New Orleans Conference

Food served a key role in New Orleans' recovery

Five and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has again restored its position as a top destination for those looking for affordable apartments to rent, primarily because of the community's burgeoning food scene.

CNN's Eatocracy reports food is what helped keep the city together during the aftermath of the devastating storm, partly out of necessity, but also because to New Orleans residents, maintaining long-held food traditions was important to maintaining their identity. Many of the business owners who once fished the Gulf of Mexico for its shrimp and seafood or ran the city's restaurants saw their livelihoods come to a halt as a result of the storm, but they've since been able to lead the city's resurgence through its delicious cuisine. Restaurants have reopened one at a time, and each one has come with its own celebration.

"No matter if it was a little sandwich shop or a grand place, each restaurant that reopened was a little bit of victory, " Poppy Tooker, a local radio host and cooking instructor, told the source. "Customers would be crying when they saw each other; they hadn't known who was still alive."

Today, the city is on the road to being rebuilt, and its dynamic cuisine is one of the major draws for both tourists and those looking for New Orleans cheap apartments, said the report.

Part of what makes New Orleans food so vibrant is its alluring mix of flavors. Most know of its French influences, but over time, Spanish, African and Indian tastes began to seep into the cuisine and formed a unique New Orleans flavor that is all its own. Additionally, food enthusiasts in New Orleans used the Catholic calender as a way to define occasions where they could celebrate their food heritage and even invent their own dining-based holidays.

"It transcends gender and race, " Tooker said. "You walk down the street and you hear everyone talking about what they ate and where they got it. It might be a group of women. It could be a bunch of businessmen talking about the meat they shot and how they're going to cook it. It's just everybody."

With Mardi Gras around the corner, the full breadth of New Orleans culture and dining will be on display. The annual celebration begins in early March leading up until Fat Tuesday, when those in New Orleans cheap apartments will truly be able to enjoy the city's delightful cuisine.

Jim Sarone is a writer for My Cheap Apartments specializing in <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mycheapapartments.com">cheap apartments</a>and the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mycheapapartments.com">affordable housing</a>markets.

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