What Being Cajun Means to Me...
Listen, can you hear it? The sounds of the swamp; the croak of a frog, the buzz of a mosquito, the wind whistling through the moss draped trees. Now can you smell it? The aroma of onions, garlic and bell peppers simmering in a pot and the roux(that almost burnt-flour-nutty smell) sitting to the side. Gumbo? Must be. There are shrimp and oysters, lump crabmeat, cut up chicken and some smoked sausage all ready for the pot. And we must not forget the okra, all smothered down to almost a paste. In just about an hour it will be set on the table next to a big bowl of steaming white rice with potato salad on the side. There to the right of Daddy's bowl, at the head of the table, is that little bottle of dinomite (Tobasco). These are the sounds and the smells a Cajun carries with him/her all of their life. The memories we make with our families, these are the treasures of generations. From our language to our traditions carried down from generation to generation, to be a Cajun is to know utter and complete bliss. For nowhere else on earth will you find people who are more loving, caring and friendly than the Cajuns of Louisiana. We are quick to offer a helping hand be it to "baybay sit dem chirren" or to "lissen to yo troubles ova a cup o' coffee". It is the simple life we know and the simple life we love. No matter how far we roam and no matter where we may live, Louisiana will always be the place we call "HOME". Ahh...the simple life. So, when I am asked what being a Cajun means to me, well, I say, "It's family, first and foremost. Food, well it goes without saying, It's absolutely the Best in the World! But the simplicity of life, the Joie De Vive, That's What Being Cajun Means To Me." |
