Face it: you are way too cool for cheesy French Quarter souvenir shops hawking stiff, itchy “Drunk 1” and “Drunk 2” shirts. You’ve visited before. You know the lay of the land, and you can define po’boy, neutral ground, and Second Line with ease. But how advanced are you really? At the funky Magazine Street t-shirt shop Dirty Coast, you can find out your true NOLA IQ.
In addition to fashionable fits and interesting graphics, many t-shirts at Dirty Coast depict a NOLA inside joke known only to residents and expert travelers. For example, a print portraying the cardinal directions as “River, Lake, Uptown, and Downtown” mimics the way New Orleanians give directions in the crescent-shaped city.
So here’s the test. If you have ever lived in New Orleans, you should be able to explain every shirt. If you are a visitor, count how many T’s you understand and see if you can best your travel companions. To get you warmed up before you go, here are some Big Easy trivia questions that may not be so easy:
1) Why does the Dirty Coast “Monday” t-shirt feature kidney beans?
2) Who is Mister Okra?
3) What does “Y@” mean, and what is a Y@?
4) What time of year do you see flambeaux?
5) What does the phrase “Kenna Brah” have to do with Louis Armstrong Airport?
6) What happens if you get the baby?
7) What traditional Louisiana dish features “The Trinity?”
8) Where would you expect to find 3-4 inch sections of corn and sausage?
9) What does “Mominem” mean in standard English?
10) Who would you find in the Bywater?
Answers:
1) Red beans ‘n rice, a dish made with red kidney beans, is traditionally served on Mondays. 2) A locally famous vegetable vendor with a loudspeaker in his truck. 3) A “Yat” is a traditional, working class New Orleans neighborhood guy or gal with a Brooklynesque accent – our version of “townie.” 4) During Carnival time! 5) The airport is in Kenner. Residents of said city answer the question, “Where are you from?” with the phrase “Kenna Brah.” Always. 6) You have to buy the next king cake. 7) All of them: gumbo, étouffée, and jambalaya. The Trinity = celery, bellpepper, and onion. 8) At a crawfish boil, of course! 9) Mom and them, almost exclusively employed in speech as “your mominem.” 10) Assorted artists, hippies, “dirty kids,” and fauxbeaux.
