Christy tells us about the best things about her home, Louisiana:
PEOPLE: I haven’t lived anywhere else so I can’t offer an unbiased opinion. I can tell you that for the most part, the people here are hard working, resourceful innovators who, as long as you don’t cross them, will bend over backwards to help you. Without questions……without expectations.
I think there is a great misconception that we are simple minded as opposed to a people desiring a simple life. The culture here is thick with history, superstition, slang, racism … there are many divisive opinionated ideas on every subject and the how and why of things … but most times hospitality overcomes out of respect for one another. Some of us have blended with our culture and see past the hostility.
LAND: The land here is green throughout the year. Wildlife thrives, the rivers and creeks usually full of fish but you do have to watch out for predators… alligators, snakes, etc. The weather is volatile at times. But I love the smell of the pine after storms and the feel of grass underfoot. Gardening is year round. I love that … playing in the dirt. Eating from the vines. Between the wildlife and gardens, the food source here is diverse. We eat very well.
FOOD: I remember sipping coffee from demis tasse (very small) cups at my grandma’s kitchen table when I was about 4. Always gumbo and a percolator on the stove. Fig cake wasn’t far off if the figs from the backyard tree were in season. She wouldn’t speak English, though she understood every word … even spoke French to her chickens she fed from the back screen door.
My other grandmother also had us sipping coffee from her kitchen table while she cooked… Lots of vegetable soups and casseroles. Both had backyard gardens. I didn’t learn to cook from recipes but from sight, smell, and taste. You use what you have. Tis true in life as it is with everything else … Pots on the stove nonstop.
The reputation of spicey foods in Louisiana is not always the case. We are able to grow so much but most of our food can be seasoned on the table. You learn to cook what you like and with what you have. We use what we need, use and make it ” a little more” … just because life is good …” laniappe.” A little somethin’ extra … ordinary.
