The Pitfalls of Charity

I hate getting ripped off. I guess most people do. But no matter how vigilant you are it tends to happen occasionally. You can deny it but you know it’s true. If there’s any comfort to be had at such moments, it’s usually in the elegance of the scam (you mean he’s not really a Nigerian prince?!)

While exploring New Orleans one afternoon, we drove through the Garden District – where all the richies live and subsequently where a lot of beautiful old houses are. We hadn’t yet visited the drive-thru daiquiri shack so my wits were about me. Pulling up at a small four-way stop sign, a nice looking SUV approached from the opposite direction, stalled, and coasted into the intersection. The driver popped out, cursing himself and the car, and started to push his vehicle out of the street. Being a generally kind-hearted soul, I leaned out the window and asked if he needed a hand. He did, so I left Gwen idling in Precision Auto, hopped out, and helped this stranger get his car to the curb.

Totally unofficial NOLA update

While in New Orleans we got in touch with an organization called Common Ground in order to offer our labor for a day. They match up short and long-term volunteers with jobs that need doing in some of the areas most affected by Katrina. Although they’re more than a little disorganized they’ve managed to bring in more than 18,000 volunteers over the past two and half years. They provide an outlet for thousands of people who feel driven to help but don’t know where to start. Like us.

We ended up working deep in the Lower 9th Ward, and while we were there we drove around a bit to see how the neighborhood was fairing. Our tour was mostly by car but we stopped a few times to talk to residents who were rebuilding or had already moved back in.

Whole Fish (and gumbo)

Our first night in New Orleans we hit up Coop’s Place, a popular drinking hole and eatery on Decatur Street. We had the Taste Plate, which features Gumbo and Jambalaya (with sausage and rabbit), and ventured to try the special – a whole fried sheephead fish. I can’t resist ordering a whole fish when I see it on the menu – and I’m glad I did this time because it was delicious. And huge. It all washed down quite nicely with a local Abita beer.