January 5th: Inner Journey

One thing that I found most interesting today was the story behind each family restaurant and the why food were served why they were served. For example, red beans and rice was served during chore days. These were the days that families would clean up shop, bath animals, and do laundry. They needed a dish that they could leave unattended for house and not worry about it overcooking. This reminded me of home. Usually on the weekends when we all have different schedules, my dad will cook up a bog pot of chili and we can feast off of that all weekend long so we dint have to worry about making any meals. It's enlightening to learn about the stories and reasons behind each food like this.

I also really enjoyed the turtle soup and how wild animals like turtles, rabbit, and other small animals were popular to eat among people because they were easy to kill and bring back to the family. I also have really loved all of the seafood. Eating the shrimp and fish have reminded me of my childhood. My grandparents owned a fishing resort in Arkansas my entire childhood, so my family and I would spend many school breaks their catching fish and other river creatures. We would take out catch from the day, and my grandpa and dad would cook it up each night and that was our dinner. There are fewer things more comforting to me than eating sea food. I can tell New Orleans is so proud of these dishes because you can't get them anywhere else the way they are made. The seasoning and spices are so different from what I eat back home in Illinois, so it's been such a delight trying these new things.

Learning about popular ingredients
used in Cajun nd Creole foods.