Research Essay

Louisiana: The Melting Pot of Cuisine

As Hill and Barclay has stated in their article “Acadian to Cajun,” Most people associate blackened, heavily seasoned, and a seafood predominant dish with Louisiana cuisine and this is because somewhere in the search for new dishes to serve overzealous tourist, the translation for traditional Cajun or Creole cuisine was lost.  Louisiana is one of the most diverse areas in America, in more ways than its unique history.  Many would argue that Louisiana’s cuisine is the way it is today because of its complex history, but this isn’t the only thing that contributed to this diverse ingredient cabinet.  It is true that Louisiana has had many occupants over the years and each occupant has had something different to offer to the table, building to the cuisine that is used today, but because of the near tropical climate, many vegetables and spices grow with ease.  Louisiana is very different from the rest of America in a sense that the tradition and scenery are different and the differences are even shown in the cuisine.  Many dishes that are made and spices that are used serve a purpose, such as, preserving the food to last longer in the warm and humid climate.  The climate and location has had just as much to offer to the table as the history does.  From the beginning Louisiana was bound to be a different and amazing place.

Many cultures influence the cuisine of Louisiana, such as, French, Spanish, African, Irish, German, Acadian, Italian, and Caribbean.  Each of these nationalities brought a new ingredient to the table and each came to Louisiana by boat, arriving in the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of Louisiana.  Before the seventeenth century, the Native Americans would hunt and harvest the land, reaping the benefits and various ingredients and game from the woods, bayou, and the sky.  3,500 years later, in 1682, Rene- Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, sails down the Mississippi River and claims the territory and named it Louisiana after Louis the XIV of France.  During the seventeenth century the French settlers learned to improvise their cooking from home based off of the ingredients that were available.  Roux, which is slowly cooked fat and flour, is a classical French technique that is still used today.   In the early years of the eighteenth century, slaves were introduced to land to work on plantations.  The slaves brought hot peppers, coffee, yams, melons, and okra with them.  The French settlers, at first tried to eradicate all African influence from the cuisine, but were then captives to the flavors of these ingredients and the quality it brought to the dishes.  In the 1720’s German, Italian, and Irish settlers came to Louisiana, bringing black pepper, sausage, tomato based sauces, garlic, delicately crafted cream based sauces, and potatoes with them.  In 1762, after the Treaty of Paris was signed the French gave Louisiana to the Spaniards.  The influences that they brought with them were seafood and rice predominant dishes.  By this time period the cabinet of most settlers housed more exotic ingredients than ever before.  As Hill and Barclay state in their article “From Acadian to Cajun,” The average household kitchen was stocked with bell peppers, celery, garlic, mushrooms, onions (especially green onions, often called shallots), cane syrup, honey, arugula, bay leaves, horseradish, oregano, garlic, parsley, collard greens, mustard greens, turnips, basil, rosemary, thyme, Andouille sausage, black pepper, potatoes, yams, okra, rice, fish, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, nutmeg, and a variety of other fresh spices.  Many of the inhabitants of Louisiana found that they never needed to use dried spices because many of the spices could be easily grown in a small herb garden and fresh spices gave a more fragrant and flavorful aspect to the dish.  Most recipes call for something called the “holy trinity,” which is a little bundle of bell peppers, celery, and green onions.  These vegetables give off an amazing smell and a harmony of subtle flavors in many soups, boils, and roast.

When it comes to Louisiana’s cuisine, there two very important terms that appear quite often, Creole and Cajun, these are two similar, yet still different styles of cooking.  Marcelle Bienvenu, Carl A. Brasseaux, and Ryan A. Brasseaux’s article “Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine” and Connie Eble’s article titled “Creole in Louisiana” separates the difference between the two terms.  Cajun is term used to describe settlers of Acadian descent.  In1765, Acadians were chased out of Nova Scotia by the British and they fled to Louisiana in hopes finding a safe place with the French settlers.  Unfortunately, the Spanish rule had taken over Louisiana, but the welcomed the Acadians with open arms and the Acadians settled to the country side.  Cajun cooking is considered to be more homey and country style cooking.  Meals are made with fresh game and easily attainable ingredients and they are easily prepared and are made to last longer in the warm and humid climate.  On the other hand, Creole is a term used to describe dignified settlers of European descent and the name is also bared to their servants and slaves.  Many slaves found the term incredibly insulting, until they were told that the term means “to be born in the New World.”  Many settlers who considered themselves as Creole lived in the cities and have a more refined taste.  Their ingredient cabinet housed more exotic ingredients, such as, tomatoes and they loved their delicately seasoned sauces. An easy way to tell the difference between Creole and Cajun dishes is to check for exotic ingredients and to see how long and difficult it is to prepare the meal.  For instance both styles of cooking have a recipe for Jambalaya.  My family makes Jambalaya and we always uses tomatoes, lemons, and an extensive list of ingredients and it takes a few hours to prepare this dish, therefore the recipe is a Creole recipe. 

Louisiana’s cuisine has always been well seasoned, but today most people think of blackened meat, heavily seasoned with black pepper, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco sauce or many rely on the fast food chain named “Popeye’s” be an accurate representation of Cajun food.  It would be absolutely ludicrous to rely on a fast food chain to accurately represent Cajun food because Cajun food takes a while to prepare and could not be accurately displayed as fast food.  Traditional food of Louisiana has changed to meet the needs of busy tourist and to become a franchise.  Even though the cuisine has changed through the years, many traditions remain the same, as proven by Kevin McCaffrey in his documentary of the traditions that are still used today.  Many of those who live in Louisiana still hunt for dinner, whether they catch a catfish or a squirrel, more times than not, they are going to incorporate their catch into dinner.  Many dishes are one pot dishes, such as, Jambalaya and Gumbo, where all of the ingredients are tossed into one pot and that is all that’s used.  It is considered family tradition to use cast iron pots and pans that are passed from one generation to the next.  Families still believe in catching dinner that day and making dinner happen with the ingredients they have on hand, while still being a part of the community and celebrating the culture. 

Louisiana’s music, dialect, and cuisine can be easily considered a microcosm of the United States of America because the music, dialect, and cuisine are a blending of many cultures.  The music is such a unique mixture of culture that it has its own genre and the dialect is very different from that of the rest of America.  This is what makes Louisiana different from any other state. Even though America is seen as a melting pot, Louisiana is impressive more so, simply because the is much more culture in a much smaller space.  In this small place, there are many different landscapes, such as, the bayou. The bayou is unlike any other place on earth.  The climate is even different than many other places. It is very hot and humid, but there are still subtle weather changes in the different seasons.  Louisiana is a prime example of the benefit of combining cultures.  The history and the cultures played a big part in shaping the cuisine, but Louisiana was going to always be a great place from the beginning, simply because it is in an optimal location and provides many habitats for a various number of plants and animals.  Louisiana is the birthing place of Creole and Cajun cooking styles and these styles of cooking are unique and versatile, like the settlers that came before us and the state itself. There is no other place like Louisiana and there are no other dishes like the ones served there.

Works Cited

Barclay, Gwen, and Hill, Madalene. "From Acadian To Cajun." The Herbarist 74 (2008): 68-73. Academic Search Complete. JSTOR Web. 23 Sept. 2014.

Bienvenu, Marcelle, Carl A. Brasseaux, and Ryan A. Brasseaux. Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine. New York: Hippocrene, 2005. Google Scholar Web. 27 Octo. 2014

Eble, Connie “Creole in Louisiana.” 73.2 pp. 39-53 South Atlantic Modern Language Association (Spring, 2008) JSTOR Web. 29 Octo. 2014

Leistner, Colette Guidry. French and Acadian Influences upon the Cajun Cuisine of Southwest Louisiana. 1986. Google Scholar Web. 29 Octo. 2014

McCaffrey, Kevin.  No One Went Hungry: Cajun Food Traditions Today. Vimeo. 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.

My half of the "Rhetorical Analysis With Molly Tate"

Hill and Barclay are very historically factual during most of this article. They never refer to themselves or anyone else in general for that matter. This article would have been better if the authors, Hill and Barclay, would have given some real life examples about their experiences with “Cajun” food, instead of spewing historical facts, because when a reader thinks of Louisiana cuisine, they think of warm and friendly hospitality to also be a part of that. Historical facts aren’t that warm and friendly. They did, however, ended this article with a recipe which gives it a warm and friendly vibe that can only be described as using southern mannerisms.

            Hill and Barclay use a very lose, but connected structure. They do not go through each time period of Louisiana’s cuisine experience, but they do eventually end up talking about them. This is almost as if written a stream-of-conscious writing. If one time period is similar to another than they tie them together because of that similar fact. The authors talk about how the French, German, Spanish, Acadian, Caribbean, Irish, African, and Italian influence the cuisine, but not in any specific order. They jump around from one ingredient and cultural influence to another.

            Hill and Barclay finish the article with recipes and it gives the article a more well-rounded and homey feel, but the recipes are randomly put in the middle of the article and are not relevant to the article except for the fact that they Louisiana recipes. Without this simple touch the article would feel to academic and cold leaving the audience completely alienated and confused. When a person thinks of Cajun cuisine, they often think of spicy and warm, the article should almost reciprocate these feels like word painting a meal, this article leaves much to be desired in that aspect. .

Hill, Madalene, and Barclay, Gwen. "From Acadian To Cajun." The Herbarist 74 (2008): 68-73. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.

Food Memoir

Best Served with Company

            For many college students, the idea of fending for themselves in terms of food can be problematic. For me, it is already something I came to terms with. I had firsthand experience at the beginning of my senior year of high school because I moved out of my parents’ house when I was seventeen and at the time I had been working at McDonalds for almost two years. It was not an easy task to learn how to be comfortable and confident with the decision to live on my own, especially when it came down to not having enough money on a minimum wage salary. When it came to balancing work and school it got a little messy, but the biggest mess of all was the fight between bills and food. Luckily, I lived in a small town where most people shared my struggles. I had amazing neighbors and friends, they taught me that what I needed most of all was company. They had perfect timing and would always ask me to come over for dinner when I didn’t have food to put on the table; sometimes they just knew. They weren’t much better off than I was, but they figured that they had enough to share, and for that I was always grateful for the dinners we shared. A lot of freshmen in college struggle with weight gain and proper eating; I don’t share those struggles anymore.  I learned, some might say the hard way, that it isn’t what you eat, but who you eat with.  Living alone isn’t all that it cracked up to be, eating alone is worse. Company makes food worth eating.

            The night I moved out, I didn’t eat dinner. I wanted comfort food, but I couldn’t think of anything that would put my queasy stomach at ease. I was depressed and I had already missed my mother’s cooking, but I was too stubborn to call her and tell her that I wanted a bowl of Jambalaya and cornbread. I didn’t eat much until I had finished unpacking and bought utensil. I bought a few small pots and pans and plastic forks and spoons and knifes and other basic kitchen items. The first dinner I had at my house, by myself I might add, was macaroni and cheese and fish sticks. Cheap and easy was my first choice of direction. Money was tight, and I didn’t have enough time to cook a proper meal anyway. I either needed to get ready to walk to work or finish my homework. After a great deal of weight gain and loss of energy, I figured it was time to change my course of action. I still went fairly cheap, but I decided to put a little more effort into my cooking. Vegetables were going to be a must have at dinner and, when money wasn’t so non-existent, meat. I wanted actual protein and I wanted to nip this weight gain problem in the bud. This is how figured out that I hated pork.  I wasn’t a huge fan of bacon anyway, but after forcing myself to swallow my own monstrosity of burnt and awfully seasoned bacon and scrambled eggs and then later have it come back up, let’s just say that I never looked at bacon the same way again. I decided to start making my favorites and I actually enjoyed them again. One of my favorites from my childhood was mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and roast beef. Of course the version I made compared to my mother’s wasn’t that great, mostly because mashed potatoes were instant and powdery, the corn was frozen, and the roast beef needed to be microwaved, but it was a step away from Spaghetti O’s, macaroni and cheese, and chicken noodle soup that I was living off of. 

Some days I decided to treat myself to more luxurious groceries, like the one time I bought steak and forgot the fact that I didn’t own a grill. So, I learned how to sear steak in a pan, and it wasn’t that bad. The inside was a little rarer than I like, and the outside was black and charred, but I am not going to complain on my first-world problem of burnt steak. If I spent too much on the groceries early in the month, or my bills were on the higher side, I would have to except that fact that dinner wasn’t going to be served, at least not at my house.  Then I officially met my neighbors. There was a two story house at the end of the street, and this is where my dearest friend, Staci, lived. Staci and I had been friends since the 7^th grade and when she caught word of my predicament she introduced me to her parents. Her parents, Sue Sue and Johnny, were the friendliest people I had ever met. Her mom had a soft spot for home cooking, and her dad was a prankster. They had this special ability to know when I needed a good home cooked meal and a laugh. I often felt like I needed the laugh and the company more than the nutritional value of the food. Sue Sue cooked amazing southern comfort food, but she was more comfortable than her food. She made the best pot roast and had the best hugs. After I moved out I figured out that living alone isn’t as great as it seemed. Along with Sue Sue’s cooking, she loved being a mother and she took me in as her own child. She felt more like a mom, than my mom ever did. Which made it really hard and awkward the when I did see my mother again.

The first time I saw my biological mom in person again, it was Thanksgiving. I was forcefully invited to attend, mostly because the rest of the family didn’t have knowledge of my departure. It was a very tense and quiet dinner. The food was the same as usual, but it wasn’t as comforting as it used to be. The warm conversation wasn’t buzzing around the table like it use to and everything tasted bland and cold.  Everyone could feel the tension between my mom and me. I could almost hear the judgment from everyone across the table as they stared at me over the turkey. It was a long and tense day and I had to stay in my old room that night to keep up the façade. My bed had never felt more uninviting that night than any other time, I wanted to leave and go to my own place of solitude immediately. I have never felt so alone, than at my parents’ house filled with my own family. I lived alone and being there felt more lonely. Being alone in a room full of people is an out of body experience. This is one of the worst meals I had ever had.

The best meal that was served in my house was my family’s recipe for Jambalaya. This recipe makes enough to feed an army, so I invited friends and coworkers and told everyone to bring a specific thing, like a lemon, or some vegetables, or sausage. That way everyone contributed, making it a little cheaper on everyone. This was a “bring your own bowl” event, also making the dishes a little easier on me. Everyone enjoyed the food, but I think everyone enjoyed the company even more. A lesson that I learned from these memories is that it isn’t the food as much as whom you are eating it with. Great company makes any food taste sweeter. Any meal can be special, if you are eating with someone special. In college, I plan on eating well and eating with people I love. Even on nights when I am stuck eating ramen noodles for a week, as long as I am eating with friends everything will taste better and fill me up. No one should have to eat alone. I shall never go hungry as long as I have friends to eat with.

3rd Service Learning Reflection

I have had the opportunity to attend to gleaning trips, as well as, an orientation and a tour giving me a total of 13 hours thus far. During the gleaning trips we conjured up almost 6,000 pounds of apples, a large crate of cabbage, and a large crate of pumpkins together weighing in at almost another 1,000 pounds. The morning of the first gleaning trip I was excited and I arrived at the meeting spot about 30 minutes early. The first gleaning trip seemed foreboding because the weather was freezing, but as the day progressed the weather became warmer. Not all of the participants that signed up, showed up, but even with the lack of people we managed to finish an hour early and fill all the boxes available. During the second gleaning trip we had twice as many participants and more boxes to fill. The weather was definitely colder, but many of us kept working and making this a fun experience to get past the idea of working in the cold on a Saturday. It was crazy to pick up apples that weren't being sold in stores because many of the apples seemed in perfect condition and these apples were being sent to food banks in town. These apples were going to families who might not be able to buy apples from the store. I am glad I got to help families who are starving in these hard times. I have been in that situation more than once were my only hope for dinner was stopping by the food bank. I know that service learning is more about others than yourself, but I can't help but feel good helping people whose shoes I have been in. Going in to service learning with this experience has made me want to do it that much more. I will say that it has been hard finding the time to go out and complete my service learning hours, but I am glad that I did managed to attend the two gleaning trips.

The Trouble With Tofu

The Trouble with Tofu, show viewers the debate between townspeople, a debate about a choice whether to have a regular supermarket or to have a more organic based supermarket be the central supermarket for the town. Some think this is an issue between classes, claiming that people of the  lower class can not afford to buy from the Co-op and more privileged middle to upper class people were forcing this idea of expensive organic food upon those who do not want it. I can see the point that both sides are making, because those of the lower class might not have the money to buy from the Co-op or the transportation needed to get to another supermarket. Those in favor of the Co-op are educated enough about the place, to know how it runs and how to get the products they want on the shelf, but yet again, people who are against the Co-op seem to be uneducated about how the place runs and because of the uncertainty they have towards the place, they boldly make false claims about the co-op and are close minded to any solutions the council tries to provide. Many questions are still raised when watching the clip, simply because enough background information was not provided to the audience. Ironically, the Co-op wins the debate and becomes the central supermarket and they also stock ther shelves with 99 cent loaves of white bread.

In Response to Eat Food: Food Defined

I honestly get the point that Pollan's trying to make, I really do, but there will always be that little part of me that knows that Mr. Pollan is talking from a point of privilege. He has the money, time, transportation, and the means to go to farmer's markets and buy fresh whole foods. I have never had these privileges. I am a very poor and very busy college student. I am lucky to get myself to the Caf to even eat, much less go to a supermarket and read every label and prepare meals for myself. I live in a world where you work long hours for cheap money, while you watch the price of living go up. As I have gotten older, it gets harder and harder to eat whole foods all the time. I wish it were as simple as Pollan writes it out to be, but for some of us, it is a stretch. During this course I have learned the practical side of industrial farming and the benefits of Organic farming, each still, and always will have their pros and cons. Whether that be inhumane animal treatment to the inhumane workers' injustice. Each serve a purpose and I still feel like I can't properly pick a side of the argument. Maybe that is irresponsible for me to say as a consumer, but how can a person who knows what it is like to be poor, pick the side of people who don't? How could I pick the more expensive produce, or even think about siding with either one, when both have some serious consequences? If I had the means to buy whole food, I would, but I don't. So for right now the only option I have is to eat food and live happy.

2nd Service Learning Reflection

I still have not experienced the joys of service learning quite yet, but I shall. Soon. I have been quite a busy gal the past few weeks, but now that the show is over (quite literally), I have time to go enjoy working in the garden. I will be participating in at least one of the gleaning trips and probably work at two of the gardens on Sundays. I am excited about the gleaning trip and hope to motivate myself to get out and work!