Jump to content

Cajun Culture in Louisiana


Mith242

Recommended Posts

This is one of the things that's so great about Louisiana, it's quite a bit different. A very well known cuisine, parishes, cajuns, birthplace of jazz. :D

^Tom explained it very well.

The term "Creole" is used very sparingly today to describe people. It is used more often to describe the things in the culture.

Thanks to both of you for your info. Sorry to just keep asking questions. How is creole food different from cajun. I do hear a little bit about creole food I believe. (Now you can see how Matt and I have really got the Arkansas forum going)

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 66
  • Created
  • Last Reply

How is creole food different from cajun.

To put it simply, differnt styles of cooking, different history, different herbs and spices etc..

Creole food is often less spicy than Cajun food as well, and it consists of differnt base meants, rue's(The base of dish's like Gumbo) and different vegetables.

Now you can see how Matt and I have really got the Arkansas forum going

:lol:

Well any questions you have are welcome. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To put it simply, differnt styles of cooking, different history, different herbs and spices etc..

Creole food is often less spicy than Cajun food as well, and it consists of differnt base meants, rue's(The base of dish's like Gumbo) and different vegetables.

:lol:

Well any questions you have are welcome. :D

Well I can certainly ask them. Matt and I can go back and forth quite a bit. Anyway thanks for the info. Would you say that one cuisine is more prevalent than the other? Do you have any opinions on what the quintasential Louisiana food would be?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps Nate will have different ideas, but I have always thought of Cajun culture as being almost completely unrelated to New Orleans. I'd also like to know if people find the term "Big Easy" as irritating as I do. I had never heard anyone refer to New Orleans using this term before the movie was released. Also, the stupid un-authentic accents and hayride scenes in the movie were about as UN-New Orleanian as once could hope for. If there was an historical precedent for the term "Big Easy", I'd love to know about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps Nate will have different ideas, but I have always thought of Cajun culture as being almost completely unrelated to New Orleans. I'd also like to know if people find the term "Big Easy" as irritating as I do. I had never heard anyone refer to New Orleans using this term before the movie was released. Also, the stupid un-autherntic accents and hayride scenes in the movie were about as UN-New Orleanian as once could hope for. If there was an historical precedent for the term "Big Easy", I'd love to know about it.

I guess I never thought about it. But then again I don't know a whole lot about the city either. And yeah you just have to love how everyone in the south has the same 'southern' accent in every movie you tend to see. I think I have heard people refer to the city as being a city that feels more European. Would either of you agree with that? I don't know if people are referring to the general culture, the architecture of the French Quarter, both, or maybe even more reasons than that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps Nate will have different ideas, but I have always thought of Cajun culture as being almost completely unrelated to New Orleans. I'd also like to know if people find the term "Big Easy" as irritating as I do. I had never heard anyone refer to New Orleans using this term before the movie was released. Also, the stupid un-autherntic accents and hayride scenes in the movie were about as UN-New Orleanian as once could hope for. If there was an historical precedent for the term "Big Easy", I'd love to know about it.

There is actually some history to the nickname. :D

The nickname "The Big Easy" was given to New Orleans in the early 1900's when early Jazz musicians could easily find jobs in New Orleans' brothel parlors. The term was spread around and used often in the Jazz community, but never really became a national nickname until the movie came out. Until the movie was released, the main national nickname for New Orleans was "The Crescent City."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is actually some history to the nickname. :D

The nickname "The Big Easy" was given to New Orleans in the early 1900's when early Jazz musicians could easily find jobs in New Orleans' brothel parlors. The term was spread around and used often in the Jazz community, but never really became a national nickname until the movie came out. Until the movie was released, the main national nickname for New Orleans was "The Crescent City."

Thanks for the info Nate, hopefully you'll use that in your future jazz topic. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Don't worry Rod, I'll have that Jazz topic up and running soon. :D

No worries, I'll just keep asking more questions over here. :D

Speaking of which, if there a big cultural divide in the state? Louisiana obviously has traits not found elsewhere. But at the same time it is a southern state and I would imagine not everywhere can be like New Orleans or even like Cajun Country. Any ideas where you'd put the dividing line on some of the bigger cutural differences?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No worries, I'll just keep asking more questions over here. :D

Speaking of which, if there a big cultural divide in the state? Louisiana obviously has traits not found elsewhere. But at the same time it is a southern state and I would imagine not everywhere can be like New Orleans or even like Cajun Country. Any ideas where you'd put the dividing line on some of the bigger cutural differences?

Louisiana has a huge cultural divide.

This is my version of the Cultural divide in Louisiana

louisiana9xj.png

The area within the red section is what I view as Cajun Country. The Cajun culture heavily influences this area. Here you will find Cajun food, Cajun people, Cajun history and heritage, and Cajun culture. The people in this large area are very similar, though the people in western Cajun Country near Lake Charles are more influenced by Texas.

The area within the green section is where you will find most of the Creole influenced culture, especially south or Lake Ponchartrain and in SW Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico. Here you will find Creole food, old Creole style houses, Creole people in the extreme part of SW Louisiana, most of whom work as oystermen or fisherman. This area is mostly Catholic.

The area within the Dark Teal is basically Greater Baton Rouge. Here you will find a tough of both Cajun and Creole cultures. Baton Rouge has it's own area, because it is unlike both the New Orleans area and the Cajun Country area. Both cultures infuence this area, and the people are somewhat differen't. The industry in Baton Rouge however, is similar to New Orleans. Though tourism is not nearly as large of an industry.

The within the blue section is normally referred to as the "Crossroads" section of Louisiana. The best way to explain the differences of this is based on driving on Interstate 49. Once you leave cajun country, and hit the area around Alexandria, it's like your in a whole nother world. Differen't people, differen't industry, differn't food, differen't history, differen't religion's, differnt culture, and in a way, different everything.

The area within the purple section is the northeast corner of Louisiana. This area is very similar to and is somewhat influenced by northern Mississippi. You will find differnt food, people, history, industry, and culture in this area of Louisiana from the rest of the state.

The area within the black section is the northwest corner of the state, and is part of the Ark-La-Tex region.

The major city in this area is Shreveport. NW Louisiana, much like SW Arkansas, is very similar to east Texas, this is one of the reasons why you will find many Baptist's in this area.

My map is not totally correct, as some of the barriers could be extended in different directions, but it gives a good indication of the culturally different areas in Louisiana.

Hope that helps a little bit, Rod. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

NCB, I agree with that map. But, not bashing Baton Rouge or anything, but I'd exclude them from that lower portion. People in Lafayette and New Orleans are much more alike than people in B.R. Agree?

Yea, I agree with you. I'm going to divide the lower portion into 3 sections.

I just wanted to include Baton Rouge, because while different, it is similar in some ways. Baton Rouge is where is draw the line for Creole/ Cajun culture. To the west of Baton Rouge, you will find more of the Cajun culture, while to the east you will find more of the creole influenced culture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay so a Creole culture in the southeast, cajun to the southwest and a mix around Baton Rouge. What about the other three areas you have marked in the rest of the state?

The original inhabitants of middle and north Louisiana were mostly Americans who moved westward. Mostly from Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. That area of the state has a very differn't history from the southern area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops guess I hadn't noticed that you edited your earlier post. Thanks for all the info Nate. It's very interesting.

The area within the black section is the northwest corner of the state, and is part of the Ark-La-Tex region.

The major city in this area is Shreveport. NW Louisiana, much like SW Arkansas, is very similar to east Texas, this is one of the reasons why you will find many Baptist's in this area.

Hope that helps a little bit, Rod. :)

Yeah I think all of Arkansas is heavily Baptist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Louisiana has a huge cultural divide.

The within the blue section is normally referred to as the "Crossroads" section of Louisiana. The best way to explain the differences of this is based on driving on Interstate 49. Once you leave cajun country, and hit the area around Alexandria, it's like your in a whole nother world. Differen't people, differen't industry, differn't food, differen't history, differen't religion's, differnt culture, and in a way, different everything.

Yeah I find the big cultural divide very interesting. There are differences in Arkansas to a certain degree but it's nothing like this at all. Our biggest difference is probably the terrain. Very flat to the south and in the east of the state. And then small mountains to the west and north. I suppose the Ozarks has a different culture than the rest of Arkansas but as I said nothing like what Louisiana has. I wish southeast Arkansas had managed to keep some of it's French heritage. Although I still doubt it would be anything like southern Louisiana though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^There aren't that many problems. The biggest issue is things related to thought based off of politics, religion, and other things that are affected by the cultural divide.

For example, almost everyone in southern Louisiana views New Orleans as the most important city in the area, so most people in southern Louisiana that were relitevely un-affected by Katrina had no problems sacrificing money for their own areas to go to New Orleans.

While some people in north Louisiana could care less about New Orleans. They were of course willing to give away money to the city, but not as much as the rest of the state was proposing.

Problems like this are somewhat because of the physical distance between the two areas, but are also because people in the different areas of the state think about things differntly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^There aren't that many problems. The biggest issue is things related to thought based off of politics, religion, and other things that are affected by the cultural divide.

For example, almost everyone in southern Louisiana views New Orleans as the most important city in the area, so most people in southern Louisiana that were relitevely un-affected by Katrina had no problems sacrificing money for their own areas to go to New Orleans.

While some people in north Louisiana could care less about New Orleans. They were of course willing to give away money to the city, but not as much as the rest of the state was proposing.

Problems like this are somewhat because of the physical distance between the two areas, but are also because people in the different areas of the state think about things differntly.

Yeah I've seen some things like this in my state but I think it has more to do with distance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saint Martinville, New Iberia, and Houma are the cultural cipitals of Cajun Country, IMO. They are also located at different sections of the area, so they have their own mini-type cajun cultures around them.

The business and financial capital of Cajun Country would have to be Lafayette. That is the city and area where most of the business happens, where most of the population is located, where people go for the city like atmosphere, etc.. Though Baton Rouge is only around 55-60 miles from Lafayette, so it could partially be considered an important business center, but the city is not historically cajun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.