New Orleans is the hometown of jazz, but neither the city nor the genre it birthed are museum pieces. But the celebrations and rituals of New Orleans are as much about history as hedonism, and every dance is as much an expression of tradition and community spirit as it is of joy. At almost any celebration in town, people engage in masking – donning a new appearance via some form of costuming – while acting out the satyric side of human behavior.
Sometimes, such as during Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest, it feels like there’s a new party for every hour of the day. We're not exaggerating when we say there is either a festival or a parade every week of the year in New Orleans. New Orleans' cuisine is a mix of Caribbean, African and European influences that is truly unique. This sense of gastronomic play is rooted in both deep traditions – truly, this city has one of the few indigenous cuisines in the country – and a willingness to accommodate outside influences, both in terms of technique and ethnicity. Well, OK, it does: its playful attitude to ingredients and recipes mixes (for example) alligator sausage and cheesecake into a dessert fit for the gods. When it comes to food, New Orleans does not fool around. The things that make life worth living – eating, drinking and the making of merriment – are the air that New Orleans breathes.
