This little Italian deli by I-10 and Clearview made what is in all likelihood the largest muffuletta, i've ever seen. This isn't one of the bakeries with the same name; this is a sandwich shop. I'll start from the top and work downward:

Bread - too light and fluffy.

Olive Salad - I barely tasted the olive salad at all. This might have to do with the fact that it was bland; it may be because it contained very few olives, or it may be because it was used extremely sparingly.

Cheese - This was not a hot muffuletta, but they had done something to melt the cheese. For this extra care I applaud them.

Meat - The Ham was good, but that was the only type of meat they used. no mortadella. no salami. Lots of ham. tons of ham. As much ham as on 3 Central Grocery muffulettas.

Overall, I give it a C or a C-, i.e., I wouldn't get it unless I was right there already and really craving a muff.

Plaster and drywall, have much in common, but they also have many more differences. In some ways plaster is better, in other ways drywall is far superior. I've hear from violinists that the instrument sounds far superior when played in a room with the ticker, denser, heavier plaster walls; to them the walls might was well be covered in carpet as be made of the porous, thin, soft sheet-rock. Plaster is much harder, and thus it is a substantial task to to inflict damage to it. Nevertheless, driving a nail or a screw into plaster to hang or attach something can be difficult if it is at all possible. Plaster is also much more difficult to install or repair than drywall.

As most of you know, I am closing in on one year of ownership of a 100 year old house. When we bought the house, the walls were almost 100% plaster. The parts that weren't plaster were a few small drywall patches, or simply missing plaster. The three largest rooms, had particularly bad plaster. It had larger cavernous cracks, it was crumbling, and in many places it was not falling from the lathe only because many layers of paint and painted wallpaper were keeping it [sort of] in place. It would have been more expensive to repair it, than to remove it and re-plaster it. Either option was well beyond our budget, so we removed it and replaced it with drywall.

Our stairwell, foyer, and hallway on the other hand, had few cracks, and the ones that did exist had not caused the plaster to shift. The problem that did exist in this area was that the wall paper adhesive was causing the finish-coat of the plaster to come off with the wall paper. Because the bottom coats of plaster are in good condition, and because I ended up with an excess of joint compound from the installation of drywall in the other rooms, I decided to engage on the journey of fixing the plaster myself. I will simply be skimming the better part of each wall with the joint compound filling in hole and uneven surfaces along the way.

Alas, It won't have all of the benefits of plaster, and it will actually be missing a few of the benefits of drywall also. Nevertheless, this is an inexpensive, non-destructive solution.

Most people in the U.S. today, know very little, if any thing at all about plaster, but in New Orleans, a healthy understanding of plaster is almost requisite knowledge for a homeowner. It is also important, for a New Orleanian homeowner, to appreciate it, and the time, effort, and care that was once a part of the homebuilding trade, as evidenced by large flat walls of plaster.

Note: I fixed some spelling and grammar mistakes in the article. These typos are inexcusable, thus evidence one should not both compose and publish work while fired up. It should now be an easier, less-nonsensical read. Again, my apologies.

The term “New South” isn’t all that new. It’s been used since the Civil War to describe the region’s attempt to put forth a new face to the rest of the world. As the “old South” system of plantations and slavery gave way to diversification toward factories and technology, several people helped to coin the term and shape its meaning. Henry Grady was a journalist for the Atlanta-Constitution who proclaimed in an 1886 speech: “There was a South of slavery and secession—that South is dead. There is now a South of union and freedom—that South, thank God, is living, breathing, and growing every hour.” Booker T. Washington also spoke out for a different kind of South. As the first leader of Tuskegee Institute, he enlisted the support of wealthy white philanthropists to aid in the construction of schools and colleges to educate African Americans.

During the Civil Rights Movement, “New South” once again applied to the times, as the region struggled with desegregation and voting rights. But after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, the South was forced to renew itself and try to convince the rest of the country it wasn’t just a backwards, racial place.

As lingerings of the Ku Klux Klan and candidates like David Duke still exist, so do big business, a move toward cultural tourism and Civil Rights sites now viewed as destinations in the current “New South.” Atlanta is home to world headquarters of Coca-Cola, Turner Broadcasting and AT&T; Birmingham remains a manufacturing hub and is also home to the world-class Civil Rights Institute; and Louisiana, especially the cities of New Orleans and Shreveport, has been dubbed “Hollywood South” because of its booming movie business.

The Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a great example of how cities can marry their pasts with current conditions. An interactive museum that explores the diverse history of the South, the Levine’s award-winning permanent exhibit, “Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers: Charlotte and the Carolina Piedmont in the New South” is the most comprehensive interpretation of post-Civil War Southern history in the nation. Six different environments within the exhibit take visitors from a one-room tenant farmers house to sitting at a lunch counter during a sit-in.

Showing at the museum through November is “Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor,” which explores the continuing evolution of the region. Wall text reads: “For most of its history, the South was America’s poorest region. People left the South to seek opportunity. But since the 1970s, that’s changed.” Charlotte is now a culturally diverse place with more newcomers arriving daily, so the exhibit explores communication barriers, stereotypes and cultural traditions of multicultural residents.

Charlotte’s Levine presents exhibits that are relevant throughout the South and issues that affect all of us living here today. It seeks to bring these issues to the forefront, thus jumpstarting conversation, discussion and new ways of thinking about what the South has become. The term “New South” may seem overused at this point, but it’s still popping up in conversation, business names and popular culture. Georgia State University’s Journal of Art & Literature is called new south. New South, Inc. is an Alabama-based book publishing company, specializing in books on Southern history and culture. And the New Southern View Ezine claims to be Mississippi’s first online magazine.

In a recent Deep South interview with Georgia author Joshilyn Jackson, she also used the term when asked what it means to be a Southern writer. “I love the idea of the New South, but I worry about what babies we are throwing out with the abominable bathwater,” she said. “The culture, for good and ill, is being washed away and homogenized … I want to catalog this place, these people, truthfully, with all our glory and grace and all our awfulness intact before it’s gone.”

Jackson brings up an interesting point about whether or not sprucing up our old ways of doing things means we’ll no longer be described as unique, quaint or eccentric. We certainly don’t want to lose the designation of being eccentric. There are a lot of people in a lot of states working hard to ensure that we maintain, and promote, our history—good or bad—foodways and cultural traditions. But it’s up to us, the people who live here, to tell the rest of the world about “our South” and why they should see it for themselves.

Online magazine Deep South aims to capture current life in the South while also harking back to the history and traditions of an area known for its culture, color and style. Deep South is a product of the "New South," bringing readers news, stories, literature, travel opportunities and events from several Southern states in a format that is completely digital and uses social media to connect with readers. Editor Erin Z. Bass lives in her home state of Louisiana and enjoys taking day and weekend road trips to neighboring states and cultural destinations around the South.

I would later come to discover that they do make more than ties, but that is the company’s flagship product. I like the ties so much that I developed quite a collection of them. Once I had a large supply for myself, I bought them for other people. I gave each of these to the groomsmen in my wedding as a gift. The variety of these ties is so extensive, that I had no problem find a tie to match each groomsman’s personality.

I decided to contact the NOLA Couture to express my appreciation of their products, and I ended up discovering that not only does this company, lead by the wonderful Cecile Hardy make great ties, but it also supports some great causes, including oil spill recovery.

Cecile Hardy, a New Orleans native who returned home to help rebuild her city after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, founded NOLA Couture in August 2006. Cecile worked as a Merchandiser for Gap, Inc in San Francisco for five years, working in their Global (US, Europe, Asia and Canada) Women's Outerwear and Items department and then their Girls Department (knits, wovens and denim) for the European Market. After Gap, Cecile accepted a position with Williams-Sonoma home doing buying and product development for their Textile, Upholstered Furniture and Lighting departments. After Katrina devastated Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, Cecile put her career on hold to help her city recover from Katrina.

This is when she came up with the concept of NOLA Couture, a clothing line that is inspired by the New Orleans culture and the Gulf Coast region. It is also a company that cares very deeply about its community and is dedicated to helping rebuild southern Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. NOLA Couture donates a portion of all sales to local charities that are contributing to the rebuilding of New Orleans and Southern Louisiana. Since its inception, NOLA Couture has helped over ten local charities and foundations, recently teaming up with the Greater New Orleans Foundation to help in their Gulf Coast Oil Spill Cleanup effort. Since the news of the oil spill, NOLA Couture began donating $5 of each sale of its Shrimp Cocktail and Gulf Oyster ties to the Cleanup Fund.

NOLA Couture designs and produces a line of men's and women's clothing and accessories. Items currently in the line are men's silk ties (all with small motifs that are inspired by New Orleans and the Gulf Coast (such as “Gulf Oysters”, “Louisiana Redfish”, “Alligators”, “Fleur De Lis”, “Shrimp”, “Streetcars”, “Jazz/Trumpets” among a few), T-Shirts, Club Belts, D-Ring Belts, Dog Collars and Key Fobs. NOLA Couture is currently in the process of launching and expanded Women’s Accessories line to include tote bags, makeup bags, and beach hats, headbands, wallets and purses

Also, I hear they will now be donating 20% of the sales of the pelican tie back to the Oil Spill Recovery (likely to the Audubon Society). So, please check out NOLA Couture, and remember that buying one of their products is a great way to improve your style and to support a great cause. It’s also a great idea for the impending Father’s Day. 

We all have little things in our lives that lend a sense of home and place. For some, it’s a family recipe. For others, it’s a crisp newspaper and a warm cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. For me, it was a favorite shirt. I grew up wearing brand name polo shirts, and there was always a certain something in the look and feel of a polo that evoked a sense of the South for me. It’s a timeless design, and over the years, it’s come to represent a sense of tradition and style and class – particularly in the South.

After graduating from the University of Alabama, I moved to Birmingham to work in real estate. While I enjoyed my job, I kept returning to the idea of creating my ultimate, “favorite shirt.” Looking at the big name brands on the market, I felt they were all high on Southern style but lacking in a level of quality and comfort. I wanted to create a polo shirt that would stand ahead of the competition, offer higher quality, comfort, and design, while maintaining that quintessential Southern look.

At Southern Point Co., we focus on detail in both material and style and finish off each shirt with that classic polo logo. For me, the logo could only be designed after one thing – my dog, Greyton. Each Greyton Polo shirt is marked by a signature German Shorthaired Pointer logo. It’s man’s best friend representing man’s favorite shirt, and once you try our designs, you will understand that Southern Point Co. creates what a polo shirt should be.

Once I saw this shirt I was immediately smitten with it and I decided I must have one. Recent event have transpire though, that may not make it the first Souther Point Co. product I purchase, namely the oil leak in the gulf. What has that to do with anything you may ask? Well, being the good Southern Gentleman he is, Brent has created a product to help with the recovery from the oil leak. Going on sale today, from the Southern Point Co. web store will be the Save The Coastal Waters Tee.

Southern Point Co. has teamed up with Coastal Conservation Association to help in the in the oil recovery. Purchase one of our Save The Coastal Waters Tee's and we will be donating $5 to CCA for every shirt we sell. Help us clean and protect the gulf!!

In addition to the web store these will be available at retailers in 10 states. Please purchase one of these to support the clean up in the gulf, and consider some of the other products, because one of them might end up being your new favorite shirt.

I found that I really liked the styles that the two young ladies (and their handsome bird dog) portrayed which lead me to chatting them on twitter (@southern_proper). After a discussion about various breeds of sporting dogs, Reagan (she’s the one who must run the twitter account) told me about some new products they are introducing. Being as I’m itching to get my hands on some of these, I thought I would share with y’all these tempting new products

Prep Belts

Preppy is always Proper, especially when holding up your pants!  A belt is essential to any gentleman’s wardrobe and our King Twill D-ring Prep belts feature our most popular designs that will always keep you in loops!

SP Golf Polo

100% Mercerized cotton featuring our signature SP Golf emblem

SP Golf helps transcend from the course to cocktails with comfort and grandeur in true southern sport.

So, don’t just sit there, Go check them out!