Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table

by Sara Roahen

“Makes you want to spend a week—immediately—in New Orleans.” —Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Wall Street Journal

A cocktail is more than a segue to dinner when it's a Sazerac, an anise-laced drink of rye whiskey and bitters indigenous to New Orleans. For Wisconsin native Sara Roahen, a Sazerac is also a fine accompaniment to raw oysters, a looking glass into the cocktail culture of her own family—and one more way to gain a foothold in her beloved adopted city.

Roahen's stories of personal discovery introduce readers to New Orleans' well-known signatures—gumbo, po-boys, red beans and rice—and its lesser-known gems: the pho of its Vietnamese immigrants, the braciolone of its Sicilians, and the ya-ka-mein of its street culture. By eating and cooking her way through a place as unique and unexpected as its infamous turducken, Roahen finds a home. And then Katrina. With humor, poignancy, and hope, she conjures up a city that reveled in its food traditions before the storm—and in many ways has been saved by them since.

Gumbo : A higher education --
Sazeracs : I take my liquor brown --
Sno-balls : The bittersweet of summertime --
Red gravy : Pray for us --
Stuffed, smothered, z'herbes : Vegetables, a religion --
Po-boys : Not in California anymore --
Turducken : Tales of a poultry chimera --
Crawfish : A crawfish is a darned beast! --
Poison meunière amadine : The Creole conundrum, and the alibi --
Pho : If at first you don't belong --
Coconuts, king cake, and ya-ka-mein : Taking it to the street --
Le boeuf gras : Food radio, and an unwitting mentor --
Coffee and chicory : In reverence of things past --
Red beans and rice : Rising to the occasion --
Oysters : Size matters --
Afterword: turkey bone gumbo : You can take it with you

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Travel, Memoir, Cooking, Food Writing, Cookbooks

306 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2008

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This proved the most insightful -- and unexpectedly useful -- book I read prior to going to New Orleans. In fact, you could say it provided a springboard for my exploration of the city.

See, I always need a focus when I travel. For New Orleans, it was food and music. (A no-brainer, I admit, but I ain't proud... sometimes the obvious is the also the best.) This book made me seek out muffalettas at Central Grocery, po'boys, mudbugs, bread pudding, sezeracs, and (of course) gumbo. Oh, and a "lucky bean" at a St. Joseph's day feast. (Read the book and find out what that is.)

Okay, 'nuff about me. About the book. What a banquet! There so much here beyond the food -- it's a stew of rich experiences, well seasoned with humor, and garnished with verve and wit. Roahen's food writer's gift for vivid description extends to people and places as well. There's history here, too, to give it all perspective. And tragedy: Katrina.

I'll definitely be re-reading this one before my next trip to New Orleans. And, oh yes, there will be another trip.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table was a delightful memoir by Sara Roahan talking about her move to New Orleans being her introduction to the South. Landing a job as a restaurant critic for the Gambit Weekly newspaper with her first assignment being that of gumbo followed by her realization that she needed crash course in understanding all of the history and nuances of that particular food. Thus began her love affair with New Orleans, not only the beautiful Crescent City and its rich culinary and religious traditions, but the people themselves. It was a delightful journey through various foods, drinks and traditions, including varied and delicious gumbos as well as Sazeracs, red gravy, stuffed and smothered Z'herbes (vegetables), Po-boys, Terducken, crawfish, pho, King cake, Le Boeuf Gras, oysters and my all-time favorite red beans and rice. Roahan talks about the immediate years before Hurricane Katrina and the impact upon New Orleans, as well as the efforts to restore normality to this iconic city. I loved my time spent in her New Orleans and hope to return soon for some coffee and chicory with beignets at Café du Monde in the French Quarter.

"Gumbo is the most important dish in the Louisiana lexicon for its prevalence and dependability alone. . . There are at least as many definitive gumbos in Louisiana as there are accents, and like accents, definitive gumbos are established at home. It's an intensely esoteric topic. . . "

"When I asked Mrs. Chase for her thoughts about the easy relationship between New Orleanians and their vegetables, she cited the state's continuous growing season and the fact that so many people in south Louisiana grew up like she did, eating only what their parents raised. Vegetables were main courses not by design but by necessity."

"I tried to explain. . . that New Orleans food is all about fusion and the merging of ethnicities. The French settled the city, the Spanish ruled it, Native Americans predated both, African descendants command restaurant kitchens, Paul Prudhomme brought Acadiana within city limits, and new influences continue to shape what we eat."

"Of course one of the bands played 'When the Saints Go Marching In,' the most cliched and meaningful song in New Orleans' modern history. Traditionally a funeral march, the song now adapts to whatever situation it's played in. Louis Armstrong turned it into a pop tune in the 1930s. They blast it at Saints football games as a rabble-rouser. It's a church song and a tavern song: few jazz bands in either place would get away with skipping it--not that they would want to. . . . Whatever the context, the song always makes me feel fatalistic and weepy about living in this city. People love New Orleans like they love a person."

[Lisa Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I live in New Orleans. And I enjoyed the author's restaurant reviews when she worked for a local weekly paper. So I was intrigued when I saw this book on the store shelves.
Roahen does not disappoint. She explores the history of local foods and traditions. But she keeps it interesting by building chapters around people with a deep connection to the subject. A city obsession with snowball stands is illustrated by her patronage of a neighborhood staple- and her eventual friendship with its owner. The annual tradition of building St. Joesph altars is told best through one woman's mission to keep her altar going and the army of people supporting her.
She explores foods I have no interest in eating (duck eggs, anyone?!?)- and yet her writing style kept me interested in reading about them.
I found the first chapter the toughest to get through but after that I was hooked. I learned a few new things about my city- and discovered a few new places to put on my ever-expanding "restaurants to try" list.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had resisted reading this library book for quite a while; it'd been an impulse grab from the new books shelf. What more could the author really have to say about an "over-hyped cuisine"? Well ... lots ... and nary a mention of any "blackened fish" to boot! Roahen has selected topics (gumbo, red beans and rice, etc.), explaining the variety of experience within each from native (and some not-so-native) points of view.
It'd be missing the point, however, to classify the book solely as a food guide - the people and places covered are as important to the story (there is a well-developed narrative thread here) as the discussion of roux thickness and red bean selection. Matter of fact, if you aren't that interested in "foodie books" call it "memoir","regional interest" or even "humor". Just read it and have fun!
I've given it five stars, though I suppose I could nick a small piece off one of them for Roahen's mentioning a "pupusa hunt" in passing, but not including a chapter on the Latin scene (as she did the Vietnamese).

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me really homesick and I had to read it in small doses. Sara Roahen really GOT New Orleans and New Orleanians. I appreciated her passion for the food, history and people. I feel as if I grew up doing things a certain way in NOLA and didn't know why such wacky ways of doing things were rooted. Sara filled me in and I am grateful!

[Lisa Lawless · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author explains her affection for New Orleans and the food and makes me hungry for gumbo. It's very sad that so many of her anecdotes end with "they haven't re-opened since the storm."

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but mostly I learned a ton. Sara Roahen’s love for New Orleans is super evident and there are so many foods I want to try the next time I go: a non-roux gumbo, a sno-ball, Gulf oysters, braciole, ya-ka-mein, and a MIRLITON which is also a piece of produce and not just a Nutcracker thing (who knew?). The book is so well-researched that I could see how I’ve barely scratched the surface on my handful of visits, and Roahen covers more than just food. As a New Orleans transplant, she draws us in as fellow outsiders who really should learn about Sicilian heritage and Saint Joseph’s Day, the intricacies of calling yourself Creole, the Vietnamese population in New Orleans East, and the Krewe of Zulu if we’re to keep visiting and enjoying beignets and cemetery tours and drinking on the street. Each chapter gives a lot but also made me want to know more. For instance, there is so much heritage steeped in the food; are there people who exclusively eat in these traditional ways, e.g., red beans and rice every Monday or gumbo on Fridays, every week?

I want to revisit this book before I return, but definitely not yet – for some reason, it took me months to finish. The writing was fine (I wouldn’t call it a clean style, but Roahen is witty and careful and her metaphors are on point - I remember one about a blistered ballerina, which I obviously enjoyed), but there was something about the exhaustive detail that kept me from falling in.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a bit more out of this book. Although it is easily read and fairly well-written I would not tell anyone to run out and get it. We travel to New Orleans often. I was on a NO kick and grabbed this book.

She spends too much time gushing endlessly over a few obscure places and people without really bringing them into the whole story. She goes on and on and on about a shave ice place. Great, I get it. You really like ice with artificially-flavored & artificially-colored sugar water on it. And then there is some food critic, Tom, that she won't stop talking about even after admitting that he is not popular and often pretentious or misled at best.

The majority of Louisiana food is neither sophisticated nor complex. It is mostly simple, over-cooked foods dumped on a starch or it is deep-fried - take your pick. I enjoy the food most of the time while I am there and occasionally seek it out or make it when I am home. But Roahen speaks as if it is difficult to make and that the simplest things are worthy of lengthy commentary. I would love to see NO approach the food sophistication that other major US cities have by using quality, fresh ingredients. Try finding organic, locally grown anything down there. You can look for days and not find lettuce other than conventionally-grown iceberg. Whole wheat bread? Brown rice? Anything healthy?
She does offer a few great cooking tips and good story or two. I especially enjoyed her Mardi Gras tales.
Maybe my problem is just the toll New Orleans food takes on you after 10 days and has nothing to do with her stories. Maybe I just need a nice, simple salad every now and again as the author's friend does. Clean out the old digestive tract!

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love New Orleans. I love New Orleans food. So I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. In fact, I couldn't even finish it. I would start each chapter with enthusiasm and by the middle of the chapter I would find myself skimming, skipping pages and then just giving up and moving on to the next chapter with hopes that it would be somewhat more stimulating than the one I just finished.

If I had to pinpoint the problem, it would be that the author included much much too many minor details that were not relevant to or detracted from the story. For example, in the shaved ice chapter, she included memories of other shaved ices she has had in other states. Endlessly elucidating all the flavors that she's ever had in her whole life; which ones she likes the best; which ones her husband, cousin, sister, brother like; how heavenly it is to have shaved ice on a hot day, especially in Wisconsin...etc..

I remember a passage in that same chapter where she refers to an incident where her and her husband duck into a coffee shop on a rainy day somewhere in Texas or whatnot (I don't remember the actual state and I am not going to dig through the text to find out), but seriously folks, what does that have to do with New Orleans shaved ice?

The author should have focused only on the food, its origins and maybe one or two exceptional purveyors of those specialties in New Orleans.

The subject matter of the book is interesting, but it was executed poorly. It is worth reading if you don't mind multiple tangents, usually about the subject matter, but sometimes not. I just found it too distracting.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is one of those delightful reads that you dip in and out of and each time you get something a little different from it. Big picture, this is a love letter to New Orleans, depicted in the context of the food world - regional cuisine, restaurants, corner diners, local grocery stores, and more. The food writing in here is fantastic, in most chapters, I was drooling. I also appreciated the history she shared of the foods and the trips you took with her on the pages to the restaurants where the locals go. My only criticism would be that at times, she added a little too much detail when describing a food or dining experience and her point would have been more effectively made if she had been more concise.

In addition to the descriptions of the food and the numerous places to enjoy it in New Orleans, she also focused heavily on how food connects us to our neighbors. You get the experience of being a regular at the corner diner, running into good friends while out for dinner or drinks, gathering at a friend's house as you connect over an amazing meal. I loved reading about this aspect of "finding a place" - the way the food centered and anchored the connection.

The other thread that ran through the entire book was Katrina. The book was written shortly after the storm and the impact on the community is ever present in the writing - from the businesses that closed to the people that were themselves institutions in the neighborhoods - the impact was profound and goes beyond just the physical damage to the structures.

The book came out in 2008, so it's possible that some of these restaurants and diners are no longer in business, but I'm hopeful given the longevity that they experienced that I will still find them when I visit. My list of restaurants, cafes, and more for my upcoming trip is far longer than I would ever be able to get to in a week. I might need to plan a second trip.

[Megan Stroup Tristao]

"I was like those expats who eat France out of Camembert and croissants but continue to read Sartre in English. In Louisiana, cooking is a foreign language. It was time to step up."

Perfect read for my recent trip to New Orleans. It made me want to eat ALL THE THINGS even more than I already did. The book was published a while ago, so some restaurant information may be out of date. (Although it was published after Katrina and mentions some restaurants that never reopened.)

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I truly wanted to enjoy this book about a city I love, but it's unfortunate that the author celebrates one region by subjectively denigrating the food and culture of another; despite her Wisconsin roots, her sweeping generalizations and frequent condemnation of Midwestern food and culture reveals shallow research. I appreciated the thoughtful turns of phrase and personal, touching anecdotes, but ultimately this book would have benefited from tighter editing.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I missed all this New Orleans food. I feel schooled.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written memoir about the food scene in New Orleans both pre- and post-Katrina.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it through two chapters. Then I realized that each chapter would focus obsessively on one food item (gumbo, a certain cocktail...). It became boring.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 bk 387. This is a book in praise of the food of New Orleans - not necessarily the tourist spots, but the corner stores, the pop-up street vendors, the women who hold "suppers' to raise money for themselves, a church, or organization. The book looks at what was, what was in the immediate years after Hurricane Kristina, and what is hoped New Orleans will become. You can hear both the despair (when elderly restauranteurs/chefs die in reaction to the storm) and the hope, when families return to repair and open their homes away from homes.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only New Orleans travel guide you need. (Plus it’s occasionally funny.)

[Cinnamon · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like food or New Orleans history/culture you'll find this book interesting. The author breaks the book up into quintessential dishes and weaves in a mixture of restaurant reviews (pre and post The Storm) with history, cooking tips, and cultural explanations. I enjoyed reading it and could see myself reading it again. And there are quite a few dishes I'll be figuring out how to make after reading this book.

I reread this book just before a trip to New Orleans and as I read I wrote down every restaurant and every dish that was suggested at each restaurant and placed all the info onto a Google map. You can view it here: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=2...

I'm in New Orleans now and plan on putting up pins and info for every restaurant we eat at. I think this turns me into a crazy-food stalker, or just proves I have obsessive tendencies, but at least now I know my chances of a bad meal are reduced a touch.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book full of nostalgia and love of New Orleans living and cooking. It reminds me that anytime I feel lonesome for NOLA, all I have to do is cook up a mess of Louisiana cooking and invite over friends in order to bring back the best aspects of life in the Crescent City.

*Frankly, rereading Sara's exquisite book made it hard for me to read Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir. Her lucid writing, direct and pure passion for New Orleans and New Orleans cuisine is deeply felt on each page. I can't wait for her to write another book.

Also: "Food without a narrative just tasted like food."

(First read January 31, 2008)

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to find culinary inspiration for my upcoming trips to New Orleans and it did not disappoint. Several times while reading its lush descriptions of gumbo, sno-balls, crawfish, sazaracs, beignets, and other New Oreland delicacies, I realized my mouth was watering. This book was published in 2008 and reflections of hurricane Katrina and its aftermath figure heavily. The voicy, bloglike tone of of the book also mark it as a product of its time, which I mostly found charming. I did save several restaurants she recommends that are still operating and hope to take advantage of some when I visit.

[Jenaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

If, for some reason, you have an interest in who I am and how I got this way, you should read Gumbo Tales. I didn't know the author in New Orleans, although we resided in adjoining neighborhoods and had many of the same acquaintances. Roahen's education in po-boys, oysters, gumbo and other New Orleans specialties closely mirrored my own (although I had never heard of Ya-Ka-Mein). There is not one wrong note in this extremely charming and completely relevant look at eating - and living - in the most foreign of US cities.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I moved away from New Orleans in December 2016 but was here for the devastation of hurricane Katrina (the 12th anniversary was only one week ago) so my perception of the book is flavored by my memories. But speaking off flavoring .... the chapters / essays of the book can provoke so much mouthwatering by their descriptions of the foods and cultures of a great American city. Despite all its faults, the culture here has survived and this book brings it to life from a culinary perspective. Whether you live in New Orleans or are thinking of visiting, I highly recommend this book!

[Anjali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a very well-written book, perfect for a foodie or New Orleans-ophile. I didn't finish it though, since I got tired of reading about food after about 50 pages. There is, of course, more to this book than descriptions of food - the way the flavor of New Orleans is tied in with the flavor of the food is fascinating, so I will definitely re-attempt this book later. I must mention, that I've never been to New Orleans (though I plan to) so maybe that's a factor?

[Brodi Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book about food or the history of food and Sara a Roahen made me feel like I've been missing out! I loved every word, chapter and colorful exposition in this creative genius. Seriously, I was awestruck at how creative and captivating Sara was...maybe because I know her...but I do read LOTS of books! This is a must read and will have your jonesing for a trip to Nola...just to see the stories about food Sara does such a brilliant job of telling.

[Brokenshoelace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only wish I had the opportunity to experience New Orleans like the author did. I am literally jealous that I never had the all encompassing passion for the city, the food, and the culture she had. My only visit to New Orleans took place a few months before Katrina. I never got eat or see a fraction of what was written. The storm took away more than I ever knew or will ever possibly know.

[Bill Kte'pi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a memoir of eating in New Orleans by someone who moved there just after I did (and missed out on the same things I did) - someone who likewise moved there from the north, at that - is weird and cool, and most of the book feels like I could have written it myself, right down to the author's feelings about Tom Fitzmorris.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, where's my plane ticket? I *need* me some chicory cafe au lait, some gumbo, a sazerac. This book has some self conscious prose, but it also boasts some elegant turns of phrase bringing alive some of the best of American food and community.

[Aimée · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am about halfway through this book and think it is one of the worst pieces of trite prose I have ever had the displeasure of reading. I fall asleep with it in my hands every night. As a Louisiana History teacher, I thought I would love it. I do not.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone interested in the history of New Orleans cuisine. It also talks about some of the city's most well-known restaurants and deals with how they were impacted by Katrina. Having read this book, I am well equipped for tomorrow's trip to Louisiana!

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprise! I really liked this book. And I like the author who pours so much of herself into every page. So nice to read a positive take on this great old southern city.