Friends, Family and Food

When I think of Louisiana many things come to mind, such as Mardi Gras, LSU football games, hurricanes, and other things. However, what stands out the most to me is friends, family and food. Louisiana is known for its hospitality and good food; you can ask someone who has visited Louisiana before and they will tell you so. If there are any bad experiences, they are found in Death Valley, which is a different situation entirely. Therefore, to me, friends, family and food are a good representation of my home state.

Louisiana natives have a reputation for the seasonings and spices in their food, but those aren’t the only elements. Mexicans, Indians and Asians have spices in their foods as well, but in Louisiana our spices are entirely unique. Take for instance a jambalaya, filled with white onions, green onions, broth, rice, lea and perrins sauce, lots of meat, and the most important ingredient: our beloved Tony Chachere’s. Whether it’s sweet, salty, rich or spicy what we Louisianans bring to the table is always full of flavor. Something sweet would be pralines, which are a type of cookie similar to fudge, but with brown sugar, vanilla and pecans. Salty is represented well by boiled crawfish with some corn on the cob, potatoes, mushrooms, and onions boiled in with them. For richness, seafood augratin is a good example. It is a white creamy sauce mixed with seafood such as crab, crawfish or shrimp, and cheese on top. As for spicy, boudin characterizes this flavor. It is similar to link sausage, but made of rice, pork sausage, spices and seasoning, all inside of a pork casing. These foods are just a few of the many that Louisiana natives have cooked and loved for years; earning our state the reputation for having the best food in the nation.

Another thing that I think of when I think of Louisiana is friends and family. Louisiana is one of the most hospitable states in the U.S. When someone from out of state comes to visit or moves here, they are taken in and become like family. I believe this is because here in Louisiana we value friends and family, and we don’t like to leave anybody out. Every holiday or event that takes place here involves friends and family getting together to celebrate. Even after sad and serious events such as a funeral, friends and family usually go somewhere afterwards to fellowship and enjoy each others company. There’s nothing like spending the holidays with Cajuns.

Louisiana can be represented by a number of things, but to me the best representations of its character are friends, family and food. Also, when Louisianans get together, no matter the occasion, there’s always food involved. There is a bonding that takes place when we eat good food together, so the two go hand in hand. I believe that anyone who comes to our state whether to visit or reside, will get a good dose of this and see for him or herself. We got the reputation for good food and hospitality because we earned it; and I believe we show ourselves worthy.

By: Alicia Knight