Megan - NOLA Greetings

                  New Orleans gatherings brings lots together

Who Dats

Fat Tuesdays

Festivals

                 But what goes on at these events?

Cheers?

Tears?

               Who do you see?

Your mom?

Your neighbor?

A stranger?

               What do you say?

Happy Mardi Gras.

Where’s the Bathroom..?

Where are you from?

             Are you nervous to greet people?

No.

             Why not?

It’s New Orleans.

Megan, age 17

Ruthie - NOLA Greetings

In other cities they don't speak

and standing in line they just wait

for their coffee. And hurry off.

It takes me five minutes to get tea

but I know everyone in that shop.

In other cities they say they're southern

and they're proud that they say southern words

like y'all. If you are proud of using a pronoun

it's probably time to reevaluate what you 

find culturally significant. Because that's

just an everyday word around here.

In Egypt, you can greet a person by wishing them

"morning of light" or "morning of jasmine"

or other variants. In New Orleans we don't have

anything quite so romantic. But occasionally

who dat works just as well.

 

Ruthie, age 16

Jackie - NOLA Greetings

South hospitality truly does exist

In New Orleans, walking down the street

Might just be a way to describe the

Big easy.

You get a wink, smile, compliment, etc.

None of which is out of the norm for this

Southern city.

There is a vibe of happiness present,

Rather than a busy and uncaring vibe

That may be present in places like New York.

If someone gives a wink or smile there,

Most likely, they won’t get a wink or smile in return.

Southern hospitality is our specialty.

Jackie, age 16

Chelsea - NOLA Greetings

Y’all come back now, can be heard from many New Orleans places.

It is a sign of community

It is a sign family.

It shows that a patron is simply not another check in just another restaurant, but a member of a family
bigger than themselves.

To a New Orleanian, this is a fixture of home.

On any street corner at any given time of the day, a “new Orleans saying can be heard” and received
with a smiling face.

Here, there is no awkward small talk with the stranger on the corner, but a welcome into greater
community.

New Orleans would not be New Orleans if there were not hey m’a baby, nice to see y’all to today, or
y’all come back now.

These sayings make New Orleans such unique place.

Chelsea, age 15

Taylor - NOLA Greetings

While some say “Peace, Love, and Happiness” is the key to their city…

We say “Parties, Love, and Gumbo” are the key to ours.

While some say “Hey” to those they see walking down the street…

We say, “Who Dat!” to everyone we meet.

While some prefer to give a hug, say hey, and ask how was your day…

A simple head nod is all we got to say.

While some say, “Let’s have a party”…

We say, “Laissez les bons temps rouler !

No matter what the reason for the visit…

Others will probably say, “Welcome to our city, hope you have a nice stay.”

But We’ll always say, “Come on in, we know you’ll never wanna leave!”

Taylor, age 16

Ciara - NOLA Greetings

What is a girl to say when she doesn’t live in New Orleans
Should she speak to people or keep on her way
Should she stop to say hey or is that too friendly
In an unfamiliar place
How do you greet people to brighten up their day

Ciara, age 17

Francie - NOLA Greetings

The simple hi's and hello's are what makes New Orleans, the city we
all love.  We do not realize it, because we're so used to it, but we
are lucky to live in such a vibrant yet subtle city.  Most outsiders
would not classify New Orleans as a subtle town, since we are known by
most people as consisting of Bourbon Street and Bourbon Street only.
But for people who live in New Orleans, one of their favorite things
about the city is that they are able to walk down any street on a
beautiful day and be a part of a community.  There are many types of
greetings you can hear in New Orleans, but one of the most popular is
"How's it goin"?  These three words can immediately make your day.
You might not know this person, but knowing that they cared to
acknowledge your present is comforting.  You then take that and say it
to everyone you meet so you can spread this act of love.  Yes, this
may happen in other cities, but there is no other city that is home to
a better community than the one and only New Orleans.

Francie, age 17

Brittany - NOLA Greetings

Down in New Orleans, it is common for a complete stranger to say “Where y’at?”This commonly
means “How are you?” It is an act of someone being nice or concerned or just too simply start
conversation. One of the best aspects of New Orleans is how we can all have this common saying that
only we understand. When travelling to areas outside of southern Louisiana, it feels like something is
missing when a stranger asks, “How are you?” We understand what the stranger is asking, but it doesn’t
feel right. The saying “Where y’at?” reminds me of home and is something that links us together.

Brittany, age 17

Camille - NOLA Greetings

The most memorable greeting in New Orleans began around four years ago when the Saints were finally
a team our city could be proud of. You’d hear it in the streets, at parties, and especially on a Sunday. If
anyone had a speck of black and gold they would immediately get this calling. If the response wasn’t an
echo of the person’s call, the wearer of the black and gold would undoubtedly receive death stares until
they left the room or turned the corner. A “Who Dat!” call should always be followed by a “Who Dat!
Reply….

Camille, age 17

Torre - NOLA Greetings

Season’s greetings
Only over a hundred degrees
Seeing as the difference between winter to spring
Is only three degrees
Regardless of the season
The Southern Hospitality is all the same
With the warm welcomes and casual “hey y’all” to strangersand loved ones alike
And the recent screeches of FREE SEAN ringing throughoutevery inch of the city
Whatever the greeting is, the attitudes are all the same
That shape our city, our New Orleans community

Torre, age 17

Sarah-Ford - NOLA Greetings

HEY YALL is common here

With every word you will hear

This crazy word that doesn’t make sense

You will read it on every fence

To you this may sound crazy

And some of yall may thing we are lazy

For combining two words into one

But this simply is our way of saying

We welcome you and greet you well

We hope you stay in our city and yell

HEY YALL

Sarah-Ford, age 17

Leira - NOLA Greetings

A tourist may arrive
In New Orleans to find
That the Southern Hospitality
Heard of in many guide books
Is proven true by our greetings
Short and friendly people
Always willing to talk
With any who gives his/her ear

But wait, pause a moment

That is not always true
Another tourist may find
That it does not exist
This kindness of the South
Yet it does
Yet it does not
But the tourists themselves
May not yet realize
That one cannot simply
Apply a single standard
To every person in this city
As that would be unfair
One cannot assume
That an entire city
Can always be kind
That this Hospitality
Is seen in every Southerner

But note:

This Southern Hospitality
It does still exist
The people of New Orleans
Are still interesing
And still kind
The city still greets
That wayward tourist
Trapping them but also
Welcoming them
Hoping that this city
Shows enough Hospitality
For which the South is infamous
To convince each visitor
That this historic place
Also called the Big Easy

Is worth returning to
To experience again
A real city
Unlike any other
With its own nice people
And the unavoidable mean ones
But real Southern people
That will at the least
Greet a tourist
In their Southern drawl
With a friendly "Hey, ya'll"

Leira, age 17

Molly - NOLA Greetings

While you are walking around you may expect to hear, “Hello, how are you?” or “What’s up?”

In New Orleans we greet each other a little bit differently.

My dad will answer the phone with “Where y’at?”

My nanny says, “Hey baby! How you doin’?”

My friends and I say, “Hey y’all!”

My friends’ parents say, “How’s ya mom an ‘em?”

The old woman at the checkout says, “Hey dawl.”

My neighbors say to each other, “Hey Mike! I saw your sister and em while I was making
groceries! Her kids are such dawlins, growing up to be such pretty ladies!”

The warm welcomes that people will find around New Orleans, whether it be from a stranger or
a friend, are the more unique and warmer than anywhere else.

Molly, age 15

Megann - NOLA Greetings

Try walking through the French Market. 

"Hey baby! How you doin'?"

What about walking down Magazine, Prytania, Frenchman,

"Hey! How're you?* Great day, ain't it?" (*Pronounced "How you?") 

Take a walk down St. Charles on Mardi Gras day.

"Happy Mardi Gras!!!*" (*Pronounced "Mawdi Graw")

Keep an eye out for these greetings. They are colorful, and come in all shapes and sizes. If while in New Orleans, you find yourself wandering aimlessly down our pothole ridden streets, you will most likely be welcomed with a heavily accented, smiley greeting, delivered with precise "New Orleans grammar." But when words are not enough or when words are not available, you see a different kind of hello.

The tuba player in front of the Cathedral:

Wink, wink, hat tip.

The break dancer on the corner of Bourbon and Toulouse:

Nod, nod, smile. 

No matter where you go, what you do, who you see, I guarantee that someone will stop to simply say,"hello."

Megann, age 17

Ashley - NOLA Greetings

Not every hello is a smile and a wave,
Not every hello is a cheerful praise.
Sometimes it’s a wink or a blink or a “Yo!”
Sometimes it’s a nod or even a bow.
It can be a grumble or mumble or sigh.
It can be a peace sign or even a whine.
Whatever the case, our greetings are true
Since they are based solely on our mood.
Hate it or love it that is the way
That people in New Orleans greet each day.

Ashley, age 16

Darby - NOLA Greetings

Walk in, anywhere,
and “Hey y’all!”
can be heard.
Someone screams
at the top of their lungs,
in order to make it sincere.
It already was though. 

Greetings
say a lot about someone,
and in New Orleans,
the place we call home,
they are a part of life.
They say kindness,
happiness.

They’re for people we know,
and those we don’t,
everyone. 
If you aren’t from here,
we’re crazy until you begin to understand:
it doesn’t matter who you are,
we’ll do it no matter what.

Darby, age 17

Caroline - NOLA Greetings

When I think of New Orleans

I don’t just think of Bourbon Street

I think of Southern Hospitality

People in the south

They’re warm and welcoming to the visitors

Our salutations are meaningful

That doesn’t mean we’re corny and mushy

We just know how to have a good time

And that’s not all

Wherever we turn

We’re able to accept the people around us

People don’t forget their experience in our city

And it’s because no one is like us

It’s a venture you’ll never forget

Caroline, age 16

Anonymous - NOLA Greetings

 “N’awlin’s” greetings are definitely not typical. By just visiting New Orleans once, one will be able to tell that the people of New Orleans possess their own tone, rhythm, and slang language. This distinctive dialect is native to the city and reveals its ethnic history and tradition. New Orleanians can interpret several of these talks while one who is not familiar with our lingo could be completely lost. Here are some of the most commonly used slang words that one must know before come to New Orleans:

"Throw Me Something, Mister!" 

This is constantly yelled at during parades to get throws from the people riding the floats!

 "WHO DAT!"

 “Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?”  Anyone who lives near New Orleans will definitely know this chant. It is the main chant shouted during the football season. 

 “Y'at” 

Often translated into one that lives in New Orleans and who contains all aspect of this distinct culture

“Sno-ball"

The most fulfilling object on a hot , sunny, summer day. It is shaved iced served with flavored ice.

“Po-boy”

            This is the not so typical sandwich of New Orleans.  

Anonymous, age 16

Haley - NOLA Greetings

New Orleans Greetings: 

In New Orleans, one is always greeted with smiling faces.
Walking down the street and saying hello to people you don’t know is far from out of the ordinary.
Friends are made instantly.
Laughs are shared frequently.
New Orleanians are unlike any others.
They are unique.
They are genuine.
They are open to new faces/ideas.
This kind of attitude is a large part in shaping the intriguing culture of New Orleans, our home.   

Haley, age 15

Anonymous - NOLA Greetings

NEW ORLEANS GREETINGS:

In New Orleans we know everyone,

With that said, we greet everyone as a friend rather than a stranger

With smiles, waves, winks,

Anything really…

Hugs are also not uncommon,

In fact,

People usually jump at the chance to hug anyone and everyone in New Orleans,

I guess other tourists may think it is weird but here in NOLA,

It is simply tradition. 

Anonymous, age 17

Anonymous - NOLA Greetings

New Orleans Greetings
Come on in, let us brighten that smile.
Looks like you haven’t eaten in a while.
We’ve got air condition and room to spare.
Here, rest your feet, and sit in this chair.
With our crawfish gumbo, and po-boys galore,
Every Friday you’ll come crashing through our door.
Our Cajun styled food will just hit the spot,
With our generosity, on your list, we will always be on top.
As one can see New Orleans greetings are warm and fair,
Even if it is just to offer up a chair.
With generosity and a couple of bites or so,
I know that, from New Orleans, I could never go.

Anonymous, age 17

Anonymous - NOLA Greetings

Some may say New Orleans has a language of its own. Well, that is true. Where I come from, we
greet everyone with a big ole’ bear hug. We talk about our days as if we have known the person for
ever. There is no shyness between a New Orleanian and a “foreigner.” After we greet y’all we will ask
you if you want food, and stare at you as if you have two heads if you decline our offer. (If there is an
opportunity for food, you take it. End of story.)

When walking down the street we always say hey to everyone. If we see a group of tourists
exploring our grave yards or riding on our streetcars, we will probably greet them with a loud “WHO
DAT!?” If you don’t respond with “Who dat say they gunna beat the Saints,” you will most likely be
stared down. We ask “Where ya at?” all the time.

Although we have our weird ways of greeting strangers or simply talking to our neighbors, New
Orleans’ natives are the friendliest, nicest, coolest people you will ever want to meet. Okay, maybe I’m
biased, but we are pretty far up there on the list. So come down to the Crescent City that never sleeps,
and when you leave y’all better come back now, ya hear?

Anonymous, age 15

Courtney - NOLA Greetings

New Orleans greetings
So friendly
So genuine
So automatic
happening in restaurants,
Hotels, and parties
they always make you feel welcome
Unlike any other city
Where greetings are forced
New Orleans makes it warm
And welcoming

Courtney, age 17

Mikaela - NOLA Greetings

I went down south to New Orleans
To get myself some good Red Beans

The lady was friendly and told me to come on in
In her sweet old accent I was told “Come in so we can let the good times roll”

I was treated swell even when I walked down the streets
Even people I didn’t know treated me well and gave me treats

I will never forget New Orleans
The home of the sweetest people in the world

Mikaela, age 15

Brooke - Mardi Gras

The problem is the to. We are going to…followed by place

Down in New Orleans. After the carnival has passed

and the tourist, who screamed in our ears for plastic

and stuffed animals, who have left the streets encrusted

with particles of themselves left over from the fight for

a coconut or a moon pie wrapper, have left for good.

We love that place, where the blues was born, where

the food is good and ethanol can swish around in cups

open to the air, for children to smell. They say in voices thick

with far, far away. And in New Orleans they transform into

people I don’t like. They wouldn’t like. Why does the city I

love allow foreigners to entice her with the economic promise

of tourism , with the empty promise of we’ll come back. Because

the people who love her back are forever sinking Down into New

Orleans. But she can never know. She will continue to endure

the foolishness of strangers. And we will continue to clean up.

Brooke, age 17