669. Marcelle Bienvenu, Part 2

669. Part 2. We continue Women's History Month by concluding our conversation with Marcelle Bienvenu. Whe is an author working on the history of Creole cooking. Marcelle Bienvenu's highly anticipated new release of her timeless classic, Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make A Roux? is a treasure trove of over two hundred recipes, revised with a Foreword by Emeril Lagasse and sumptuous color photography capturing the essence of every season. Marcelle is a cookbook author and food writer who has been preparing Cajun and Creole dishes since the 1960s. She has written on Creole/Cajun Cooking for The Times Picayune, Time-Life Books, and has been featured in Garden & Gun, Food & Wine, Saveur, Southern Living, Redbook, The New York Times, Louisiana Life, and Acadiana Profile.

1. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today!
2. This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Meghan F. McDonald.'NOLA: An Interactive Street Performing Experience.'
       Before embarking on my street performing tour of the U.S., one aspect I said I would investigate on the road was how influencial setting is for creating music.
       Admittedly, this question was buried under piles of other questions that surfaced during my earlier stops, D.C., Nashville, Asheville and Atlanta. But that changed once I arrived in New Orleans.
       Music and culture ' especially along Royal Street ' ooze from NOLA's pores, pumping through its streets as if the heart of all music can be found somewhere within the veins of the French Quarter. It is New Orleans, after all, that mothered music greats ranging from Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino to Lil Wayne. And that variety is not accidental ' it's part of NOLA's appeal.
       On one street you may walk into an impromptu jazz ensemble performance, complete with an upright bass, saxophone player and a singer throwing out some hot scats. Five blocks down, you could stumble upon a high-energy brass group filled with trumpets, trombones and a tuba. Not to mention the multiple solo acts scattered throughout NOLA's streets at all hours of the day and night.
       One factor that makes NOLA an ideal street performing city is the layout. The Quarter's tight streets, filled with sheltered sidewalks due to the vast amounts of layered decks, create a rich acoustic experience for buskers. The sound stays contained from having a ceiling of sorts, which then bounces off the parallel building in full circle.
   
3. This week in Louisiana history. March 13, 1815. Gen. Andrew Jackson declares the end of martial law in New Orleans at the end of War of 1812.
4. This week in New Orleans history. The City Park property was famous as a dueling ground long before it was a park ' more Affaires d'honneur were fought in New Orleans than in any other American city. They resulted from serious affronts, petty insults, or deliberate confrontations for the sole purpose of displaying fencing skills. Weapons of choice included swords, sabers, pistols, rifles, even bare hands. During the 1800s a series of duels were fought between fencing masters ' the most famous, Spaniard Pepe Llula was known as a duelist who met any man with any weapon. Times-Democrat on March 13, 1892, reported, "Between 1834 and 1844 scarcely a day passed without duels being fought at the Oaks'. Dueling had been outlawed two years before under the death penalty (if a death resulted) but it was seldom enforced. 
   
5. This week in Louisiana.
   Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
   480 Richland Place
   Monroe, LA 71203
   Open daily from sunrise to sunset
   Website: fws.gov/refuge/black-bayou-lake
   Email: blackbayoulake@fws.gov
   Phone: (318) 387‑1114
   March is one of the best months to visit Black Bayou Lake, with mild temperatures, active wildlife, and early spring blooms along the trails and boardwalks:
   
• Boardwalk Trail: A scenic walk over the cypress‑studded lake, ideal for birdwatching and photography.
• Visitor Center & Nature Exhibits: Located in a restored plantation house with hands‑on displays.
• Wildlife Viewing: Frequent sightings of herons, egrets, turtles, and alligators in their natural habitat.
6. Postcards from Louisiana. Sporty's Brass Band.

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