Throw Me Something, Mister!

Hey friends!

With Mardi Gras quickly approaching, our schedule of extracurricular activities here in New Orleans has become jam packed! Good gosh does this city throw a lot of parades. More specifically, it is the Carnival krewes that do the parading.

I mentioned krewes briefly in my post about the Joan of Arc parade that happened last month, but in case you need a refresher: krewes (pronounced just like "crews" or "cruise") are essentially social clubs made up of dues-paying members. Some are more exclusive and require a special invitation to join, while others can be joined by anyone willing to pay the dues. Some are largely made up of New Orleanians, while others contain many out-of-town members. Many have specific characteristics, too. Muses, for example, is all female, and the Krewe of Cork hosts wines tastings throughout the year.

Most krewes parade every Mardi Gras season on the same established route and date. We YAVs are fortunate this year to live within walking distance of the Uptown parade route. Everyone seems to have their own strategy for spectating, too. You're either neutral ground side, or sidewalk side. Seriously, people are dedicated enough to their sides that there are even tshirts to declare your loyalty! We've become quite partial to the neutral ground (or the median, as they say in non-NOLA places). Parents add seats to the tops of ladders from which their children watch parades (because contrary to popular opinion, most of Mardi Gras is very family friendly).

And then there are the throws. Those, as I also mentioned in that Joan of Arc post, are the things riders throw (get it?) from their floats. These include the traditional plain plastic beads, in addition to strands of varying size and shape. Many krewes have medallion beads too, which feature their name and/or emblem, and some krewes also distribute glass beads. Then there are the plastic cups, doubloons (metal or wooden coins with krewe emblems and dates), stuffed animals, and an assortment of handmade krewe-specific throws. The ones we keep hearing about are Muses' decorated shoes, and Zulu's decorated coconuts. Also, at the Oshun parade last weekend, I got my hands on some sweet Hannah Montana pens. There is a distinct strategy to catching throws. So far as I've learned, you have to pick out the rider you want something from, make eye contact with them and wave and cheer and if necessary, yell the kind of throw you're aiming to get.

Another important part of these parades (and one of my favorite parts, at that) are the marching bands. Every parade we've been to has featured at least a handful of bands and dance groups. It's refreshing to see a city and tradition that puts so much value and importance on middle and high school arts. Granted, I don't know the specifics of actual music programs in schools, and it's no secret that New Orleans loves music. But I think it's so great that these marching bands have such an established role in parade season.

To get an idea of just how many parades happen in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, you can take a gander at the parade schedule for the month here. We went to six just last weekend, and now there are parades every day through Mardi Gras. A few roommates and I went on an adventure last night for costume supplies to be put to use on Mardi Gras day...all I'm saying is there might be a purple toga in the works, and colored/glitter hairspray was buy one get one free at Party City. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be ample photo documentation.

Until then, here are some parade pictures from our adventures so far...all of which I stole from Lauren. (Thanks roomie.)

Love,
Allison

Krewe of Cork marchin' on through the Quarter.

Post Krewe of Cork, excited about our wine-related acquisitions. 

Because, you know, a giant plastic toothbrush is a totally logical thing to throw off of a parade float.

Krewe of Pontchartrain rolls down St. Charles Ave.

It's not even funny how excited we were to score Pontchartrain medallions.

Parade buddies!

Carnival's Sweet Tooth

Hey friends,

My attempt at sharing Carnival season and Mardi Gras wouldn't be complete without an ode to king cake. What's that you say? Aren't king cakes just rings of cinnamony dough sprinkled with icing and colored sugar? True, they're usually not all that complicated but they. are. everywhere. And they're delicious. Even if you haven't had one before, you've likely seen one. Just in case you haven't, a quick Google image search will turn up an endless array of variations on this delectable treat. The version that's popular in New Orleans comes in an oval and is bread dough with swirls of cinnamon sugar. Add, on top, a layer of white icing and some purple, green and gold sprinkles and BAM! King cake. A quick disclaimer before I continue: as with any tradition, specific aspects and stories vary. The following is what I've learned either from conversations here or research on the internet (so take that for what you will).

First, some background info. Because yes, this is a dessert (or breakfast...or snack...) with a history. Just like Carnival, king cake season starts on Twelfth Night, and the cake traditionally celebrates the Wise Men following the star to lil baby Jesus. (Get it? Wise Men...We Three Kings...king cake!) If I'm not mistaken, that would also be why there's usually a plastic baby somewhere in the cake. Traditionally, said baby was a bean that had been baked into the cake. Sometimes that's still the case, and different figures can also be the lucky token. But more often than not, at least around here, it's the baby that's the thing to find. It's good luck, but watch out...it also means you're the one that has to bring the next cake. Which is convenient actually, as it perpetuates a neverending supply of tasty snacks. I swear, I've eaten more king cake in the past month than I have in the rest of my life combined. And I am so okay with that.

In true New Orleans fashion, just about any excuse to celebrate something is a good excuse. And when New Orleans embraces something, she goes all out. Not only are the usual suspects all over the place, but there are interpretations galore. There are the original king cakes, the filled ones, the miniature ones, king cake donuts...you name it. Walk into any grocery store and you're bound to find at least one large table stacked high with the things. Not to mention there is the neverending debate on which local bakery makes the best king cake in town.

Below you'll find a collection of some of my king cake experiences, and after that, the links from whence I got my supplemental info for this post. Because if there's anything that deserves more reading, it's dessert. T-minus 21 days until Mardi Gras!

Love, Allison.

A common grocery store sight.

One of the many cakes that have been in the office so far. This one's from Langenstein's.
 

King cake donut, courtesy of Krispy Kreme (there was even cinnamon in the dough!).
 

I found the recipe for these on Pinterest. The store only had green sprinkles, so I got a little creative.  You can find the recipe here, if you're interested.

Read about king cake on Wikipedia, the city's website, and this tourism page.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

...the next holiday season started!

One of the many bits of character that New Orleans has about her is Carnival! So, friends, I'm hoping to make part of my blogging in the next month and a half an attempt at sharing what I've learned about it so far. First thing's first: Carnival is the season, which begins on Twelfth Night and ends with Mardi Gras (which is, specifically, the day before Ash Wednesday). Some people seem to refer also to the season as Mardi Gras, but at least now you know the technical vocab. There are an overwhelming number of aspects to the culture of Mardi Gras here in New Orleans, so I'm hoping to share it with you bit by bit. As it turns out, this season is a heck of a lot more than shenanigans on Bourbon Street.

For starters, and for this post, there is Twelfth Night. The particulars of the exact date vary a little by tradition but here, January 6th signals the occasion and with it the arrival of Carnival season. While most of the physical celebrations and parades center around Mardi Gras day and the week or two leading up to it, Twelfth Night means it's officially alright to eat King Cake and put up purple, green, and gold stuff in your houses! So here's to hoping you all eat some cake and maybe even get the piece with the little plastic baby in it (fair warning: apparently, in addition to being good luck, the baby also means you have to buy the next one).

January 6th also happens to be Joan of Arc's birthday. Given that she's quite the hero around these parts, there's a parade in her honor each January 6th, put on by the Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc. (More on Mardi Gras krewes in a later post maybe, but they're essentially different social clubs, some more exclusive and secretive than others. Many of them throw a parade and a ball each Carnival season.) In this particular parade, participants dressed in Medieval clothing and walked through the French Quarter, starting at a statue of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville (who is credited with founding the city of New Orleans) and ending at the statue of Joan. One of my favorite parts of the parade was the six women on horseback, each portraying a different Joan of Arc. The Joans ranged from a younger Joan to a warrior Joan and a flag-carrying golden Joan (that one represents the statue). There were also these kids walking on stilts, who I'm pretty sure are way cooler than I'll ever be.

Another important (and fun) part of all of these parades are the throws. While these often involve beads of different color and size, they can also include handmade items, which vary depending on the krewe and the parade. While I was hoping to get one of the sweet handmade and decorated wooden swords, that didn't exactly work out. (I think you had to be a cute little kid dressed in a knight costume...live and learn, I guess.) I did get a couple neat crosses, and a magnet too! Seeing as though this particular parade was in celebration of a birthday, numbered candles were also distributed, one for each of Joan's 600 years. Also apparently popular in many parades are doubloons (fun word, no?), which are either wooden or metal and usually feature the krewe's emblem and founding year on one side, with the year of the parade on the other. Take a gander at the spoils of my first New Orleans parade experience:

Like I said, most of the other parades won't happen until the week or two leading up to Mardi Gras, but I'm hoping to do some reading about the season and different traditions, and maybe share some more of it here. So, if there's anything in particular you're curious about, feel free to let me know in the comments or elsewhere. I've just found myself so fascinated by it all that I wanted to share. If you don't find yourself as interested, please forgive me and feel free to just skim these posts. :)

Love,

Allison.