Marjorie Hillis (1889-1971) worked for VOGUE for over twenty years, beginning her career as a captions writer for the pattern book and working her way up to assistant editor of the magazine itself. She was one of a growing number of independent, professional women who lived alone by choice. In 1936 she wrote LIVE ALONE AND LIKE IT, the superlative guide for ‘bachelor ladies’ (who became known as ‘live-aloners’). It was an instant bestseller.
Three years after the book’s publication, at the age of forty-nine, Ms. Hillis bid a fond farewell to the live-aloners by marrying Mr. T.H. Roulston. Source: Hachette Books (may be awhile for you to receive LIVE ALONE AND LIKE IT from Amazon.com at the moment)
I became acquainted with Lolis Eric Elie when he was a writer for the New Orleans Times Picayunne and co-producer for the documentary “Fauberg Treme” that premiered on the PBS series “Independent Lens.” Lolis eventually became a writer and story editor for the HBO series “Treme” which, in the words of the series’ co-creator, David Simon, recently wrapped up “four-and-a-half years, and 36 hours of television later.”
I consider it no accident that Lolis wrote the Christmas episode for the show’s 2nd season. Culture is on full sensory display during the holidays. It was after the 2013 Christmas holidays that Lolis and I finally met face-to-face during his travels to promote his cookbook, Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans, a delicious tribute to the colorful characters of New Orleans and its cuisine.
Here’s an “eclectique interview” with Lolis Eric Ellie about post-Katrina New Orleans as featured in “Treme,” the series, the cookbook, and the glorious food.
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E916: My first visit to New Orleans was 2010 for Mardi Gras (post Katrina). Being from a long line of Virginians, I had to have my greens (collards, kale) but didn’t know they would be so hard to find in New Orleans (NOLA). I told Mrs. [Leah] Chase (chef, Dukey Chase‘s) about my hunt for greens, and she set me straight about New Orleans food culture. About my greens, she said “That’s southern; this (NOLA) is something else.” Why is NOLA something else and not Southern?
LE: New Orleans is Southern, but it is also Caribbean. If you look at our food, much of what we eat is typical Southern food–grits, cornbread, biscuits–many of the Southern staples. But there are also a lot of New Orleans staples that have more to do with the food of Haiti or Cuba than the food of Mississippi or Alabama. Like Haiti and eastern Cuba, red beans are a staple. Much like menus in Puerto Rico there are lots of items in tomato sauces described as “Creole.” Because New Orleans is a port city, and because of our history as first a French then a Spanish colony, we’ve always had influences from south of us.
E916: How has the cuisine changed post-Katrina? Who/what are the new influences?
LE: New Orleans has become the site of a kind of domestic Peace Corps. Young people have flocked to the city because, particularly in the years right after the federal levee failures, there was the sense that the city was rebuilding and that there were opportunities to participate in something really exciting. So there’s a new vibrancy to the nightlife fueled in part by this influx of young hipsters.
Just as the federal government was dispensing our citizens all over the country and denying many of them the right to return to their place of previous residence, they were recruiting workers from as far away as Brazil with the dubious promise of high wages. Those wages quickly went down, but many of those people have stayed. So in New Orleans and its suburbs there are enclaves of people from Brazil and Honduras and Guatemala and Mexico. There are restaurants and trucks serving the food of these places. You also see more influence of these food traditions alongside the Creole and Southern and Vietnamese influences that had dominated our menus in the years before the flood.
E916: Was there a food CV for each of the characters in “Treme”?
LE: There wasn’t a food CV for each character per se. Each writer, in the course of writing their scripts, had to think about where and what this character would eat. That was my starting point in writing the book, the scripts. Then it was a matter of thinking through the various personalities. Often I think of a character as being similar to some real New Orleanian I knew and I’d graft part of that real food personality on the character I was writing about.
E916: If you had a choice as to which “Treme” character you would cook with, who would that be? Who would you go out with and share a meal?
LE: If I was going to cook with a “Treme” character, it’d be LaDonna. She knows the tradition and could teach me some of the dishes that my mother and grandmother raised me on. Khandi Alexander as Ladonna in Treme. Photograph: HBO/Everett/Rex Features.
John Goodman, HBO.If I was going to go out, I’d probably want to go with Creighton Bernette, John Goodman’s character. Though he only lasted one season, Creighton had profound and lasting influences as a voice of “Treme.” Talking to him about literature and culture would be fun.
Lolis Eric Elie discusses and signs copies of “Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans” Monday March 24 at 6:30 PM at Eatonville Restaurant‘s Food & Folklore dinner series. Eatonville Restaurant is located at 2121 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009. Reservations required – call 202-332-ZORA (9672). Copies of the “Treme” cookbook will be available for sale and signing at the event.
All generalizations are dangerous, even this one
Alexandre Dumas (pere)
Having achieved national and international celebrity as the author of The Three Musketeers (serial) and The Count of Monte Cristo (novel), Alexandre Dumas was invited to serve his country by visiting Algeria to write a travelogue for publication in France. The invitation came from M. de Salvandy, le minister de l’instruction publique in 1846. The real purpose of the cultural exercise was to encourage French immigration to seek opportunity in the recently invaded acquired Algiers during a time of high unemployment and economic instability in France. Most likely the effort was to prevent yet another citizen uprising against the powers-that-be on the homefront.
In this description of the infamous French bureaucracy at work in Algiers, one can assume Alexandre Dumas wrote it with some kind of “duel consciousness” as Frantz Fanon coined it. Or better yet “double consciousness” in the words of W.E.B. DuBois – a “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” “Justice” was also a central theme and cause in Dumas’ books and plays. I’ll just say “Alexandre Dumas gets it.” Read the segment from his Algeria travelogue copied below in its entirety. It’s written/translated in the Dumas repartee style so there is some entertainment value.
How do we negotiate justice from our cultural and historical identities?
ADVENTURES IN ALGERIA (trans) The French In Algeria. Engraving by P.-Louis. From The History Of France by Emile de Bonnechose.The French interpretation of justice is at the root of many bitter misunderstandings between the Arabs and ourselves. Here is an example of what can happen. There may be two adjacent plots of land, one belonging to an Arab, the other sold to a Frenchman. The Arab is not worried, for the boundary between them is clearly established, a matter of common knowledge, but soon the European begins to build a house, not on his own plot but on his neighbor’s land. The Arab would be only too glad to take the matter into his own hands, but the law forbids him, so he goes to find the chef-du-bureau of his village or neighborhood and presents his case. This official goes to see the truth of the matter with his own eyes, then opens proceedings with a polite letter to the Frenchman, pointing out that he has made a mistake. The intruder receives the letter, but has no need to be polite and does not reply.
The Arab, seeing that all this has had no effect and that his neighbor is still laying more bricks, goes back to the chef-du-bureau, who tells him there is nothing more he can do. The Arab must apply to the juge de paix. In due course, the juge summons the plaintiff and the defendant to appear before him, but the Frenchman does not attend, so after hearing the facts the juge sends him an order to quit, and the Arab goes home to tell the assembled villagers that the French authorities have dealt justly with him. Never dreaming that anyone would dare to disobey an order made by a judge, he waits for his neighbor to go away, but the Frenchman stays, and the house rises higher and higher. The Arab waits a little longer, believing in his simplicity that some severe penalty must shortly fall on the trespasser, but at last he goes back to the chef-du-bureau, who explains that he must now take his case to the magistrate’s court, and tells him that, above all, he must have a good solicitor.
The Arab, who is learning several new words, finds out what a solicitor is, goes to see one, and tells him his story. The man of law comments that it is an excellent case and sure to succeed, but first the Arab must pay him 25 francs. The Arab replies that he will call again, and goes back to ask the chef-du-bureau why he must pay 25 francs to a man he does not know, in order to stop another stranger stealing his field. “It is the custom,” replies the chef, so the Arab goes sadly to dig up the stone under which he has buried his little store of money, takes out 5 duros, and counts them out to the solicitor one by one, with a heavy sigh for each. When the case against the European comes to court, let us suppose the interpreter is a good one, the chief magistrate is able to grasp the situation, and a verdict is given for the plaintiff.
Again he goes home and waits, watching the roof being put on the new house, and sixteen days later a paper is put in his hand, which he takes to the chef-du-bureau. It is written from left to right, not from right to left in the Arab manner, and the letters are small, not large, but at last it is deciphered and found to be a notice that the Frenchman has appealed against the verdict. Now the case must be heard in Algiers, at great expense; later, perhaps, in Paris, where costs will be still higher. But our poor Arab has spent all his money; he has not been able to plant a crop on his field and has lost his harvest, so he calls his friends together, declares bitterly that all the Christians, and in particular the French government, have conspired to swindle him out of everything he had. He flees to the desert, and soon the Frenchman can claim that he has been in possession of the house for three years and is therefore the legal owner of the property, including the land.
In the old days, the Arab would have made his complaint before the Cadi on a market day, the Cadi would have consulted the old men of the village, they would have confirmed where the true boundary lay, the field would have been restored to its rightful owner, and the swindler would have received fifty blows on the soles of his feet.
From Adventures in Algeria
by Alexandre Dumas (pere)
Translated by Alma Elizabeth Murch
I recently read Stephen L. Carter‘s novelThe Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln. I boldface novel so not to confuse the book with other Lincoln titles, usually non-fiction. In Carter’s novel, Lincoln lives after the play, and is still President. But he’s on the hot seat with Congress for going “too far” with the South, “too hard” on the rich folks, and “not far enough” for the radicals. At the center of this argument is a young aspiring Oberlin College graduate named Abigail Canner. Abigail was born a free black woman, she’s smart, determined, and through her Oberlin connections has a job with the law firm for the President’s defense team. Everyone seems to want to know Abigail.
Saturday, June 29 at 2:30 PM I moderate the discussion around the 1867 world of Abigail Canner at the Historical Society of Washington, DC (801 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001). [Download the flyer or RSVP for the free event on Eventbrite.] Our speakers and Carter are blurring the lines between fact and fiction. The thematic discussion of the book will go deep around Abigail, her world, her dreams even what she and her colleagues and neighbors would eat. Carter doesn’t give too many details, but we’ll fill the plate. One of my favorite culinary historians, Michael W. Twitty will join me to talk about foodways before, during and after the Civil War. You can read Michael’s open letter to Paula Deen on his Afroculinaria website — check out all the other good stuff in his web library too including a recipe for blueberry barbeque sauce. Michael and I take our southern food seriously.
Charles FinneyBut my principal assignment is to explore Abigail’s alma mater, Oberlin College, founded in 1833 in the western wilderness of Ohio. Oberlin was estblished by northern missionaries and grew when the “father of Revivalism” Charles Grandison Finney came on the scene. Finney was also a staunch abolitionist (radical?). With Finney established, students and financial support soon followed. In the novel, Finney provides the important letter of reference and recommendation for Abigail to clerk at the Dennard and McShane law firm in downtown Washington.
Before HBCUs and Seven Sisters, the Oberlin Collegiate Institute that became Oberlin College, was the go-to college for all women and persons regardless of color for a complete Bachelor’s degree course, a “Literary Course” (for women minus Greek, Latin, and advanced mathematics), Theological studies, and eventually the Convervatory of Music (founded in 1865).
George VashonAbigail was recruited to attend Oberlin by the first African American college graduate and fellow Obie George B. Vashon who makes an appearance in flashback in The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln. Vashon was among the first graduates of the college in 1838. He would return to earn a MA in 1849. Vashion was a first in law as well — the first African American to practice law in New York state.
Once enrolled, Abigail the freshman would be on campus with some prominent upper class women. Abigail Canner may not mention these women, but they certainly would’ve crossed paths on Tappan Square:
Mary Jane PattersonMary Jane Patterson who graduated with a B.A. in 1862 was also the first black woman in the world to earn a Bachelor’s degree from a collegiate institute. Patterson would go to Washington to teach at the Preparatory High School for Negroes (later M Street High School, and then Dunbar High School). She would become its first woman principal.
Edmonia LewisMary Edmonia Lewis enrolled in 1859 at the recommendation of her brother. She didn’t complete her studies for the Literary course. Things got a little out of hand when she was accused of poisoning two white students/friends. This was known as the “Spiced Wine Scandal.” Part Chippewa Indian and African American, Edmonia was somewhat exotic in the Ohio town, never hiding her heritages. But just before her friends were leaving to enjoy a sleigh ride with their fellas, Edmonia invited the girls up for spiced wine. It’s been said that the wine was spiked with Spanish Fly which made the girls violently ill. The incident nearly split the abolitionist town in half. Edmonia was dragged out from Mr. Keep’s house and beaten.
John Mercer LangstonJohn Mercer Langston, a prominent Oberlin resident and graduate from the Oberlin College and School of Theology, came to Edmonia’s rescue in court and won for her. John Mercer Langston, also of Native American/Black heritages, would later become the first dean of the Howard University’s law school and elected to Congress in 1888, the first U.S. Representative of color from the state of Virginia.
Bust of Lincoln, 1871Even with her court victory, Edmonia couldn’t stay in Oberlin and left the campus in 1862 for Boston. Edmonia was also an artist. She started sculpting and sold small plaster souvenir busts of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, and created busts of Abraham Lincoln and John Brown. With these earnings and the help of patrons, Edmonia booked a passage to Rome, Italy to continue sculpting and was part of a group of expatriot women sculptures known as the Marmorean Flock. Whether Abigail Canner heard gossip around Edmonia’s story, warnings or passed the future sculptor as she was leaving town, is left to our imaginations.
Fanny JacksonFanny Jackson Coppin would’ve been Abigail’s classmate; both graduating around or at the same time in 1865. Fanny was born a slave in Washington, DC. Her aunt purchased her 12-year-old niece’s freedom for $125. Fanny worked as a domestic, hired a tutor, attended public school. She enrolled in Oberlin’s Literary course followed by the collegiate course and earned her BA in 1865. There’s no mention of Fanny in the novel. But maybe Fanny had no time for Abigail. While a student, she started an evening school for freed persons.
After graduation, Fanny Jackson became principal of the girls’ high school at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia. She opened the only trade school for African Americans in that city. Abigail would meet her fiance at Oberlin. Fanny was 44 when she married AME minister Reverend Levi Jenkins Coppin. Fanny also established homes for working and poor women and was a fighter in defending the rights of women and African Americans (source: Oberlin College). Coppin State University, in Baltimore, is named for Fanny Jackson Coppin.
Abigail had loads of oppportunities to connect with fellow Obies when she returned to Washington, DC. But she had more pressing matters in the post-Civil War city known for corruption, intrigue, danger, and mud.
The discussion at the Historial Society of Washington, DC is a program of DC By the Book, the DC Public Library’s website for mapping Washington, DC in fiction…or its gray areas, the color of Abigail Canner’s eyes.
This post has been updated…again The DC Public Library is hosting an event to kickoff a new website — DC By the Book — Wednesday, March 27 at 6 PM at Busboys and Poets (5th & K Streets, NW).
Special guest authors Thomas Mallon (Watergate), Ann McLaughlin (The House On Q Street), and editor Adam McKible (When Washington Was In Vogue) will be at the event with readings from their books. After the reading, a Q&A with the authors and crime novelist George Pelecanos (Right as Rain, Soul Circus, The Night Gardener, and many others) will follow to discuss why they chose Washington, DC neighborhoods as the setting for their stories. There will also be a dramatic reading by Chivonnie Gius from “Common Law,” featured in Edward P. Jones‘ short story collection All Aunt Hagar’s Children. Launch curator Kim Roberts, who’s created several walking tours of literary DC (and is editor of Beltway Online Poetry Quarterly), will read from The House On Q Street. The launch will be MC’d by former DC Citypaper Arts Editor Mark Athitakis who was the lead judge for Citypaper’s 2013 Fiction issue. Old school music from the 20s to the 70s will be mixed by DJ 2Tone Jones.
…the stakes are higher for D.C. fiction, because unlike any other metropolis it battles the perception that those monuments are the city.
— Mark Athitakis
DC By the Book is a website featuring a custom map that allows anyone to explore the landscape of DC through the eyes of local and nationally-known authors. When a user clicks on a map icon, the popup box displays a passage from a work of fiction describing that location, as well as the book title (which links to the DC Public Library catalog record for the item), author, and other ancillary information about the work. Users will be able to browse the map or search using various filters, so that they could, for example, view only locations linked to a single author, or locations only described in crime fiction, or locations from a specific era.
However, in order for the map to have any icons on it, passages from DC fiction will need to be entered. This is done via a simple form on the website that anyone can access as they’re reading a book set in Washington, DC. Several “mapathon” events will be held across the city in 2013 where anyone can drop by, read a book, and enter passages. This excerpt from Mallon’s Watergate is included in the slide show (by Michon Boston) that will accompany the author’s reading at the March 27th kickoff.
Bring your laptop to the kickoff or go to a station at Busboys and Poets (they have WiFi) to take the grand tour, and start reading and entering locations by authors ranging from Henry Adams, Stephen Collins, Ward Just, Susan Richards Shreve, George Pelecanos, Kia DuPree, and more.
Visit DC By the Book at www.dcbythebook.org, and explore passages from great works of fiction about DC and upload content from your own reads. Contact info[at]dcbythebook[dot]org to learn more.
LISTEN TO THE “DC BY THE BOOK” segment on WAMU’s “KOJO NNAMDI SHOW” (March 21, 2013)
Guests Susan Richards Shreve
Professor, George Mason University; co-chair, PEN/Faulkner Foundation Board of Directors; author. Anthony ‘Tony’ Ross
Librarian, D.C. Public Library; co-creator, DC By the Book Dana Williams
Professor and Chair, Department of English, Howard University
Again he goes home and waits, watching the roof being put on the new house, and sixteen days later a paper is put in his hand, which he takes to the chef-du-bureau. It is written from left to right, not from right to left in the Arab manner, and the letters are small, not large, but at last it is deciphered and found to be a notice that the Frenchman has appealed against the verdict. Now the case must be heard in Algiers, at great expense; later, perhaps, in Paris, where costs will be still higher. But our poor Arab has spent all his money; he has not been able to plant a crop on his field and has lost his harvest, so he calls his friends together, declares bitterly that all the Christians, and in particular the French government, have conspired to swindle him out of everything he had. He flees to the desert, and soon the Frenchman can claim that he has been in possession of the house for three years and is therefore the legal owner of the property, including the land.
In the old days, the Arab would have made his complaint before the Cadi on a market day, the Cadi would have consulted the old men of the village, they would have confirmed where the true boundary lay, the field would have been restored to its rightful owner, and the swindler would have received fifty blows on the soles of his feet. 
