Letters From Our Readers

Katrina Dinner 2006

Welcome All New Orleanians, no matter where you are!!

I always used to tell friends that “New Orleans is a state of mind”. That sentiment is truer now than ever. The wind and water of Katrina fractured our beloved town. It tore our community apart. And despite our varying individual circumstances, I believe that most of us yearn for wholeness. For reunion.

A few months ago, the idea of a ritual came to me. How powerful would it be if every New Orleanian currently living in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and every other town across the country, sat down at the same time to recognize the losses of the last year and to reaffirm their connection to the city? And how great would it be if this ritual centered around the favorite activity of every homegrown New Orleanian, eating? The entire New Orleans diaspora could sit down simultaneously, fork in hand, to tell the world that this was a special place, a special community, one worth fighting to restore.

And so, with that in mind, I humbly offer a basic outline of the first ever “Katrina Dinner” to be held on the one year anniversary of this momentous event. The outline does not have to be acted out literally, although you’re certainly welcome to follow it word for word. My hope is that it will be fun and delicious with only a smidgen of hokiness. Like everything in New Orleans, feel free to improvise. Make up your own blessings, your own questions, your own ritual food plate. Invent your own way of celebrating the city that connects us all.

This August 29th, 2006, only a portion of the city will be where it’s supposed to be: HOME. But we can still eat together.

Everything you need to know can be found at www.katrinadinner2006.com : the candle blessing, an ingredients list, the five questions, the readings, the ritual food plate, the Katrina Gris-Gris, and much more.

Justin Lundgren