People of the Swamp

[RonBoyd]

Good news, so some camp grounds are up and running.
I was beginning to wonder.
I'm assuming the boat ride was on an air boat? May not be as many of those as I think though. Most of what they were using in the show last night were regular out board boat engine types.
Most of the rides in the everglades are air boats so that's where my assumption comes from.
Steve

No. It was in a boat with an outboard motor -- the kind of boat that is flat-bottomed but has high sides. The guide, for instance, simply skimmed over logs and other debris. All the time going at a speed no greater than a gentle walk -- we cetainly didn't startle any wildlife. I highly recommend it.

The swamps of La are not like the Everglades. It is more like a Rain Forest that was flooded. Speed is not an option.

Yeah, air boats. We took a short ride in the Everglades and I was very unimpressed. The driver thought he was a Carnival Ride operator making the ride the experience rather than the Everglades... of course, the kids on board loved it. Oh! And in the Air Boat there must have been twenty/thirty passengers. There were only six of us on the Swamp Boat.

 

[Rustward]

There is a special TV show on tonight (history channel- time 9 central) about the people of the swamp. <snip>Steve

Looks like the name of the show is Swamp People. Thanks. I setup a season pass for it on the TiVo.

Being a coonass (slang for cajun) from a little town on the Atchafalaya River about halfway between Baton Rouge and Alexandria, I would say that N'awlins is not representative of "cajun country" -- by a long shot. New Orleans is much more refined than the rest of Louisiana in general. I don't mean this in a negative way about New Orleans or the rest of Louisiana, after all, that is where I am from. I just don't think somebody who has been only to New Orleans can say they experienced Louisiana -- that would be like saying you learned all about Texas from your fly-in trip to Dallas.

To me, "cajun country" is a circle centered in Lafeyette with roughly a 50-75 mile radius -- Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Ville Platte -- just the names of the towns say "cajun". The region is known as Acadiana. There you can hear the thick accents (and it is quite different from the New Orleanian accent) eat gumbo, couchon de lait, boudin and fresh cracklins, hog head cheese, dirty rice (aka rice dressing), and have a crawfish boil, and find a good muffaletta, too. There are also some pretty good tamales there. Eating crawfish in a restaurant misses out on the experience of "the boil", with corn and potatoes and onions and dumping the stuff out on a picnic table covered with old newspapers and digging in, cajun music in the background, and cold beer. Same is true for a fish fry. Like most places, there is no shortage of local festivals where this can be experienced.

As they say, laissez les bons temps rouler.

 

[W2R]

Rustward is exactly right. New Orleans is not really Cajun Country, nor do we travel by pirogues and so on since this is not really swamp country. We are surrounded by water but in a "soupbowl" that is kept dry by an elaborate and amazing drainage system (most of which was badly damaged by Katrina). I have a lot of friends in the area south of Lafayette, and the Cajun influence, the music, the Cajun French, and the overall warm and delightful culture there is much different than New Orleans.

Meadbh asked about Cafe du Monde, and I just remembered that I took a photo of it last month:

As long as I am posting photos that I took in July, here's one of Canal Street showing one of the new red streetcars (that were destroyed by the Katrina flood so I think these were all re-purchased). These are the new, air conditioned streetcars, not the historic streetcars which were largely unharmed by the flood and are green. See my profile for a photo of one of the historic streetcars. BTW - - notice: no swamp, no alligators, no coonass fais-do-do , fiddlers, swamp pop, or pirogues:

And for Moemg, a photo of Harrah's. For what it's worth, Frank said it isn't safe for tourists to walk in that area even during the day, because in his opinion "the scumbags can detect a tourist a mile off".

Finally, my favorite, the statue of Joan of Arc in the Quarter. What a woman!

 

[Free To Canoe]

Looks like the name of the show is Swamp People. Thanks. I setup a season pass for it on the TiVo.

Being a coonass (slang for cajun) from a little town on the Atchafalaya River about halfway between Baton Rouge and Alexandria, I would say that N'awlins is not representative of "cajun country" -- by a long shot. New Orleans is much more refined than the rest of Louisiana in general. I don't mean this in a negative way about New Orleans or the rest of Louisiana, after all, that is where I am from. I just don't think somebody who has been only to New Orleans can say they experienced Louisiana -- that would be like saying you learned all about Texas from your fly-in trip to Dallas.

To me, "cajun country" is a circle centered in Lafeyette with roughly a 50-75 mile radius -- Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Ville Platte -- just the names of the towns say "cajun". The region is known as Acadiana. There you can hear the thick accents (and it is quite different from the New Orleanian accent) eat gumbo, couchon de lait, boudin and fresh cracklins, hog head cheese, dirty rice (aka rice dressing), and have a crawfish boil, and find a good muffaletta, too. There are also some pretty good tamales there. Eating crawfish in a restaurant misses out on the experience of "the boil", with corn and potatoes and onions and dumping the stuff out on a picnic table covered with old newspapers and digging in, cajun music in the background, and cold beer. Same is true for a fish fry. Like most places, there is no shortage of local festivals where this can be experienced.

As they say, laissez les bons temps rouler.

I passed through and camped in "coonass" country and I will never forget the hospitality of the people and their delicious food.

Good thread about NO and LA.

Although I am a yankee, I consider myself a swamp person.
There is nothing more beautiful than paddling a canoe through a river swamp.

Free to canoe

 

[RonBoyd]

To me, "cajun country" is a circle centered in Lafeyette with roughly a 50-75 mile radius -- Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Ville Platte -- just the names of the towns say "cajun". The region is known as Acadiana. There you can hear the thick accents...

Our "Swamp Tour" was out of Breaux Bridge and the Guide was definitely Cajun -- talked like, looked like, and acted like. One of the best tour guides ever.

 

[Moemg]

To me, "cajun country" is a circle centered in Lafeyette with roughly a 50-75 mile radius -- Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Ville Platte -- just the names of the towns say "cajun". The region is known as Acadiana. There you can hear the thick accents (and it is quite different from the New Orleanian accent) eat gumbo, couchon de lait, boudin and fresh cracklins, hog head cheese, dirty rice (aka rice dressing), and have a crawfish boil, and find a good muffaletta, too. There are also some pretty good tamales there. Eating crawfish in a restaurant misses out on the experience of "the boil", with corn and potatoes and onions and dumping the stuff out on a picnic table covered with old newspapers and digging in, cajun music in the background, and cold beer. Same is true for a fish fry. Like most places, there is no shortage of local festivals where this can be experienced.

As they say, laissez les bons temps rouler.

Thanks ,I am definetely going to keep this in mind for a road trip !

 

[Stevewc]

Looks like the name of the show is Swamp People. Thanks. I setup a season pass for it on the TiVo.

Being a coonass (slang for cajun) from a little town on the Atchafalaya River about halfway between Baton Rouge and Alexandria, I would say that N'awlins is not representative of "cajun country" -- by a long shot. New Orleans is much more refined than the rest of Louisiana in general. I don't mean this in a negative way about New Orleans or the rest of Louisiana, after all, that is where I am from. I just don't think somebody who has been only to New Orleans can say they experienced Louisiana -- that would be like saying you learned all about Texas from your fly-in trip to Dallas.

To me, "cajun country" is a circle centered in Lafeyette with roughly a 50-75 mile radius -- Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Ville Platte -- just the names of the towns say "cajun". The region is known as Acadiana. There you can hear the thick accents (and it is quite different from the New Orleanian accent) eat gumbo, couchon de lait, boudin and fresh cracklins, hog head cheese, dirty rice (aka rice dressing), and have a crawfish boil, and find a good muffaletta, too. There are also some pretty good tamales there. Eating crawfish in a restaurant misses out on the experience of "the boil", with corn and potatoes and onions and dumping the stuff out on a picnic table covered with old newspapers and digging in, cajun music in the background, and cold beer. Same is true for a fish fry. Like most places, there is no shortage of local festivals where this can be experienced.

As they say, laissez les bons temps rouler.

This seems more to what and where my interest really are.
The real culture and learning about it as I travel.
Any clue on finding out about good eating festivals, that are reasonably safe for all.
Steve

 

[Rustward]

Most of these are not really gigantic events (say, like Mardi Gras in New Orleans), so you should not be too concerned about personal safety, but the usual cautions apply. The idea is to have fun.

As far as the food goes, if you are a picky eater (for example, do not eat anything with liver in it, just one example) inquire about the ingredients of the dish.

Here is a web site that lists some festivals: CajunFun.com: Festivals Category Listing

Also recommend the Liberty Theater in Eunice. It is a performance hall format rather than a festival, but they have something every weekend. Haven't been in several years, but there is a museum next door (The Prairie Acadian Culture Center) that usually has activities on Saturdays before the Liberty performances. I think the last time we were there they had a Cajun cooking class.
City of Eunice - Official Liberty Theater Schedule
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve - Schedule Of Events (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[WhoDaresWins]

My closest friend at work hails from Feliciana Parish which is quite rural as she tells it. She lived in Metairie, Baton Rouge, N.O. as a student and young nurse. She is very interesting and has an encyclopedic knowledge of nature and rural life. A real do-it-yourself sort of person and one with absolutely no airs about her. She is probably the most honest and generous person I have ever known. And she makes to-die-for pralines!

 

[Stevewc]

Looks like the "swamp people" continues tonight at 9:00 central time on the history channel.
I really didn't realize it would be more than one show in the beginning. Hope it covers more of the culture/people & food.
Just a reminder for those interested.
Sure hope this isn't the same show being shown over again, but I really do not know?
Steve

 

[Ronstar]

Thanks for the tip! I watched it last week. Catching gators for a living - very tough job, but they're just trying to get by like everyone else. And they seem like very good hearted, down to earth, family oriented people. Not what I expected when I first saw the name of the show.

 

[bubba]

After seeing this thread yesterday, I watched the show last night. Can't imagine hunting gators for a living - much braver than I. Somehow I had the impression this was a series. I'll watch for it again next week.

 

[Rustward]

Swamp People — History.com TV Episodes, Schedule, & Video

 

[Sportster]

Here's an interesting job... catching snapping turtles by hand!

Not from the show but... different.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Although I am a yankee, I consider myself a swamp person.
There is nothing more beautiful than paddling a canoe through a river swamp.

Free to canoe

Finally saw an episode of this People of The Swamp show last night.
I would like to now distance myself from it.
Just a show about gator hunting.

Free to canoe

 

[Martha]

My kind of swamp, down the road on my morning and evening walks today:

 

[RonBoyd]

My kind of swamp, down the road on my morning and even walks today:

Simply lovely.

 

[Free To Canoe]

My kind of swamp, down the road on my morning and evening walks today:

Nice color!

What kind of trees are those?
Are they larch?

Free to canoe

 

[Martha]

Nice color!

What kind of trees are those?
Are they larch?

Free to canoe

Yup, they are larch, subspecies tamarack. Their needles turn after the leaves have fallen off the deciduous trees so they are the last of our fall color.

 

[sg777]

I just moved from Louisiana, Lafayette (River Ranch to be exact)...New Orleans is fun but if you want real swamp food/cajun food one needs to be in the heart of Acadiana and be in Lafayette or Baton Rouge. My favorite place in Randol's and then Prejeans...great food

 

[Rustward]

Saw what might be the last show of the season -- gator season. I did like the series, as it reminded me of home and some things I have forgotten about. For example, two of the characters -- Mike Kliebert (pronounced clee-bare) and his son known as T-Mike. Anyone who saw the show would have noticed that Cajuns are not the most articulate people, frequently dropping letters and syllables from words, sometimes more than once in the same word. The T in T-Mike is the Cajun pronounciation of "petite". T-Mike means "Little Mike", although the guy is anything but little. Wonder if the producers know what the T means . . .

Bruce, Mike, and T-Mike: Swamp People — Meet the Swamp People — History.com
You have to admit, Bruce is kinda gutsy hunting alligators alone with his dog.

As the youngest of four siblings, into my teens I was known to one set of grandparents as T-Bay.

 

[martyb]

We lived in Louisiana, although it was in the NW part of the state, where the "normal" people live . I told the wife that when I retire, we're moving down south to cajun land and I'm gonna hunt gators, snakes, turtles & frogs....and she's gotta clean 'em! So....I won't bother posting her reply lol!

 

[haha]

We lived in Louisiana, although it was in the NW part of the state, where the "normal" people live . I told the wife that when I retire, we're moving down south to cajun land and I'm gonna hunt gators, snakes, turtles & frogs....and she's gotta clean 'em! So....I won't bother posting her reply lol!

You'll really be eating paleo with that stuff. I hope you do it. When I was a kid I ate fried frog's legs and fried snapping turtle, but never had any gator. I ate some grilled rattlesnake out in Texas, and it was good but I liked frog and turtle better. I also had frogs legs in a fancy NYC French restaurant. Really good there too, but sautéed in butter and garlic.

In my boyhood and also after I was married the rule was always "you kill it, you clean it". But both my Mom and my aunts and my wife were excellent game cooks.

Ha

 

[W2R]

Gator is delicious - - but being a city girl, I only eat it in restaurants (where it is sometimes offered as an appetizer).

And yes, like you I thought it was pretty scary when he was hunting gators all by himself. Guess he knew what he was doing, though.

I used to work with the Fish and Wildlife person whose job was to do our seasonal gator census (among other things). That's about as close to gators as I ever wish to be.

 

[martyb]

I see gators all the time when I'm out fishing in Lousiana & east Texas. They don't bother me & I give 'em plenty of room. I have, on occasion, gotten a little too close, but so far they've left me alone. I've eaten gator a few times, but it's not really my favorite meat. Never tried turtle, snake or even frog legs. Had plenty of chances for legs, but just haven't tried it yet.

Even though I've spent most of my Louisiana time in the Shreveport/Bossier area, you'd be surprised how many gators we have up there. On the AF base where I used to work, there were lots of 'em. They have gator hunts on the base every couple of years. I havent' seen any over 12 feet, but that's plenty big.

My little 4 yr old grandaughter loves going to the family alligator park that's not too far from Shreveport. http://www.alligatorpark.net/ They take a little 2 footer, wrap some duct tape around it's mouth, & let the kids hold it for a pic. Yeah, I know, the gator probably doesn't like it much.....