NOLA Notes

In the Times-Picayune today, there was not less than three mentions of the Friends of the Jefferson Parish Library semi-annual Book Sale out at Pontchartrain Center. I am a sucker for book deals and have found many oddities at this sale in the past. So, after Sun took the longest nap ever, we headed out.

I had never caught this sale on its first day; in the old days, I worked five days a week. But post-Sun, I now have Thursdays to DO THINGS. So, with no plans on the calendar, we had the freedom to read about something in the morning paper and hit it in the afternoon.

At this sale, I gravitate to the local interest area. Not the romance novels nor fiction. Not the geography section (although I have an odd fascination for maps) nor the self-help. Not horror nor mystery nor health nor Americana nor biography nor children’s books. No; I am there to see what oddball books they have on Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular.

This sale scratched my itch. I walked away with seven books and spent a whopping $22. And had I held off on a streetcar book (“The Saint Charles Streetcar — or the history of The New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad,” by James Gilbeau), I’d have spent only $10. But with our new streetcar site, I felt I needed to get educated. It’s research; I can write that one off on my taxes next year.

This year, other than the streetcar book, I bombed at the local interest section. But I thought outside the box and ended up in the cookbook section and found these little gems:

1. “The Art of Cooking with Spirits,” by Elise Landauer Meyer (1964), hardback with dustcover signed by the author, $2. This author was a New Orleanian and it reminded me too much of Tuesday’s purchase of “In the Land of Cocktails” for me to pass up.
2. “A Cook’s Quiz” by Antoinette & Francois Pope (1952), hardcover with dustcover, $2. This is a book that asks and answers cooking questions, like Do eggs contain vitamins? and What temperature is simmering? and When is water really boiling? and How can hard marshmallows be softened? My question, how could I resist? I couldn’t.
3. “52 Fridays, Meatless Menus and Recipes” by Ethel M. Keating (1957), hardcover (no dustcover), $1. This one was a misfire. I thought it was going to be a Louisiana Lenten cookbook. It isn’t; it’s written by a mid-westerner! Any mid-westerner interested in this? Leave a comment and if more than two want it, well then, the best comment wins.
4. “The New Orleans Eat Book, Facts & Opinions on Dining Out in America’s Best Eating City,” by Tom Fitzmorris (1991), signed and dated by the author, paperback, $1.50. although out of date, I like books that review restaurants and I like Fitzmorris (I know not everyone does) and I like reading about NOLA places. Plus, there are “facts and opinions” that go beyond restaurants.
5. “The New Orleans Underground Gourmet, Where to find great meals in the city and environs for less than $3.75 and as little as 50¢,” by Richard H. Collin (1973), paperback, coincidentally, 50¢. This one, this one. Where to begin? On eating at a new restaurant in New Orleans Collin says, “So many new restaurants open constantly in this protean eating city that trying new and unknown restaurants is a valid sport.” Of a restaurant he was underwhelmed with, “The food here isn’t that bad (it’s not particularly good either), but it is impossible to eat anything in what must be the most foul-smelling restaurant in the city.” Of Galatoire’s, he has much to say. His description of Galatoire’s is spot-on:
   

   Galatoire’s is one of New Orleans’ incomparable restaurants. Over the years people have argued about whether Galatoire’s was the best restaurant in North America. For many Orleanians and visitors it is the only restaurant in North America. One either loves or detests the Galatoire’s dining room, one large mirrored room. To some it resembles a rather large and not particularly fancy barbershop; to others it is a holy temple where great food is enshrined.

   Collin recommends Galatoire’s fish and shellfish: “if you must have meat or chicken, go elsewhere,” but advises that “[t]his has never been a great place for liquor or wine.” Well, on that last point, we will have to disagree. I’d like to think that in 35 years, Galatoire’s has honed their cocktail skills. The point: this book was SO WORTH its 50¢.

I also picked up The Dickens Digest for $3 (have you learned yet that I adore 1850s British Victorian novels? Because I do). The Friends of Jefferson Parish Library will continue to put fresh books on the tables as room is made for them, so even going over the weekend may score good finds. Hmmm. I may just need to make another trip out there on Saturday.