Real Cajuns

.

I thought I knew something about the South Louisiana Cajun culture until I made a trip to the area with my boss. Here’s the story.

 

 

.

Real Cajuns

.

When I worked in the Houston E&P office, we had several gas plants over in Louisiana. Occasionally, my boss, Rayln Boudreaux, and I would take a trip over into Louisiana to visit the facilities and talk to the operations personnel. Sometime during the trip we would make a stop in New Iberia considerably south of Lafayette. In the New Iberia area, they grow those peppers used in Tabasco Sauce made at the nearby Avery Island facility.

The peppers grown and used to make that special Tobasco hot sauce in and near New Iberia. Louisiana.

.

Rayln Boudreaux’s parents were French Cajuns and also lived in New Iberia. His parents did not speak English. They spoke Cajun French and of course I couldn’t understand a word they said. We decided to spend the night at their home and Rayln’s Mom cooked us up one of those real Cajun meals which was just out of this world. We had shrimp étouffée with some kind of okra dish with spices I didn’t recognize that made it superb. Rayln and I both pigged out.

 

Rayln’s Mom spooned that iron skillet shrimp étouffée over white rice and it was just heavenly tasting

 

.

That evening, we were sitting in their den talking and Rayln’s Dad went into the bedroom and came back out with a Cajun squeeze box and asked if we wanted to hear some real Cajun music. I said I would really love to hear some Cajun music. He sat down and started playing that squeeze box and singing those old Cajun folk songs and he was super good. We listened until bedtime. I told him I enjoyed his music and had a wonderful time listening to his music.

A guy playing a Cajun Squeeze Box similar to the one Rayln’s Dad played that night in New Iberia. I loved those old songs he played and sang in Cajun French that night. 

 

.

We got up very early the next morning and went on our way to finish our work. I was very thankful Rayln had brought me to his parents home and showed me some of the real local Cajun culture.

 

 

Squirrel War II squirrel count now 15. 

.

 

 

Thanks for reading Real Cajuns,
Bill