Play Meter

f ROM THE EDITOR Where y'at? Must be New Orleans! A MOA is getting close. Every year I look forward to it but this year is extra special because it's in our hometown-New Orleans. And since I do live here, I would like to help you visitors to adjust to our way of doing things . Since Chris , in his " Last Word ," has guided you to all of his favorite restaurants (that should take up most of your stay) I'll try to fill you in on certain things unique to the ' ·Big Easy. '' However, let me add one caution to Chris 's advice about eating out-you have to plan ahead for all the delicious food you will be eating. Right now, just stop eating. If you don 't touch a bite until showtime you may come out ahead. Otherwise, plan on gaining a couple of pounds! If someone slaps you on the back and says, "where y'at," it's just a New Orleanian 'sway of saying, " Hi, how are you?" I'll admit it takes some getting used to but it'll stick with you. Think how surprised your neighbors will be when you ask them . If you receive an invitation to "suck heads and pinch tails ,'' please don ' t start swinging; simply head to the nearest seafood restaurant to enjoy some crawfish. They ' re also called mudbugs and to enjoy them fully you must peel them yourself. The really brave among you may even enjoy sucking the last bits of fat from the heads . (Even I haven't quite got into that yet.) If someone tells you to meet him on the "neutral ground," don't start looking for signs of the next Civil War. The neutral ground is that wide , grassy space between the two lanes of traffic , called a median in other less sophisticated cities. Take note of the way people drive in this city, and you may understand the meaning of the name! Also remember you are not in California, where motorists must IO PLAY METER/October 1990 stop for pedestrians-here there is no such rule. Another thing that is a little hard to get used to is being called sugar, babe (or bay) , dawlin' , honey (or hon) . It's often accompanied by " where yat" such as "where yat, hon, dawlin' , sugar, or babe? '' Just accept it, because no one means anything derogatory by it and you will hear it more than a few times during your visit. It may not come up in your conversations here, but if you happen to hear that someone has been out " making groceries," it just means that they have been to the grocery store to stock up. And when they get home they will probably ask the kids to put the clean dishes away like this : " Save those dishes , dawlin '." Another thing you may have to adjust to is going out, or at least staying out, later than usual . I have been in many of your cities where they roll the sidewalks up around two . Not here! You can go out at two and still find some action. But don ' t forget to get back in time to go to those early-morning seminars. Now, here's something that is almost certain to happen if you are walking through the Quarter . A kid will stop you on Bourbon Street, say, and challenge you to a bet on whether he can tell you' ' Where you got ' dem shoes . " Of course, you are certain that he could never in a million years know where you bought your shoes so you accept the bet. Where you got 'dem shoes? On yo' feet! And you have lost a bet . Don 't even think about reneging because the little bugger will hound you for his money . You '11 see in this issue a pictorial about a day in New Orleans with some of your hardworking Play Meter staff. We figured that it would be helpful to ya'll if we scouted out some of the highlights of the city for you . Yes, it is a dirty job but someone had to do it! We decided to tour the city and , boy , did we ever look like tourists! It was such fun walking around our own city, seeing it like most of you will be seeing it. And among the four of us , there were a lot of our favorite places to visit. Bonnie took us to City Park and Aunt Sally's Pralines-don't buy pralines too early in your visit or you 'II gobble them down in your hotel room! Ron led us to the Moonwalk and Central Grocery Store for a delicious muffaletta sandwich. Chris's favorites included Mother 's Restaurant, which will be a hot spot for you conventioneers since it's close to the Convention Center, and Tipitina' s for some of the best music you've ever heard . I couldn't resist a visit to Pat 0 'Brien's for a Hurricane and Cafe Du Monde for world-famous beignets (little puffy doughnuts dusted heavily with powdered sugar) . All of us are anxious to see you in our famous city and if you have any questions about where to go, just ask us . We' ll be glad to share our favorites with you. This is a serious word of caution: Please make sure you know where you are going . Don 't wander off by yourself if you are unsure of where you are. Although the French Quarter is fairly safe , the surrounding areas are treacherous . It 's easy to get turned around and end up in trouble. If in doubt, take a cab! #~&~ Valerie Cognevich Editor