Voices of New Orleans

“ In books and official reports, the tragedy of Katrina was blamed on politicians, poverty and poor engineering, as it should have been. But there was another conversation that should have happened — not about blame, but about understanding. What did regular people do before, during and after the storm? Why? And what could they have done better?” — Amanda Ripley in her book, The Unthinkable

AP: Oy!

Source: Associated Press
April 14, 2008

Source: Associated Press

Okay, this is a lot of freaking oysters:

Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti looked down at the litter of empty oyster shells in front of him and savored the sweet taste of victory. For Crazy Legs Conti, the bitter taste of defeat could be washed away only by beer.

The Acme World Oyster Eating championship belt _ leather, with a silver dish featuring an oyster on the half-shell _ hung on Bertoletti's skinny hips. The 22-year-old Chicago resident took the title Saturday by slurping 35 dozen of the big bivalves in eight minutes.

"I could probably do a couple dozen more, especially if they were charbroiled," said Bertoletti, who holds the endurance oyster-eating record, having downed 53 1/2 dozen in 2007 before calling it quits. "Although they're great raw."

Conti, the defending champion, tied for third, sucking down 24 dozen.

"They're supposed to be an aphrodisiac," said Conti, whose real name is Crazy Legs. "But I think that's only true for about the first three dozen. When you get up higher than that, you don't want much activity for a while."

This would be your interesting "slice of America" entry for today....


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About this blog

After Katrina and its horrible aftermath, Chin Music Press felt compelled to shine its wobbly flashlight on New Orleans. This effort resulted in our second book, Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? Along the way, we met a community of passionate, eloquent writers who care deeply about what happens to the Big Easy. This blog became a natural extension of the book. It's our way of adding voices to the unfolding story of New Orleans.


Contributors

  • Sarah Inman
  • Craig Mod
  • Colleen Mondor
  • Rex Noone
  • Bruce Rutledge
  • David Rutledge
  • Dar Wolnik

More Voices

Other Books by Chin Music Press

Art Space Tokyo
Goodbye Madame Butterfly