Hi Julia,
Did you experience any of the levee breaches from Hurricane Katrina?
– Jason Smith, Abbeville
Yes Jason, though after the fact, but it was still heartbreaking. There were approximately 50 breaks in the New Orleans area; six were in the city of New Orleans. Of those three were on the Industrial Canal and two on the southeast side of Florida and Claiborne Avenues. That latter break left the lower Ninth Ward under water.
What I experienced was in the Bucktown area near the “old Hammond Highway.” There the 17th Street Canal levee broke open at Stafford Street (roughly two blocks down from the highway).
It was a brutal site. The water was so high and so powerful that there was a sports car that had been lifted and left in a tree. I visited the home of a friend nearby on the corner of Bellaire Drive and 37th Street. The sheetrock in the one-story home’s ceiling had been turned to mush. An armoire which had been filled with dishes and accessories was lifted, floated to another room and then left flattened.
Memories of a lifetime, including photos of weddings and other special events, were left waterlogged on the floor.
I had known the owner who had once boasted that the brick was strong and there was double the lumber in the frame. The building, he said, could withstand hurricane winds. That it did. But it was the water that caused the damage.
Eventually an historic marker was put up at Stafford. The comments detailed the events of Aug. 29, 2005 and, significantly, mentioned a federal judge’s ruling that the damage was the fault of the Corps of Engineers.
Dear Julia and Poydras,
Growing up, the family gold standard for take-out Chinese food was the kiosk/restaurant located inside the Gentilly Schwegmann’s grocery. Unfortunately, I cannot find anyone that remembers the name. Do you know the name and whether any related business still exists?
– Oscar Bogran, New Orleans
Oscar, there was a time when just about anything served by Chinese food purveyors locally was Cantonese, no doubt tracing to the port traffic from that area of the country. The city of Guangzhou was China’s key commercial center for foreign trade and exchange. Cantonese became the variety of Chinese imports best known to the western world. That included the typical dishes. Egg Foo Young, for example, originated in Guangzhou. When Five Happiness restaurant opened on North Carrollton Avenue it liberated the Chinese menu, including specialties from other regions including Hunan. Dishes such as Moo-Shu pork were new to local menus.
I am afraid that there is not much memory for kiosks. Poydras and I have been checking with people who have chronicled Schwegmann’s history. We’re still looking and invite any reader with info to share the knowledge. On the opposite end of the visual scale was the House of Lee Restaurant that once stood on Veterans Boulevard near Causeway. It was one of the most popular dining destinations in the region. Harry Lee, a proprietor, even served as the parish’s long-time sheriff. The Lee family has been active restaurateurs at several places. Whatever existed at Schwegmann’s probably had Lee influence.
The search continues.
