~only in Nola

prose poetry about the quirky awesomeness of New Orleans

Only in New Orleans do they put Nutella on everything, from crepes bought on food trucks, to donuts slathered with the hazelnut delight .. then wrap it with bacon. Only in New Orleans is bananas foster a staple ice cream flavor at the gas station, and one of the finest desserts offered In five star restaurants in the City. Only in New Orleans is a sno ball a sweet relief you buy at your favorite stand, (mine is Ikes), or in the freezer at your local market. Only in New Orleans can you buy alcohol at any time, day or night, anywhere including your corner antique shop. Only in New Orleans is beer acceptable to drink in orange juice prior to work. Only in New Orleans is purple, bright purple, considered a nice neutral color of paint applied to the in or outside of your home. Only in New Orleans does riding a bicycle naked goes relatively unnoticed. Only in New Orleans is French cooking slight dull compared to French creole food. This distinction is very important. Julia Childes recommends two cloves of garlic in her beef bourguignon, which is completely unacceptable to the Neworlinan palate which require at least half a head of garlic and the rest of the spice rack.

Only in New Orleans will people stand through a monsoon every year at Jazz Fest to hear the headliner. In fact, rain in New Orleans has never yet been known to change anyone’s plans. New Orleanians will go to an event and just stay wet, or know it will pass in only five minutes. Only in New Orleans are some of the greatest restaurants the cheapest. For instance, Willie Mae's in Treme, where there is always a line, around the block at seven in the morning for fried chicken and cornbread, Daddy’s donuts in Gentilly, which puts Crispy Cream to shame, and is on four dollars for half a dozen. Then, there is the "Ghetto Burger" truck which can be found at many a festival in the city. It brags of the biggest and best burgers ever for only ten dollars. Only in New Orleans are there crawfish, corn, red beans and rice, turtle soup, alligator delicacies, Antoine’s, K--Paul's, Emeril’s, Degas, and so many more famous restaurants, while half the population is vegan and doing yoga in the streets. Where else would one live than a place that offers such choice delicacies, freedom, and the exquisite right to be eccentric as and complexly normative simultaneously. I

It is only New Orleans, 
...........where I know I am home.

(c) Katherine Wyatt All Rights Reserved (2017)