time lately so I can go to the grocery store to pick up just enough food for 1-2 days at a time. I can’t try new foods or buy according to sales much though so I just stick to basics.

2. Stay at other people’s houses. This is more of an escape mechanism than a coping one. I just go stay somewhere else for the night or travel to New Orleans or somewhere else for the weekend. In fact, I’ve been gone every weekend since mid-May. yikes.

3. Focus on upcoming months and ignore the here and now. Again, this is escapism perhaps, but if I focused on here and now, the focus would be on an empty house and an Oxford with not too many people I know around. I think I keep a more positive attitude when I just think about how excited I am about New Orleans and put leaving out of my mind for the most part.

Brief, perhaps useless tips for anyone in the same boat, but these are some things on my mind this week.

Hope you’re having a good one!

Satsuma Cafe in New Orleans

I’m having a grand time exploring restaurants in New Orleans.

The other day, I went to a cafe on Dauphine Street with a couple of friends. It is called  Satsuma. Read their menu at http://satsumacafe.com/. It has something for everyone. While I love vegetarian restaurants and don’t eat that much meat (mostly just seafood), I hate that my meat-eating friends are upset to find no meat if they really want it. Also, I dislike going to restaurants that center everything around meat. All that to say, I like when restaurants are creative with food and have a bit of something for everyone. I think Satsuma’s menu is a good example.

The decor is very unique as well (I promise I’m going to start bringing a camera more often!). There is a lot of interesting art and an interesting vibe. There were lots of folks doing work on computers or reading so I can see that it would be a good place to hang out for a couple hours.

I had already eaten breakfast and it was too early for lunch, so I decided to just have one of their fresh juices (I tried the Sweet Tart). There are no words. It was fabulous. Also, I was tempted to just eat everything on the menu despite the weird time of day.

I will definitely be back to Satsuma!

I think I will start reviewing various restaurants I visit in NOLA. Feel free to recommend some!

Deadline: August 1

Since I’ll be moving to New Orleans within the next month, I obviously have a to-do list that is overwhelming at times. However, since I get bored easily (doesn’t everyone of  our generation?), I am giving myself a few more to-do’s before my birthday–August 1st. I’ll be turning 23 in about a month and a half and though it’s no milestone age, I like birthdays and I want to recognize it.  Here’s the plan:

1. Girl’s day with my little sister. My sister turned 16 (today!) and I have yet to get her a gift because I decided that instead of getting her something I would like or I’m guessing she would like, I would just go do something with her. Spending time together is very underrated these days and I think it should be rectified. Shopping + pedicures + good food in Nashville? I think this is a great birthday celebration for her and I only hope she will tolerate being with her (woefully less cool) older sister for a day.

2. Apartment decorating. I will admit that I am the world’s worst interior designer, and the worst part is that I don’t even notice. I really want to do something about this in the new apartment and I will enlist whatever artsy friends I have in helping me. Oh yeah–I don’t have much money either, so this will be a thrifty interior design effort. All the more need for creative juices.

3. Learn to be smarter about grocery shopping. This is a hard one. I love grocery shopping and specialty foods (think Whole Foods). Also, I’m kind of a health nut and this sometimes means more expenses as well. But, I am positive that there are some things I can do to cut the spending without compromising my preference for healthy food. I will not eat ramen throughout grad school. That’s all.

4. Read a new Faulkner book. These are not exactly ‘beach reads’, but I love Faulkner. It’s hard to read, but it is worth the mental somersaults to understand (even on a basic level) the themes and ideas in his books. I would also love to reread some of my favorites which include Absalom! Absalom! and The Wild Palms (also published as If I Forget Thee Jerusalem).

5. Run a 5 or 10k?? This is totally dependent upon where I’ll be in July. As of now, I have plans to visit family in Tennessee at some point, stay in Mississippi with friends part of the time, and move to New Orleans near the end of the month. Dates are not set yet so I can’t plan this very well. But I would LOVE to have a reason to stay motivated to run this summer.  I know there are a lot of July 4th runs so maybe I could do one of them!

 

Okay, five goals + moving to a new state sounds like enough ambitiousness before August 1st. Oh yeah, and I have other plans too like finishing my June classes, going rafting, celebrating finishing my undergrad degree, and soaking in Oxford life while I can. I love summer.

Heading (even more) south

As I believe I alluded to in a previous post, I will be moving to New Orleans this summer. I will be starting a Master’s program, and I couldn’t be more excited about my new academic opportunties and my new residence. I will be living in Uptown, and walking to class each day, but I feel sure I will also be experiencing other diverse parts of the city on a regular basis. I’ve visited New Orleans a number of times during my undergraduate experience since it’s not too far from Ole Miss, but living there is sure to open my eyes to a completely different city than ones I’ve lived in before. New Orleans, to me, resembles the Carribean more than continental United States, and its fascinating history make it completely unlike the rest of the South. In the spirit of my excitement, I wanted to list a few of the things that I’m looking forward to.

FOOD

I know this doesn’t come as a surprise since everyone talks about the unique cuisine of New Orleans, but I’m not quite as interested in the traditional, heavy Cajun food (except on occasion) as I am in farmer’s markets, local and quirky restaurants, cute cafes, and more ethnic cuisine choices. Though Oxford, MS has a pretty good array of those options for a town, the variety is much more diverse in New Orleans, and it seems on every block there is an interesting place I need to try. I’ve become very interested in eating locally and more healthfully in the last couple of years. I think living in New Orleans will increase my interest and commitment to these habits.

MUSIC

Again, it’s typical that I’m excited about the music, but seriously, it’s New Orleans. I have festivals, local musicians, and parades to anticipate. I hope I can take full advantage of some of the abundant opportunities to enjoy music in this city.

ART

To finish today’s list (though I’m sure there will be a continuation), New Orleans’ affinity for the visual arts is something I’m looking forward to exploring. Perusing artists’ galleries and special displays are activities I can see myself doing quite often on weekends.

As I said, I’ll add to this list as it expands. I have so much on my mind right now as I prepare to move. My last four years in Oxford have been wonderful, but I can’t wait to explore New Orleans for the next few years!