A brief hiatus

I do have Marlon Brando's hat, if not his attitude.

Whalehead King will be offline until June 5, 2011.  Sorry to disappoint.  Over the next few days, feel free to sample the archives of all the wondrous tales told here.  Particular months of note:  August 2010, May 2009, and April 2007.  Links in the sidebar to your left!  There is plenty of real gold and fools' gold to be sifted.  Everything is safe for work, but I still wouldn't let the boss catch you reading this folderol.

Until next week,
With a handshake and best wishes for fair winds at your back,
WK

Memorial Day and Saint Joan of Arc

The maid of Orleans, Saint Joan of Arc

Today is the day the US honors its war dead.  Serendipitously, it lands on May 30th this year, the feast day of the Patron Saint of Soldiers and France, St. Joan of Arc.  As we've described in the past,  St. Joan of Arc has no official connection to New Orleans, though she is honored and venerated here.

Saint Joan of Arc, a flattering portrait.

Her date of birth is celebrated on January 6, the starting date of Mardi Gras season, but her feast is celebrated on the day of her martyrdom, May 30.  I'm unaware of any gathering to honor her at the base of the gilt statue at the head of the French Market, but I'll be making my way down to the Quarter to pay my respects.

Saint Joan of Arc in full regalia.

Life in New Orleans is like that.  The city is peppered with shrines and reminders of people who are reminders of what is good and best about being human.  The city itself is a testament to the strength and hope that make human life worth living.  It is full of distractions and diversions, but at its core, New Orleans is about resilience and faith.

Saint Joan of Arc: an inspiration

For a pamphlet describing Saint Joan of Arc's history in New Orleans written and hand colored by Whalehead King, please send $4.00 via paypal (tax and shipping included).  I'll even throw in a medal and a silken cord to wear as a fond reminder of her heroism and the special place she holds in New Orleanians' hearts.

While Memorial Day is celebrated as the start of the summer vacation season (school in New Orleans ended its 2010-2011 session last week), it is a day intended to give due respect to those who perished during the wars that have, unfortunately and necessarily, been undertaken on behalf of us all.  As well as honoring Saint Joan of Arc today, visit a cemetery and put your hat over your heart when you pass the graves decorated by American flags.  Utter a prayer of thanks.

Hubig's pie cast aside?

I purchased an apple Hubig's pie today, intending to describe what it is like to eat one of these confections, but more pressing matters distracted my magpie attention span.  My mistress and I went to Story Land in City Park...

2006 Ninja 250 XR

Isn't she a doll?  I don't mean Bo Peep.

Afterwords, my mistress posed in the park, leaning to one side to show off her best profile...

That Ninja is a lady

The lady of the house and I took a ride to lunch, and I mentioned that I had been out with my mistress earlier in the day, while I patted my mistress' seat.  My wife said, "There's no competition here.  I know who owns your heart."  Then the three of us made our way deep into Faubourg Marigny to the Cake Bakery and Cafe for plates of fried oysters and scrambled eggs.

I don't know how the French describe a relationship in which three parties share mutual love and respect, and everyone is satisfied with the role they play.  I only know that love makes a family, and there is plenty of mutual love to go around at Whalehead King's house.  Is there room for a fourth cog in this blissful, domestic machine?  Does Savory Simon the pie-man have a key to open the front door and share in our homely, simple bliss?

Everyone loves a Hubig's Pie.

How are Hubig's Pies made?

Hubig's pies are made with love, buddy, on equipment older than you are.  Money may not be able to buy you love, but one dollar and nine cents will buy you a Hubig's pie.

They are made by people older than you are.  They are made from local produce.  They are made with pride, New Orleans-style, at a New Orleans-style price.  

After you've tasted a Hubig's pie, you'll turn up your nose at Hostess.

Just the sight of a Hostess Fruit Pie package will turn your stomach, while a glimpse of Savory Simon on a Hubig's package will make you salivate.

The Gambit wrote an article on Hubig's post-Katrina recovery a while ago.  They also shot the video above with its appropriate soundtrack.

Happy eating!!
WK

Cigars...Cigarettes...Hubig's.

You know how in old movies, there are always pretty girls in swank nightclubs selling cigars and cigarettes from a tray?  I used to know a woman who worked her way through college selling roses in nightclubs, "A rose for the lady, sir?"

I know what would sell like hot cakes in New Orleans nightspots.  "Hubig's Pies, anyone?"
Apple, lemon, peach, pineapple, chocolate, coconut, and seasonal flavors (currently banana).  They will settle your stomach more gently than a Lucky Dog or a Rally Burger.

Click image to visit the virtual bakery.  Order a case today, or, if you live in New Orleans, visit any gas station or grocery!