When I tell people that I live “near New Orleans” their first comment back tends to be: “how cool!” Yes, and no. I don’t actually live in the town next to New Orleans but a town in the suburbs that is a 24 mile long bridge plus an hour away from the actual city. Therefore, I live in what I jokingly call “southern suburbia.” Ok, ok, the locals may not have an accent like people in Savannah, Georgia but they are 100% southerners for sure.
I’ve been down south over a decade and here are some of my observations about the residents down in NOLA. You know you’re from New Orleans when:
- You still call the bus “public service.”
- You get on the bus marked “cemeteries” without a second thought.
- You have a friend (or two) named Boudreaux.
- You have flood insurance in your house.
- Your fall clothes are all black, gold and purple.
- You’ve gained 10-15lbs permanently but you don’t care anymore.
- You know that “dressed” has nothing to do with clothing.
- The white stuff on your face is powdered sugar.
- You judge a po-boy by the number of napkins used.
- Your idea of foreplay is pinching dem tails and sucking dem heads and chasing it down with a cold Abita beer.
- There is a St. Joseph lucky bean in ya mamma’s coin purse.
- You don’t learn until high school that Mardi Grass is not a national holiday.
- People ask “what high school did you go to” right after they ask you for your name.
- You have a monogrammed go-cup.
- A Bloody Mary is considered a “light” breakfast.
- Your kids say “yes ma’am, no ma’am and yes, Sir, no Sir”
- You have no idea what a turn signal is or how to properly use it.
- You know better than to drink hurricanes or eat Lucky Dogs.
- Every so often you have waterfront property.
- You “know” where you got them shoes.
- You have discovered that those four-inch-long cockroaches can fly, but have decided to retain your sanity anyway.
- You are a Saints fan and talk about them players like they’re family.
- You don’t think about spinach when you see “Popeyes.”
- You like your coffee so strong the “spoon stands up.”
- You orient yourself with the location of the river and the lake before you give directions.
And there you have it. When I first moved here over a decade ago, some of these would get a raised eyebrow from me… but now… it’s normal.
Have you visited New Orleans? What did you think?
Cristi
My husband and I lived there for nearly 5 years, we loved it! We moved there from WA, and I’m pretty sure someone tried to tell us where we got our shoes our first weekend there 🙂 We lived in Algiers Point, a block from the ferry – I loved that neighbourhood! And I really miss Sno-balls; Slurpees and Sno-Cones just don’t come close 🙂
Laura Fuentes
gotta find some “snow-balls” 😉
Humbruh
Love this list! I can proudly answer ‘yes’ to all of this. The poster above is right. Those born before 1970 call it ‘Public Service” (like my grandma). Those born after call it RTA or say they are “riding Rita”.
Laura
Love “riding Rita”! lol.
Tanee Gordon Janusz
I’m from New Orleans 😉 I love everything about the city and miss it now that I live on the Northshore (and when I lived in Florida).
We natives call the bus “RTA” btw lol
Richard Monroe
I went to Tuland and lived there for 5 years (but managed to graduate in 4, just couldn’t move away). This is a good list. I like the ‘dressed’ comment. I would just add that the cooks are so good, that if they told you that they were going to take some napkins, bread them, fry them and cover them in sauce, you would try it, because everything down there breaded / fried / covered in sauce is to die for. This would be especially true at Ugelsich’s if it was still open.
cheers
Laura
So true!! everything down here is fried, smothered, and covered in gravy: lick-them-fingers-good!