Blue porch ceilings and some New Orleans "lingo"

To anyone like myself that has owned a historic home, this may be old news, but I saw one of these today and thought it was worth sharing. You see blue porch ceilings in lots of Southern towns, especially on old houses. Why, you might ask?

Known as the Gullah or Geechee people, the originators of the Haint Blue tradition were descendants of slaves who worked on plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. They were well known for keeping their African heritage alive through passing on stories and the beliefs of their ancestors, including a fear of haunts or haints. The Gullah people believed that these spirits couldn't cross water, so they began creating a mixture of lime, milk and other pigments and used it to paint around every opening into their home. By doing this, they thought that the haints, confused by the watery pigments, would be tricked into thinking they couldn't enter. Today, this tradition extends far beyond the southern states, bringing a unique pop of color to many of America's porches. I also found an explanation that said blue porch ceilings helped to "extend" the illusion of daylight a little during the winter months. Hmm... Lastly, an old "wives tale" says that blue porch ceilings will deter wasps and winged insects from nesting on your porch. I can't find any scientific evidence to back up this claim ;-)

Some interesting local exoressions and words:

I also heard ther term "neutral ground" here the other day and even saw a coffee shop by this name. Apparently, it refers to any grassy median, especially those between the streetcar tracks. Animosities between the French living in the Quarter and Americans who settled uptown in the Garden District made Canal Street's median, which separated the two groups, akin to a neutral area between two armies but controlled by neither.

Alligator pear - avocado

Parish - Because New Orleans was settled by the French and the Spanish instead of the English, political subdivisions were set up along Catholic Parish lines. Those original lines have changed but the tradition of the use of the word parish has not. So, a parish in Louisiana is equivalent to a county in your state.

"Makin groceries" - Commonly, locals "make" groceries rather than buy them. This is a throwback from the original French-speaking Creoles who used the verb "faire," which means "to make" or "to do." In a related quirk of vocabulary, New Orleanians "pass" by your house when they come to see you. e.g. "I passed by my brother's house last night." Translation, "I went to visit my brother last night."

"Lagniappe" means "a little something extra." So, your meat purchase may have weighed over one pound, but the butcher gave you the extra for free. Ex. "I'm giving you lagniappe." (Lan-yap)

Banquette is a sidewalk.

Cajun - French Acadians who settled here after immigrating from Canada.

Creoles - Descendents of French, Spanish, and Carribean slaves and natives; has also come to mean any person whose ancestry derives from the Caribbean's mixed nationalities. They originally settled in what is now the French Quarter and were the "high society" of the day. They weren't particularly pleased when the crass "White Americans" arrived after the Louisiana Purchase and began to settle uptown and in the Garden District, building what the Creoles believed to be gaudy homes along St. Charles Avenue.

Dressed - Po-boys/sandwiches served with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise: "the works"

Muffuletta (MOO Fa' lotta) Super-large, Italian, round, fat sandwich filled with salami-type meats, mozzarella cheese, pickles, and olive salad.

Shotgun - usually part of a "double"--a single row house in which all rooms on one side are connected by a long single hallway--you can open the front door and shoot a gun straight through the back door, without hitting a single wall.

Gumbo YaYa - everybody talking all at once; i.e., at a loud party.

I'll add more as I encounter them... it's almost like going abroad when you visit Nawlins"! ;-)