mandalay

Things my family likes to do in the Big Easy

Ask the cab driver where he is from (Pakistan) when he got here (February) where he landed (New Orleans) and stress the fact that we do not discriminate against foreign taxi drivers by pointing out that we have a friend from Midland whose last name is Ali and is from Pakistan. (dad)

Dance in the street to music coming out of the bars, go to the Krazy Korner for a 3 for 1 beer special and order Coors Light and then play the washboard sans rhythm along with the band. (mom)

Inquire as to how our daughter could possibly not have the same desire to dance, ask if she missed that gene and then tell her that we'll pay for dance lessons so that she can acquire this desire to dance in the streets. (mom)

Mispronounce every french word possible with utter glee and disregard. Chartres becomes Charters and tete becomes teet. (mom and dad)

Sarcastically ask our mother as she's telling a story how a person can possibly be both handicapped AND in a wheelchair. (amanda) When mom finally continues the story about this handicapped person and then says "She just stood there..." we will ask if she means "sat there" (ross). We will then give each other a high five and giggle for ten minutes. (amanda and ross)

Pay a saxaphone player outside the Cafe du Monde $10 to play "Summertime." (dad)

Use a napkin to clean out our wineglass at Pat O'Brien's and put it in our pocket . (dad)

Order an entire bottle of wine for ourself at an expensive restaurant and have no qualms about telling the waitress that it's just for one person. (dad)

Comment on the competitive prices of feather boas and eye the hot pink ones in every store we pass. (mom)

Buy a fuzzy pink cowboy hat and refuse mardi gras beads from a drunk non-english speaking mexican because we know that we will only throw the beads away. (amanda)

Be the ones who don't want to stay up late and listen to Zydeco music. (amanda and ross)

Ask our daughter everytime we pass the french quarter doesn't she really want to get her tarot cards read before she leaves and laugh about it. (dad)

Become enraged that our son will not take Benadryl for a swollen throat and say "One of these days, you're going to be allergic to something and it will aggravate your asthma and you'll have an attack and if you don't take medicine, you'll die." (mom)

Repeatedly refer to the horse drawing our horse-drawn carriage as "your mule" when talking to the driver. (dad)

Chuckle and point out the motorized female plastic legs swinging in and out of a topless bar to everyone in the family. (dad)

posted by amanda @ 4:51 PM