Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table Book

Celebrating New Orleansâ?? food culture, one specialty at a time. A cocktail is more than a segue to dinner when itâ??s a Sazerac, an anise-laced drink of rye whiskey and bitters indigenous to New Orleans. For Wisconsin native Sara Roahen, a Sazerac is also a fine accompaniment to raw oysters, a looking glass into the cocktail culture of her own familyâ??and one more way to gain a foothold in her beloved adopted city. Roahenâ??s stories of personal discovery introduce readers to New Orleansâ?? well-known signaturesâ??gumbo, po-boys, red beans and riceâ??and its lesser-known gems: the pho of its Vietnamese immigrants, the braciolone of its Sicilians, and the ya-ka-mein of its street culture. By eating and cooking her way through a place as unique and unexpected as its infamous turducken, Roahen finds a home. And then Katrina. With humor, poignancy, and hope, she conjures up a city that reveled in its food traditions before the stormâ??and in many ways has been saved by them since.Read More