I live in South Louisiana,
a strange and wonderful place.
Here, there are Swamps
and Bayous, populated with Egrets and Alligators. We boil seafood, Crabs,
Crayfish and Shrimp, to welcome friends and family, and we serve it
HOT! When we get
together to play cards, it's a good bet we'll be playing bourre' (boo-ray).
They call South Louisiana
a Sportsman's Paradise for good reason. Here,
we hunt just about anything from duck to deer to alligator! As for fishing,
with so many waterways you know the fishing is good! Freshwater,
saltwater, we have got it all! Talk to the locals to find out the
best spots, and the best way to get to 'em. Not everything is on the maps.
We have been known to
rodet (roe-day) on down to the fete' deus deaux (fay doe doe)
to dance in the street. We have festivals
celebrating everything, from our varied heritage's and our industries,
to our music, and of course, our food!
If it's Cajun Cooking
you want, or Creole Cuisine, or even if you don't know the difference,
you are sure to find something here to make your stomach growl.
What is
the difference? Well, it was once explained to me that Creole
recipes are the result of French cooks trying to make French recipes with
Louisiana supplies, like using pecans instead
of walnuts, molasses instead of sugar . . . that kind of thing. Cajun
recipes are the result of the Acadian people trying to make enjoyable the
foods that were available to them . . . If all you've got to eat
is crayfish and rice, you create etoufee!
Contrary to what you may
have heard, Cajun (Acadian) and Creole (French from the old country)
are not our only options. There is a large Italian influence to our
culture, as well as a tremendous contribution from the Black community.
When it comes to food, flavor is the thing, not national origin.
On an average person's dinner table you are as likely to find crawfish
fettichini as seafood gumbo. Check out some Real South Louisiana
Recipes, from A
Cajun Family's Recipe Book.
We do things differently
here, to put it mildly. Our food is different, and our music
is different too.
Just as it is the flavor
that is important in our food, it is the energy that is the important thing
about our music. You can't sit still when Cajun or Zydeco musicians
are performing! Even if you don't like the music, you will find your
toes tapping. It's hard to resist the lure of the dance floor.
It is the Zoire de Vie of the people of this area that make it so special.
It is as if every ounce of "flavor" must be squeezed from every experience,
be it eating a meal, or listening to music or just about anything else.
 To
understand how the Cajun People got to be who they are you have to understand
a bit of our history. The Acadian
Expulsion is the pivotal event that caused us to become who we
are. Check out this page for a thoughtful retelling of the
Acadian
Expulsion.
Whatever the background,
South Louisiana is just overrun with special, talented people. I kid
you not, talent is so ordinary around here that we don't realize
how special we are until we leave home! In every neighborhood
is a talented artist, a gifted musician, a world class cook, an exceptional
writer . . . we take it for granted. Proud tho we may be of our home
and our heritage, a more modest bunch of people you may never find!
A lot of South Louisiana
folks have relocated all over the United States, even the world.
For many, it's a temporary thing, and they return home eventually. Some
find happiness in far away places and never come home to stay, but South
Louisiana is always home. Tho they may not come home to stay, most
come home every chance they get.
Every one of us who leaves
home brings a bit of home with us, be it a family recipe for Etoufee or
Rice & Gravy, an unquenchable craving for Community Coffee, a collection
of Zydeco recordings. One thing each of us brings with us is the
outlook, the way of life, that desire
to get the last drop of zest out of each experience.
And we usually bring a
few wanna be Cajuns back home with us! I think it's safe to say that
there are more "imported" and "wanabe" Cajuns than any other ethnic group.
For a group with such an oppressed heritage, that's
quite an accomplishment! Think of a derogatory word used to describe
an ethnic group. Ever saw anyone wearing a T shirt that says "Certified
(ethnic insult)", or 100% pure (ethnic insult)" or especially "Imported
(ethnic insult)"? The derogatory for Cajun is "Coon a**" Everybody
wants to be a Coon a**! Many beauque T-shirts are sold that proclaim
the wearer to be a Coon a**, either by heritage or by choice.
It must be our Zoire de Vie, that irrepressible love of life that has never
been defeated.
In the spring, and summer,
we have Festivals celebrating our food and our music.
But that's only right, because our food and our music is a celebration.
To kick off the Festival Season in Style, we celebrate Mardi Gras.
My home is in a very rural area, and our celebration is a bit
different from the famous one in New Orleans.
I live in St.
Mary Parish, a very rural area right in the heart of Acadiana.
The Parish Seat, Franklin,
is my home town and boasts a tiny population of 9,000.
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