I wanted to say something about a thread I just started called "Confessions of a Quarter Rat". (http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/viewtopic.php"t=30658) The stories I plan to post, are loosely based on my own personal experiences, on stories of other friends and family and some even fully made up. In other words, it's fiction. However, I wanted to share a bit about what a "Quarter Rat' is, because recently, since Katrina, there is some question about it. So, here I go. . . .
The phrase "To Rat the Streets" is what started the whole idea of "Quarter Rat". This is in reference to New Orleans. I, the player of Simone, am a long time "Quarter Rat". I started going down there when I was 15, often in the company of my older sister and best friends. It was to an Irish Pub that played live music we went nearly every weekend. I wasn't a drinker, I didn't do drugs but I loved to dance and sing. I did all of that and more.
Over the years my entire social life revolved around the French Quarter. I couldn't party every night, but come Friday I would be down there. Hanging out, Larping, taking part in art circles at a local coffee shop, making friends with MANY DJs and pushing music on them that I loved. I even went down on Sunday sometimes to meet friends and have Tea at "The Parade".
I worked in the "French Quarter"(Vieux Carr"), Just off Rampart Street. for many years. Before that, I worked for an Arts Center, just down the way from Canal Street. I spent a lot of my free time wandering those old streets. It is a place I miss, and I do visit every chance I get.
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 5: Language
Definition of a Quarter Rat: "To just rat the streets" Means to have the reputation of spending at least one evening a week plus the weekend frequenting the night clubs and bars." ( https://books.google.com/books"id=wCeaAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=Definition+of+a+Quarter+Rat+in+regards+to+New+Orleans&source=bl&ots=VnvDFNQUKR&sig=ezjTGon8PjNNR9Bnm5eVLamtxAs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjUr4fG4-LMAhVEOCYKHSKiAGo4ChDoAQgbMAA#v=onepage&q=Definition%20of%20a%20Quarter%20Rat%20in%20regards%20to%20New%20Orleans&f=false )
Some, these days, have a very screwed up view of what Quarter rat is. those are often the new comers (Referred to by some as Carpetbaggers), who arrived after Katrina, seeking to Gentrify, or as many locals down there call it "Disneyfy" the city. They seem to think that the "Quarter Rat" term means: homeless, degenerates, goths, gutter punk, skin heads, hippies, Crazies, drug addicts, drunks etc. Sadly, they have driven out a lot of those subcultures.
I was a Goth kid. I listened to the music associated to that subculture. I wore the clothing and spent many a night at a club called "Deja Vu" and later "The Crystal" dancing, playing pool, drinking Cherry Coke (I didn't drink much and still don't) and hanging out with my friends. I was usually the designated driver so I got to see everyone else do silly things and tease them later over it.
A "Quarter Rat" means local people spending time in Their city. Often meeting friends and having drinks or visiting over a meal. Sometimes it's wasting time sipping cafe' au lait and scarfing down beignets covered in powdered sugar, (Just the pillowy pastry, NO FRUIT filled.) at Cafe Du Monde, where many a morning on my way into the office I picked up breakfast. That was a ritual. Some evenings I would just head to "Molly's on the Market" to relax after a long day. Talk with friends, have a bottle of hard cider and watch the people walking by.
Being a "Quarter Rat" even today it is still about enjoying the city, dancing, going to clubs, walking the streets, eating and relaxing. One night you may go trance, next a rave somewhere else or even swing dancing the night away with friends. There are festivals that I attended, such as Decadence and even Mardi Gras. I even did some ad work for new clubs both straight and gay. It's about meeting and spending time with others of a like mind and enjoying the history and the culture of where you live.
Simply put, it has nothing to do with being homeless, crazy, drugged up, degenerate. . . I could go on. Fact is, that is NOT it at all. Being a "Quarter Rat" is a way of life, and I am proud to be one.
Simone's Player.
