Brooke - NOLA Myths

No. You cannot take a taxi here.
Bareback on alligator or perot
But the former only if the location is near
Nawlins tourists, here we go.

Don’t expect to find chicken or to wash
Swallow when you can getcha some gator or bull frog
Served up with a side of grammatical goulash
Does it look funny? It’s not like we would eat a dog.

You really shouldn’t drink the water
Cause Lord knows, how much it is mudded
Can’t come to the Fait Dos Dos, daughter
Ya’ll know I can’t leave because my house is still flooded.

For the record we don’t bury the dead
We’ll keep you in a little white house indefinitely
Why, how could a person rest in peace rotting in lead?
Fear not, your bones can be used for voodoo sorcery.

Brooke, age 17

Courtney - NOLA Myths

Nola myths
Voodoo queens, French
quarter ghosts, and mardi gras madness. Some of the most
well known mysteries
repeated over the years
by people not from the city
These myths plague
Nola with more
stereotypes than
one can count
But it is the true
Essence of New Orleans
that dispels these lies
Family, football, food,
and fortune allow this
city to thrive on something
More than just counterfeit
Thoughts and ideas
It is the true traditions
Of Nola that counteract
These lies

Courtney, age 17

Jackie - NOLA Myths

It is a common myth for foreigners of New Orleans

To think that this is a city of

Sorrow due to the horrid event of Katrina,

But to inform those who are unaware,

This event occurred more than 5 years ago.

Although the citizens are grateful for the help and volunteering occurring,

Think of more than just sorrow and pity when thinking of New Orleans.

Let alone, it is a known fact that New Orleans is a

City of hope, change, tradition, and fun.

Nevertheless, it is a tradition to have fun when in this great city.

Even though the people of the great place

Have gone through much despair,

Those people have all found a way to find the beauty and fun that this city allows for there to be.

Thus, it is a myth that there is too much misery in this town, along with fun.

But, personally, I think that it’s the opposite. There is more fun and beauty than misery.

Jackie, age 16

Bizzy - NOLA Myths

Stereotypes of New Orleans

really, there are too many to list.

They drink, they party, they’re fat, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

People thousands of miles away judge us, think of us, stare at us, gawk at us, point at us and laugh—
they believe they know who we are from the television they watch,

they love to view us, like people at a zoo,

without real knowledge, they make speculations.

Now, we can say that they are wrong, but that would, in some ways, make us wrong too.

Because yes, some of us with very high blood alcohol levels slurp from tall, plastic, cups,

yes, some of us dance down Bourbon street on Saturday nights, and into Sunday mornings,

yes, some of us may have a slightly higher daily caloric intake than the average American,

Don’t the stereotypes have to come from some deep-seated truth?

Don’t we admit, to ourselves, when no foreigners are around…

that the large, stumbling man over there has had a little too much fun.

Bizzy, age 17

Shealynn - NOLA Myths

People assume big parties in the Big Easy are during Mardi Gras

That the hauntings and ghosts aren’t real

That crime is rampant and we haven’t gotten over Katrina;

Well I’ll show you the true New Orleans

Where we find every excuse to throw a party or a parade

From birthdays to Superbowl wins to holidays;

The city that inspired Interview with a Vampire

And where Halloween is taken to a whole new level

The French Quarter is better than ever before and even more beautiful

Many places one would never know a hurricane ran through

Because we’ve come back better and stronger,

So what are you waiting for?

Shealynn, age 17

Megan - NOLA Myths

New Orleans is the murder capital of the country. I have lived in this city for sixteen years and
until recently would say that this was a myth. I have never witnessed a murder. I have never been scared
to walk around my city or drive around it, but now the media and headlines like “Monday Murders”
have me agreeing with people around the country. This is no longer just a myth. Us New Orleanians live
for our misconceptions. I love the tourists who come in for Mardi Gras thinking that we all get drunk all
the time going to Bourbon and then to the swamp for some Gumbo. We rise above our reputation, and
are better than the myths that surround the city, but when a myth becomes a reality, it starts to concern
me. I hope someday that instead of “Monday Murders” we could just have “Monthly Murders,” but
either way New Orleans will make the best out of it. The party never stops in the Big Easy.

Megan, age 16

Mikaela - NOLA Myths

Entering the world that New Orleans withholds

We established a culture that we can call our own

From the outsiders point of view it is told

We party all night and at noon we go home

This statement isn’t valid?

No work?

What a tragic!

The Big Easy is not measly a party palace

We are so well known for letting the good times roll

People overlook the hard work that we put into our homes

They may overlook the foundation of our happy soul

Which is we rebuilt this city and for that we rejoice!

Mikaela, age 15

Maeve - NOLA Myths

I. AM. A. BEAST.

I eat three dozen beignets

EVERY day.

I eat a hot sausage po-boy for lunch

and drown it with a cup of café au lait,

then scarf down two dozen oysters

to feed my ferocious appetite.

Wait,

no that’s a lie.

I had a yogurt and some goldfish.

Though I may not have eaten a beignet in three months,

I am still from NOLA.

Maeve, age 17

Ashley - NOLA Myths

No, I don’t have a pet alligator

I don’t live in the bayou

I don’t take a canoe or an airboat to school

I don’t shoot my own dinner every night

I don’t carry a shotgun

I don’t ride a trolley

I don’t eat “bag-nets” or “pray-lins”

I don’t walk around shirtless at Mardi Gras

I don’t go to Bourbon street and get wasted every night

I’m not a cannibal because I eat “poor-boys”

I go to church, not voodoo rituals

I ain’t stupid, I be edumacated and I no tawk Cajun y’all

So stop stereotyping New Orleanians. Because even though you may not understand us, we’re
awesome.

Ashley, age 17

Estelle - NOLA Myths

The Big Easy

The first things that come to many people’s minds when theythink about New Orleans are Mardi Gras, Bourbon St, partying, street cars, café du monde, and a whole lot of fun. Yes, those are all very important characteristics about New Orleans but there is more to the city than just drunken madness. Many tourists come to New Orleans thinking that downtown is all there is to the city. They come for the food, the architecture, the music, andto see what it is all about. Whenever someone finds out I'm from New Orleans, their reactions are all the same: “Oh my God! You’re from New Orleans! I went to a wedding there once! It was crazy! You must be such a crazy party girl!” If you ever have second thoughts about coming to New Orleans just remember, it’s called “The Big Easy.” How bad can it be?

Estelle, age 16

Annie - NOLA Myths

“So you’re from New Orleans?”

“Yea, why?”

“Oh I’ve just heard a lot about New Orleans.”

“Like what?”

“Well just that people there are crazy and they all flash for beads at Mardi Gras and they get drunk all
the time and go to the French Quarter.”

“Oh well that isn’t true.”

“What do you mean.”

“First of all, we aren’t crazy, we are just New Orleanians and we are an amazing and special group of
people. Second, not many people flash for Mardi Gras beads. It’s mostly really drunk tourists who think
that is what you are supposed to do for beads. Third, most of us don’t go to the Quarter a lot.  It’s more
of a cultural tourist center, but we do go there to celebrate big things like the Superbowl. New Orleans
may have some crazy people but it’s the best place I’ve ever lived and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

“Oh wow I never knew that New Orleans was such a great place. I need to go there and visit sometime.”

Annie, age 16

Anonymous - NOLA Myths

NOLA Myths

We drink booze, we forget shoes and we arrive home in twos

We may be crazy but were no more crazy than you

Take Kansas for example with all of the-

“Do you drink beer?” or some of the...  “Do you carry a gun for fear?”

Well, considering I’m 10

No.

Anonymous, age 17

Jade - NOLA Myths

New Orleans isn't what everyone thinks it's out to be.
Partying every night? We actually go to school and learn.
Bourbon every night? I've been on Bourbon with my mom twice.
Being on the roofs fighting for our lives during Katrina? I left before.
VooDoo? I've never even been to a fortune teller.
Sleeping outside in tents for Mardi Gras? Never done that either.

There's more to New Orleans than the spooky fortune tellers and the
crazy parties.

Jade, age 15

Torre - NOLA Myths

NOLA Myths

 Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a city. Over the years, this city grew and grew and gained a reputation for itself. People came far and wide to visit and city and see if the myths they heard were true. Doesn't everyone live on a swamp? Well, of course everyone lives on a swamp, where day to day tasks that involved traveling required for one to jump in their air boat and drive to the local grocery store to “make groceries.” There, in that grocery store, is where the truth was discovered about life in this city. As you turned into each isle, there was an abundance of king cakes on the walls, even in July. Next to the king cakes lay ingredients for gumbo, jambalaya, and beignets, seeing as those are the only foods the people of this foreign city eat. If one would turn to their right in this store, an extraordinary voodoo ritual would be going on, naturally. There are even “How to Start a Voodoo Ritual” kits on every shelf. As you proceed to check out, there are usual ghosts of every nature, good or bad, in line that one could chat with while waiting to be checked out- your typical Monday afternoon. After one of these natives to this strange city is done making groceries, their first instinct is to drive their air boat to the French Quarter, or more specifically Bourbon Street. After all, it is Monday, and one must visit Bourbon Street every day of the week. Did you not know that?! But one must return home early- can’t forget to feed the pet alligator! As the sun goes down and night jumps out over Lake Pontchartrain, Cajun lullabies slowly caress each resident of this city into a deep sleep. As the sun rises, this routine repeats itself again. And again.  Everyone from various states knows of this city. It’s New Orleans of course! This is the daily routine of a typical New Orleanian, isn’t it? I’m glad we have those misconceptions about New Orleans straightened out now.

Torre, age 17

Meredith - NOLA Myths

Trolley

Vampires

Year round beads

Voodoo

Frahnzsay

Good times guaranteed

Ghost

Bourbon street

Laissez les bon temps rouler

*Myth Busted*

Meredith, age 16

Grace - NOLA Myths

Camp friend: “So do you guys pay to get into Mardi Grass?”
Me: “No it’s free.”
Camp friend: “Well I don’t get it, so there are drunken men riding around on trucks?”
Me: “Exactly how I would describe it” (sarcasm).
Drunken men, blaring tunes,
Packed crowds and uncontrolled chaos
Phrases that depict the indescribable atmosphere through the words of…
Outsiders or so called foreigners,
All bewildered, puzzled by the thoughts of “Mardi Grass.”
Myths can only create the reaction of a New Orleanian: uncontainablelaughter.

Grace, age 16

Haley - NOLA Myths

“Oh, so you live in New Orleans? You must be crazy!”

It’s common for one to associate a New Orleanian with Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, and
extensive crime.

Let’s be realistic:

1. No, I don’t go out to Bourbon Street during the week let alone on the weekends.
2. The French Quarter is an awesome/cultural place to be but most people spend their time in
their own area.
3. No, I don’t have to freak out every time I walk outside my house worrying that I will get shot.

New Orleans is one of the most soulful, heartfelt cities there is. There really isn’t anything like it.

“New Orleans: proud to call it home!”

Haley, age 15

Katie - NOLA Myths

“Hey I am from New Orleans”
“So do you go to Bourbon St. every night?”
“No”
“So does everyone run around naked at night in the French Quarter”
“Um… No”
“What’s that weird thing you say? Oh yeah, Who dat and d’em.Is there a genetically mutated part of your speech where you are programmed to just say grammatically incorrect words?”
“Ok that’s kind of insulting, and no.”
“Do you flash to get beads at Mardi Gras?”
“Definitely not!”
“Do you realize that the Saints are incredibly overrated andthat Drew Brees is getting pretty old?”
“Just walk away and don’t talk to me anymore”
“Is everyone just drunk all the time?”
“No, did you think about that question before you asked it?”
“How are you doing since Katrina? Isn’t it still pretty bad?I mean I don’t know if y’all are going to going to comeback?”
“We are coming back, and better!”
-         These are all true questions that I have had to respond to while traveling to other states. The truth is that everyone wants to judge New Orleans and make up stereotypes, but they can’t touch New Orleans and what it means to the people that live here.

Katie, age 16

Victoria - NOLA Myths

The Amalgamative Definition of a Typical New Orleanian=
            [insert god-awful gangster-Cajun accent]

           swims wit dem alligators in dere backyard
           conducts dose voodoo rituals every Friday night
           all-day drinker, all-night partyer
           juz like Britnay Spears or Lil’ Wayne
          (minus the bank account—we freeze all our cash)

         On da weekends, juz fa fun, dey loot dat local Best Buy...
         And when they done finished,
         They hang at dat house on da corner haunted by
         Dos’ evil spirits.

lives and breathes New Orleans,
Flaunts their “ya’ll” like no other,
Pretends like they do not know how to spell the word “geaux” right,
And would die before associating themselves with a Falcon’s fan.

But most of all, living in New Orleans
Means ignoring what all those clearly mis-informed people say
In favor of letting our good times roll.

Victoria, age 17

Caroline - NOLA Myths

It takes a lifetime in New Orleans to even begin to know how to accurately describe it. The reason there are so many myths about this unique place is because anyone who has experienced it is burning with the desire to share it with people around them. I feel like it is almost safe to say nearly everyone in the US is aware of New Orleans’ wild reputation. The reason I say this is because I come from New Orleans I have developed the ability to engage in conversation with anyone. For example on the ski lift, you and the stranger you’re sitting with will go through the typical “so where are you from?” conversation. There has never been an instance where I have received a “WOW! That is so cool!” reaction. But of course, it is followed by a bunch of questions involving the myths of the city and Hurricane Katrina. I do my very best to explain to them my personal experience involving the myths but I by no means am capable of speaking on behalf of the whole city for there is not one myth I can even think of that does not come from some ounce of truth. Mardi Gras is the craziest time of year, I have participated in quite a few second lines, I do eat red beans and rice on a weekly basis, etc. I think in order for one to dispel a myth they’ll just have to come here and see for themselves.

Caroline, age 15

Maura - NOLA Myths

“IM SWASTED IN DA 504”

Oh, how we love tourists

Tourists come, tourists go

Our drunken stereotype always stays, it never goes

It’s a part of us, mostly true, but mostly false

Sure New Orleans has some drinks, but we know how to keep it in

Tourist don’t

They think they can hang, but how wrong they are.

We are not the drunken swamp people as many may think

We have much more to offer then drive through daiquiris and Bourbon street

We are just New Orleanians

We cannot be defined

That’s just a simple fact

Maura, age 16

Anonymous - NOLA Myths

The voodoo queen

Works while singing

She makes gumbo and pie

It is so good oh my

But really there is no queen

She simply is the resident of New Orleans

A mother to three

Oh how she is talented, yippee.

Anonymous, age 16

Ashley - NOLA Myths

Not everyone owns a gun.
Not everyone loses a loved one.
It’s not a game of warfare.
There still exists love in this New Orleans air.
Although there are some crimes,
There are also happy times.
And I am proud to stay here, without any fear, in the city that I love.

Ashley, age 16

Elizabeth - NOLA Myths

New Orleans Myths

I live in New Orleans so therefore I must
       Own a pet alligator
       Eat beignets every day
       Wear Mardi Gras beads year round
       Live in the Bayou
       Practice voodoo
These New Orleans myths couldn’t be anything further from the truth
No one owns pet alligators
       No one eats beignets every day
             Only tourists wear Mardi Gras beads year round
      Most people don’t live in the Bayou
And I guarantee that there are very few people who actually practice voodoo
Well I guess every place has its stereotypes right?
One must live in the city before truly understanding what
New Orleans is about
Everyone assumes all we do is party on Bourbon
There’s so much more to the city than that
Great food and music, Supporting the Saints, A feeling of family and community, and an
Atmosphere of happiness
There is no other city like New Orleans

Elizabeth, age 16

Holly - NOLA Myths

Everyone believes they know what life in New Orleans is all about,
But more than likely they have no idea what they are saying.

I can guarantee that very few, if any, people have pet alligators.
I can guarantee that an airboat is not a common form of transportation.
I can guarantee that there are other things to do besides going to Bourbon.
I can guarantee that not everyone speaks a form of Cajun dialect.
I can guarantee that it is not a New Orleans meal unless a bay leaf or Tony Chachere's was used.

And while most may not believe it, there is a sense of family among the people of New Orleans.
There is a love for music that goes unmatched by any other city.
The satisfaction of eating a beignet in Jackson Square never changes.
The Lucky Dog man is always smiling and the Roman Candy man welcomes all to his carriage.
And one is always able to strike up a conversation with a stranger by saying "how bout dem
Saints?"

The list of what's New Orleans goes on, but the one thing that never changes is the fact
That when everyone comes together, the city is unstoppable.

Holly, age 17

Ruthie - NOLA Myths

It would be very easy to dispel myths about New Orleans (no, we don’t go to Bourbon on school nights, sorry, I don’t eat king cake in July, nope, Mardi Gras beads are just for Mardi Gras, not everyone has an accent, for God’s sake my house isn’t still flooded, I’ve never seen a voodoo ritual, I don’t believe the Jackson Square fortune tellers, I have not and will never see a ghost, and yes, there is more to New Orleans than the French Quarter) but there would be no fun in that, right?

Ruthie, age 16

Ciara - NOLA Myths

That is the only place where people can have fun.
That is the only place where people know how to party
All the crazy people are there
You have to go there to have fun
That is where everyone one wants to be
These are the things that most people believe New Orleans to be
There’s much more to it to just parting and having fun
There are caring people
A love of the Saints
The common theme of the love of those Saints
That brings people together and make them feel as a family

Ciara, age 17

Francie - NOLA Myths

Party Hard, or Hardly Partying?

It's funny,
people hear you're from New Orleans,
and their thought immediately goes to Bourbon Street.
What's it like partying every night?

Well, I wouldn't know.
I barely step foot in the french quarter,
unless it is for a Saints Game.
People assume that the french quarter is New Orleans.

They do not know,
that there is much more to the city than that.
Don't get me wrong,
we still like to have fun, just not always in the quarter.

Francie, age 17

Leira - NOLA Myths

If I had decided to ask any of you
What it is that all of us do
You might reply, as most of you would
That we in New Orleans all eat seafood
Of course you are right, at least to a point
Many eat anything served in the joint
Po'Boys, Jambalaya, Gumbo and Tony's mix
All can be served with seafood in a fix
But still you should know
That is not always so
At least to us few
Who enjoy what we do
Just minus the food fished out of the sea
As never has fried shrimp tasted good to me
I've tried catfish and crawfish and tuna alike
Yet none have convinced me they tasted alright
Either squishy or clammy or just plainly smell
Seafood makes my stomach wish to expell
But now that I've cleared up
This small local myth mix-up
Think back on your on your favorite treats
And tell me if they ever included read beets

Leira, age 17

Anonymous - NOLA Myths

They say that all of them walk the streets.
With a soul in their hearts,
Feeling the jazz music from their head to their feet.
So much mystery lies in the heart of this city,
But what of all the rumors?
Those who view our city, and think of pity.
It is a shame that our city is viewed as dirty,
Another that is looked at as a city of crime.
But through our heart and soul, we will always shine.
Who dat.

Anonymous, age 16

Lillie - NOLA Myths

No, your visit to Bourbon will not be the highlight of your trip.
                (those sketchy blocks are the dirtiest your feet will ever see)
No, I don’t have an alligator in my backyard.
               (that would be inconvenient seeing as most people have only grass patches in the front)
No, we don’t eat beignets every morning.
               (those actions would lead to a serious over intake of sugar and most likely diabetes)
No, ghosts don’t roam the streets.
               (the carriage driver probably didn’t even read the pamphlet of historical facts)
No, New Orleans is not constantly under threat of drowning.
               (although if or when it is, we will all be ready to float on in our decked out houseboats)

Lillie, age 17

Brittany - NOLA Myths

My family is not a typical New Orleans Family. Most of the Cajun myths about New Orleanians actually apply to my family (crazy family members, strange pets). Because of this I chose a myth that applies to many people that live near New Orleans. A common myth is that if you say you are from New Orleans people assume that means you live downtown in the French quarter. We hear questions like, oh so you can walk to go eat beignets every morning before attending mass at the cathedral? And if you are truly a typical New Orleanian, like me, most of the time you live on the West bank, Uptown, Metairie, or Harahan. People often think the west bank is like driving to Texas.  Trust me, Texas is a lot farther. So to the people that think I live as far as Texas, where do people in Mandeville live? Canada?

Brittany, age 17

Lucy - NOLA Myths

Overall, I feel like a lot of people in general think our city is well, bad. I think New Orleans
is commonly pegged as the place where people get drunk or shot. After calling this my home
for sixteen years, I can proudly say that New Orleans is none of the above. Yes, we know how
to have fun and yes, we’re culturally diverse. Do you have a problem with that? I guess most
tourists don’t understand why we take so much pride in this city, and it is okay…you won’t
after your first time down. New Orleans is a complicated, misunderstood place, but that is all
explicable since there is, in fact, no other place in the United States quite like it. I think myths of
drinking 24/7 or horrible crime rates arise by out-of-towners because really they are just jealous
of what New Orleans has to offer: A fun, diversified time.

Lucy, age 17

Anonymous - NOLA Myths

have you eveR been at home alone
and heard a wolf’s howl loud enough to make yOu jump?
have you ever disobeyed yoUr parents wish
and been scared to death for who miGht come?
have you ever made an easy lenten promise
in feAr of coming up too short?
if any one of these is tRue,
then you must know the story of
ole’ rougarou.
the werewolf whO comes out at night looking for you,
hoping he might get a taste of that precious blood.
you better rUn fast as light or rougarou will get you!

Anonymous, age 15

Taylor - NOLA Myths

Through the tangled web of talk that constantly goes in one ear and out the other we
find ourselves picking up only bits and pieces of the story, and herein lies the problem where
so called “myths” begin to creep in. I think it’s time that we begin to untangle this web of mess
and set things straight about the way we really work down here…

Yes, we do seem to have a distinct way of communication, but No it’s not with a long
drawl or the stereotypical southern twang.

Yes, the names of some of our streets are in French, but the truth is we barely speak
English around here let alone French.

Yes, we know how to make a good time out of any situation and party hard but we are
still respectable people who at some point put the balloons and cake away and wake up to go
to school where we do actually, in the midst of all the fun, learn something.

Yes, I go to a private school but until we evacuated I thought this was totally normal,
guess not. To set the situation straight, we are not all rich, and snobby, there just aren’t many
options around here.

Yes, I have gone to a voodoo Football game but that’s about as far as our voodoo
obsession actually goes, though I’m sure there are a few people around the city who do take
their voodoo quite seriously.

Finally yes I was here during Katrina, No my house did not float away while my family
and I sat on the roof waving a white flag which read, “S.O.S!”, and for the last time NO I DID
NOT DIE!

Taylor, age 16

Megann - NOLA Myths

This is for clarification. Yes, I am a Cajun. However, I do not address everyone as “Cher bébé.” Do I like my spicy food? Of course. Do I smother my morning eggs and cup of coffee in avalanches of cayenne pepper? That, however is a firm no. In fact, my list of firm no’s is probably as long as my right arm. Here are a few from the top ten. Keep in mind that some of these answers are in response to questions that people have indeed asked me.  No, I do not live in the bayou. No, I do not own a pet nutria and or alligator. No, I do not show up to school in an airboat. No, my last name is not Boudreaux or something really really French. No, I do not eat alligator head sandwiches for lunch, and no, I do not enjoy a Fais Do Do every night after I finish my homework. My dad doesn’t have a mullet, and my mom is not an alligator wrestling, shotgun-wielding, hunting zealot. I know it’s a lot to handle, but keep in mind that this city is not at all what it may seem. I assure you that the closest I get to Cajun is the occasional whoop and holler from a zydeco band at “Rock N Bowl” or a Swamp Pop band’s Cajun rendition of the “Cupid Shuffle” at a local fair. Sure, I can say that I’m proud of my heritage, but no, I cannot say that I live a life in any way similar to that of which they might have lived. Times have changed, despite the reluctance to believe so. If you come to New Orleans, you will stumble across a smorgasbord of accents, foods, and traditions far outside of the Cajun realm, but don’t trust the Cajun accent of the Haunted Cemetery vampire tour guide.  It’s probably a lisp from his plastic fangs.

In the brilliant and well articulated words of my ancestors, Aiiiyyeee!

Megann, age 17

Anonymous - NOLA Myths

Myths After Katrina - many New Orleanians left and became better off.

Many people left New Orleans after Katrina because they thought that the city nor any of the citizens would ever be able to overcome the problems that Katrina formed. By doing this, they were escaping and ignoring the horrible happenings, so they were not able to grow up and learn from experiences. The loyal citizens that stayed grew tough, wiser, and were able to form a much stronger community. In the end, you are not better off if you left, but a better person if you stayed and survived the disasters. 

Anonymous, age 16