Where are all the Asians?

Being a native San Franciscan and living in the Richmond District of the City I am use to seeing the stoic faces of Asian people walking up and down Gary or Clement Street (Chinatown West).  I am a home boy in this hood, born and raised, and this is what I'm used to seeing.  So being somewhat transplanted to New Orleans, I asked myself "Where are all the Asians in New Orleans?".  Well of course I see them at Tulane (they are the smart ones, no stereotype intended :-).  I even made a joke of it and said to myself "oh yeah, they're at Harrahs Casino".  But seriously, I have seen them.  They run the reflexology shops (foot massage) in the Quarter.  They appear as the white collar office workers in the CBD (Central Business District).  I see them as tourists and locals having a good time in the Quarter.  It is interesting to me that I mostly see Asian women, not a whole lot of guys (Ok, they're at the casino, ha ha). 

Having some craving for some home cooking, I looked for a Chinese restaurant in the Quarter.  I used my iPhone and the application "urban spoon".  I looked for Chinese food in the Quarter and up popped "Moon Wok" restaurant at 800 Dauphine Street.  They had a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese fast food and very reasonable prices.  Off I went for another hike in the Quarter.  After about 30 to 40 minutes of walking I saw the red brick building with the sign "Moon Wok Chinese Restaurant".  I walked in an was immediately greeted by a young man who's name is Bau.  I ordered a noodle platter and some spring rolls.

Suffice it to say that you get what you pay for and in this case it is true.  But the purpose of the visit was not only to eat something familiar but it was to also make a connection with Asians in the Community.

I asked Bau, "where are all the Asians?"  He looked at me with a puzzled look.  I asked him what race he was...I asked "are you Chinese?"  He said he is Vietnamese.  After some more explaining on my part, he finnally understood my question.  He yelled back at his family "where's Versailles".  Now I am the one with the puzzled look.  Versailles is the palace in Paris.  So all the siblings which included two young sisters proceeded to let me know where the location of the Vietmamese Community is:  

Vietnamese in New Orleans
I did get specific directions from the family on where the Vietnamese community is and also with a little bit of research on the internet I found out how and why and where the Vietnamese are in New Orleans.  The history goes back to the Vietnam War in the 1970's where many Vietnamese were re-settled because they were refrugees from the war who fought with the Americans.  Now there are second generation Vietnamese that are born and raised here.  Most do live in the the north east section of New Orleans called Village De L'est.  The street names here are mostly in French and there are apartments in the area called Versailles Arms Apartments. These were the first apartments to house Vietnamese in 1975.  Hence the question "where is Versailles?"  The older generation, the uncles, aunts, and grandparents retain the values of their home country, hard work, frugality, family, fishing,  and interestingly,  farming.  There are as many as 6.000 Vietnamese in Versailles living within a mile of each other.  Many of the Vietnamese families living at Versailles have home gardens in their back yards.  One of the projects of Urban Build at Tulane University (see my earlier blog entry on Tulane) is to build an urban farm out the New Orleans East along with a farmer's market.  One of the advocates for the market is New Orleans Chef John Besh, who likes the idea of buying fresh vegetables in his own back yard.

This area just like most of New Orleans did not escape the flood and disaster of Katrina.  Much of the land and homes here were devastated.  Much of the surrounding area is vacant.  However the Vietnamese community have come back.   As much as 200 families returned before Christmas 2005, right after Hurricane Katrina hit in August.  There are now as many as 90% of the community back.  Their return reaffirms their sense of belonging and commitment not only to family but also to community.
Read Renee Peck's article in NOLA.com,  where I got most of my information.
http://blog.nola.com/reneepeck/2008/09/in_new_orleans_vietnamese_comm.html

Walter "Wolfman" Washington

Ok, so last night I was doing my usual venture out onto Frenchman Street.  Frenchman Street is THE street to listen to New Orleans music.  Anything from Swamp Style Blues to Rock to Soul to Jazz to good ol' R&B.  I walked into the d.b.a., a bar/club on Frenchman.  Everyplace to eat in New Orleans has a bar....even the local fried chicken place.  This place just had a bar only, no food except for potato chips.   So I came in early, ordered my usual beer, in this case it was Bass Ale but in New Orleans I've been drinking a lot of Abita amber (local brew).  By the way they have a very extensive line of liquor from California Chardonay to my friend Jack Daniels.  It's all listed on chalk boards above the two bars.  Like most clubs the place is very dark except for the well lit stage. The walls had dark wood panel that lined two large open spaces.  It must have been at one time two grocery stores complete with typical glass storefronts that were combined to make one d.b.a. nightclub.

I honestly did not know who Wolfman Washington is.  I knew he played blues by the music listings in the local magazine "offbeat" but that was it.  I had no idea what I was in for.  An older black man reached over my shoulder while I sat at the bar and shook the hand of the bartender, exchanged warm greetings, and left for the stage.  I asked the bartender, "was that Wolfman?".  He said "no, look for the guy with the guitar".  I walked into the second large space which had the stage and the second bar.  People here really like to drink!  There was a buzz in the room and everyone was waiting for the music to start.


The band finished setting up...two horn player, drummer, B3 hammond organ, bass player, and in the middle was the Wolfman, wearing a green decorated dashiki...straight from the protest days of the '60s.  He had a cap on his head and he was holding a nice looking shiny black Gibson guitar.  He looked right (to the horn section) then back to the drummer and started to count off the beat.  This loud sound filled the room with a beat that was pure Funk.  The bass player and drummer were driving the beat.  The horn section added the opening licks with tight chopped notes that reminded me of the soul bands of the 60's.  The organ player was filling in the spaces with soulful phrases and then there was Wolfman.  He was strumming his guitar, smiling, and getting into the music with the his lead vocal.  This was a "tight" band.  No stray notes or beats.  Each transition from the chorus to the bridge was purposeful, accurate, syncopated, and just slightly off the beat.  It was really really Funky.  This is the type of music that reaches your soul and gets you to bopping your head and dancing to the music.  The music didn't stop.  Wolfman would smoothly lead the band from one song to another by the strum of his guitar.  The band would creshedo up and would bring the volume down and then bring it up again just enough.  It was like they were playing to the emotions of the crowd.  People beside me were moving their hips, shaking their shoulders, and moving their heads.  The music was infectious.  How could you keep still?  The band kept going for an hour and a half.  They didn't really know when to stop until Wolfman finally looked at his watch and called the set after someone in the band reminded him.


The highlight for me....yeah I'm not finished yet....was one tune where Wolfman picked up his guitar and played a solo WITH HIS TEETH!.  I am not kidding!  Some guitarist would trick the audience by hitting the strings with the left hand on the frets or they would turn their backs to the audience and pretend to play with their teeth but they are really using their fingers.  Wolfman was really DID play with his teeth.  You could see him pluck the strings right in front of you.  It was totally amazing!

Recovery

I had just completed a guided tour of the city.  You know, one of those City tours that I think every city has, like New York's double decker bus tour and San Francisco's Gray Line tour.  Well, I took the New Orleans City Tour.  It was well worth taking. Even though I've been here for almost eight weeks, I haven't manage to see ALL of the city because there are areas that I would not venture on my own which are not safe, especially at night.  

I am happy to report that most of the destruction that resulted from Hurricane Katrina and the resulting flood, to my eyes, have been removed.  The winds of the Hurricane did some damage but it was the FLOOD that really caused major destruction.  There was hardly any damage in the French Quarter and Garden district where it didn't flood. On the tour I visited parts of the Lower Ninth Ward where most of the advertised damage was.  I say advertised because 80% of New Orleans flooded and the levees broke everywhere.  Fourteen breaks in all.  There are areas like Lakeview and East New Orleans that also suffered heavy damage but was not as well known.  The amount of flooding and damage varied depending on where you were.  For instance the Lower Ninth Ward flooded 20 feet in some areas.  The Upper Ninth Ward flooded to 4 feet.  

The FEMA trailers, the broken Levees, the cars and boats that floated onto what was dry land, have for the most part been removed and when you visit the neighborhoods that suffered damage you'll see spots of homes newly renovated versus spots of homes that were never demolished, removed, or repaired sinced the flood.  It's like missing teeth.  There will be a row of good ones and then one missing or broken tooth.  Some of the damaged homes have markings on them from being inspected after the flood. There will be an "X" with a date of inspection, people found alive or dead, pets found, etc.  Some people left the marks even after the repairs as a memorial to the flood.


Although the physical damage seems to be on it's way to recovery, the social and psychological damage is a significant underlying fact that is not easily evident.  Since the storm there have been more suicides and more divorces.  The psychological damage is tremendous.  There are many people that had lost everything they had.  There are families that have been separated during the storm and people displaced for months and some for years before they can return to their home.  The people that were most affected were the poor who are mostly black.  These are the people you saw in the Superdome or the Convention Center in last week of August, 2005, who lacked resourses and money (the storm hit the 29th a few days before their checks arrived).  They didn't have a car and they could not afford the bus ride out of town and the buses promised by the government never came.

The flood created an empty city.  Everyone left because of the flood or because the National Guard forced them out.  There was chaos and disorder, looting and lawlessness the days after the flood.  Mayor Ray Nagin was quoted recently saying that recovery can take up to ten years but for the people that lived here before the storm, the memory is etched in their minds.



I have to admired the people of New Orleans who came back to rebuild their homes and to rebuild there lives.  It's often heard around here that they are "resilient".  I believe that to be very true.

Tulane University

There are two Universities uptown in New Orleans,  (uptown means up the Mississsippi)  Tulane and Loyola.  They happen to be just right next to each other and right across the street from Audubon Park.  You can take the St. Charles (nice scenic ride) streetcar from Canal Street and you are there.  

I had a visit with Professor Scott Bernhard who heads the Tulane City Center which is an outreach project by the Tulane School of Architecture.  Tulane University is a small private college that provides education in professional diciplines, law, science, and the liberal arts with both undergraduate and graduate degrees.  The Architecture School is housed in Richardson Memorial Hall one of the first buildings you approach from St. Charles Avenue.  Since the storm and flood of Katrina the University has dedicated itself to service to the community in all its schools including the School of Architecture.  The Tulane City Center functions like a community design center that provides design and architectural services to the New Orleans Community.  Since it's inception after Katrina it has completed 44 projects.  Almost one project a month.  Not all the projects are your typical design project.  One project involved the documentation of neighborhood landmarks in New Orleans which ranged from neighborhood bars to empty lots.  The result is the "Cornerstone" project which is a book that is available through Amazon.
http://www.tulanecitycenter.org/news/97  
Another program at Tulane is "Urban Build" where students from their design studios design a home in the Community using new and green technologies to explore new building techniques.  The Urban Build project takes the student designs and makes them into reality by having the students actually build a selected student design.  So far they have built four homes and are working on a fifth.  http://www.tulaneurbanbuild.com/index2.php?v=v1

I concluded my visit with Professor Scott Bernhard with lunch at the relatively new (2006) Lavin-Bernick Center which is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building.  Some of the building features include water walls for cooling, windows to maximize natural illumination, and electric lights within the building which automatically adjust depending on the amount of outside light. Wave fans in the dining room, solar vents on the interior, and sun shading louvers on the exterior address heating and cooling in the building.  The building was Designed by Vincent James & Associates of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Traditional Jazz

The birth of Jazz was in New Orleans.  Jelly Roll Morton and Buddy Bolden were the initiators of what is called Traditional Jazz.  You would never call it Dixieland which is considered a derogatory term.  This genre of music was played in the early part of the twentieth century and latter part of the nineteenth century in an area of New Orleans known as Storyville, the red light district of New Orleans at that time.  It was originally played by piano players in brothels for entertainment and dancing.  Later the music included brass, woodwind, and other rythmn instruments.  When you think of it the purpose of music is for pleasure.  The pleasure of listening.  The pleasure of entertainment.  The pleasure of dancing.  It's very dancable music.  The picture on the left was taken at La Maison de la Musique, a club on Frenchman street.  The band was playing a fast trad-jazz tune and the dancers were dancing the Lindyhop.  The arrangements of the tunes included the melody which was played by all the musicians and then individual solos which were improvised versions of the melody.  Much of this music was played in an upbeat tempo.  It's the beat of the music that makes it dancable.  You can take any tune, for instance the Christmas carol "Silent Night" and turn it ino a jazz tune by changing the tempo and adding improvisational "licks" during the melody.  The lyricism and speed of a solo and its emotional content (i.e. high screaming notes) is what impresses the listeners.

In New Orleans the best place to listen Traditional Jazz is Fritzels on Burbon Street or Palm Court on Decataur Street.  Palm Court serves dinner while you are listening.  It makes for a great evening.  If you have a chance listen to Tom Fisher's band.  He is an amazing clarinet player!

Make it Right Foundation

The Make it Right Foundation is another non-profit housing group that was the vision of the actor Brad Pitt who has been a resident here before Katrina.  Initially Brad invited noted architects to a competition to design homes in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.  The competitors developed five prototype homes which are a radical departure from the existing homes in the Ninth Ward with innovative and "green" architecture.  The house designs were based on an altered "shot gun" house.  Many are raised above the ground 5 to 15 feet for potential flooding.  There will eventually be 150 homes within four square blocks.  The site is right next to the industrial canal which in this particular area had levees that broke because of a barge crashing into it.  This area of the Ninth Ward saw the most damage with flood lifting homes off their foundation.

It seems to me that the levee design here is inadequate.  The old levees along the Mississippi are built of earth berms that slope up to the river, a much stable system.  The levees along the industrial canal are concrete walls similar to concrete retaining walls, a much weaker but less expensive system that occupies less space.

The modern style Make it Right homes look odd compared to the creole cottage designs.  However, they are designed to resist hurricanes with 149 mph winds and are designed with sustainable materials and they conserve energy.  Most designs have solar panels on their roofs that provide electrical power to the house.  Most have cisterns that retain rain water for non potable use.  The materials used can be recycled back into the environment and are not toxic. The most interesting design is the house designed by Morphosis, an award winning California firm.  The Morphosis house is designed to float on top of a potential flood by detaching itself from it's foundation while it literally floats on top of the flooding waters.

Cesar our Make it Right tour guide said that these homes represent a buidling laboratory where new ideas about construction and architecture can be tried.

What I particularly like about what Make it Right is doing is that they are replacing homes of the same owners who had homes on the same site.  Many of these homes prior to Katrina were passed on to subsequent generations who lived in grandma's or grandpa's home for next to nothing.  It was a form of affordable housing which Make it Right is trying to sustain.  They are also working with residents financially to counsel them with mortgage payments which is a concept they are not familiar with.

The cost of the homes to the home owners are no more that $150,000 despite what the actual construction costs are.  The new owners only pay for constrcution.  All the "soft" costs of design and management  falls on the Foundation.  The future home owners pick one of the five prototype designs, the exterior color, and the interior finishes.  On the ride back to my place in New Orleans, Cesar said that people have to realize what the community in the Lower Ninth Ward has contributed much to the culture of New Orleans,  They are important part of the recovery of New Orleans.

www.makeitrightnola.org