South Louisiana

I first went to New Orleans forty eight years ago. By going to New Orleans, I was living the dream of many young men of my generation. Since first learning to read I had wanted to visit this den of decadence. Man alive! Bourbon Street, Strippers, Dixie Land Jazz, Strippers, famous saloons Like "Pat O'Brien's", Strippers, Cajun food and did I mention.... STRIPPERS!!! Keep in mind I was eighteen years old and if I didn't think about girls at least twenty three hours a day, it was either a slow day or football season. How was my very first visit to the Crescent City? Truthfully, I don't remember very much. I do remember being sick, I mean multi-colored, projectile vomiting sick. So in one of the worlds best cities for dining what was my very first taste of New Orleans cuisine. Sadly, it consisted of a chili dog purchased from a cart on Bourbon Street. Maybe that is what made me sick, or it might have been the booze? Nah, it was the hot dog. I mean I only drank a couple of Zombies, three Hurricanes, a Singapore Sling and a lot of beer. How could that have made me ill? Hmm...should I rethink almost five decades of blaming the chili dog ? No, I will stay with my life time habit of often being wrong, but never uncertain.

Many years later I went to the New Orleans Heritage and Jazz Festival. If you haven't been to this celebration, make plans to go. It is held over two weekends in late April or May. There are more than a dozen stages featuring headline musical talent. The performers are diverse and every genre of music is represented. From Willie Nelson, to top flight Reggae artists, there are gospel choirs, the Neville Brothers, the elite of jazz musicians, and the best of Nashville singers, all are a part of this phenomenal festival. As good as the music is, it may be topped by the food. Restaurants and caterers from all over the country bring their talents to this show. For me, it all about having the chance to eat so much exceptional Cajun food. You can hurt yourself eating and I always set out to do just that. Do not ask if they serve alcohol, I already said it was a New Orleans festival. If there are any businesses in Louisiana that do not sell alcohol, I have yet to run across them. To tell you what an impression the food made on us, I ate in a tent set up by Hebert's restaurant. (the name is pronounced as A-Bears) The main business is located in Houma, Louisiana. When the festival ended I went to Houma and stayed for a week. I ate in Hebert's every day and evening. On Friday nights and all day Saturday they have a Zydeco band and a party as only Cajuns can throw them. It was a blast. My first visit to Houma was over ten years ago, I have gone back almost every year since.

There is just something about all of South Louisiana that I love. It is beyond the partying, the wonderful food and the unique accents. There is great beauty there and an underlying peacefulness that speaks to my soul. On one of our trips I visited an open-air pavilion under a group of cypress trees. The pavilion had been converted to a local bar. It was only about a hundred yards from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. This is as deep South as it gets. The inland waters of the Gulf were a translucent, smoky green. A local at the bar told me it was from floating seaweed. Looking further out I could see where the water changed to a dark blue. There were brown pelicans diving along an off shore sandbar. I sure hope they had better luck fishing that day than I did. Drinking ice cold Dixie beer and listening to the accent of folks who are more at home in their version of the French language than English made for a memorable afternoon. For that day it was great to just listen to the sea breeze blow through the hanging Spanish moss, watch the water and just enjoy being alive. Maybe that is what the bayou country of Louisiana is to me. A place where time seems to slow down and everything smooths out.

Enough already, On Saturday my fondness for Louisiana disappears. Beat LSU like a drum! Go Gators!