What’s this about?

To tell ya the truth, I’m really not sure. A Cajun food and travel blog? Mais, that don’t make no sense. All I know is that as a Cajun born and raised in South Louisiana, I grew up with some real good, real unique food that was always so much more than just something you chewed: it was a product of the place and the people who cook it. It represented your home. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to travel and see some of the world and have seen that same story repeated over and over again: good food, good people, in a good place.

Cajun and Creole culture in Louisiana was born and grew out of the interactions between people from all over, and with them they brought their music, ideas, and most importantly (for a glutton like me), their food. The forces that created the Cajun and Creole foods I love and grew up with, are the same forces that created the unique, localized cuisines around the world. Stuff like landscape, climate, local ingredients, necessity, and outside influences shape what and the way we eat.

For me, most of the places I’ve been and the food I eat along the way, in some way reminds me of home. Over the years I’ve realized that there are so many dishes around the world that have a similar Cajun counterpart, or share a technique or ingredients. I want Cajun people back home in South Louisiana (or where ever you are) to know that good food and good people can be found anywhere in the world.

At the end of the day, I hope this blog introduces some of the foods of the world to you. I also hope that, in turn, some of the world is introduced to our Cajun foods as well. If you can and do decide to travel, maybe this blog will give you some ideas of places to visit or foods to try. I know that ain’t for everyone, so if not, I hope the dishes described here will give you some ideas of a new recipe to try at home. In the How Ya Make It? sections of each post, I’ll try to provide tips, ingredients, or other recipes to help you along the way and to work with what you got. Plus you’re a Cajun, so I already know you can cook. Allons manger!