Field Notes - Rob

One of the first things I came to notice about Chalmette was its family-oriented style of living. In the restaurant we ate in, I noticed many families sitting together in the dining room, and many middle-aged men sitting at the bar laughing amongst themselves, presumably workers from the town's large ExxonMobile owned refinery, desiring an after work drink. In the dining room, many families occupied the tables, all seemingly comfortable eating in the presense of their loved ones. The ages in the restaurant ranged from toddler to elderly, with a few tables encompassing this whole range. Some of the tables had young parents with young children, some had elderly women and men sitting with their children and grandchildren, etc. A certain spirit existed in these families, despite the everyday challenges they face each day as low-income workers supporting families at a time of economic hardship, not to mention the devastation still left in their minds from Katrina. Chalmette suffered from the Hurricane as much as anyone, as many of their buildings were destroyed, waters were as high as 14-15 feet, and some lost their lives. One man, sitting at the restaurant with his family, was wearing a tee-shirt that expressed the resentment that many residents of Chalmette feel, it read: "FEMA - fix everything...my ass". The food was fattening but good, and the wide variety of choices made the restaurant a good place to bring one's children. But outside the restaurant, where one could see roads in three directions and the refinery in the other, there was quiet, deserted feeling. At RC's tavern, there were only a few customers, and none seemed particularly eager to speak with us. One laughed at the notion of an urban sociology project about Chalmette and seemed to express the idea that Chalmette had been too mistreated for anyone to fully understand or report its current situation, and the thinking of its people. We also went to another bar named Bruster's, with a larger group of customers. Men sat at the bar and played darts, and at the opposite, restaurant side, a group of elderly women took up the biggest table with a few other groups of customers nearby. Many at this bar seemed to know eachother, a testament to the close-knit feel of Chalmette.