You Might Be From Louisiana If...

It’s been quite the holiday weekend, hasn’t it? Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and now my favorite: Mardi Gras. (For those of us outside of Acadiana, our holiday weekend lasts only through Monday. However, for those lucky enough to live in Southern Louisiana, the weekend is just getting started: Work won’t pick up again until at least Wednesday afternoon!)

I’m mostly a Texas girl—I’ve lived most of my life in the Lone Star State. But I was actually born in Lafayette, Louisiana. We moved away soon, but our family came back for a couple of my elementary school years. And then my husband and I spent our first two years of marriage living in Baton Rouge, working at LSU.

I love Cajun culture, and really miss it this time of year. I mean, where else do they have drive-thru daiquiri stands? If you’ve never lived in Southern Louisiana, you might not realize what a distinct culture exists there.

So in honor of Mardi Gras, I bring you:

“You Might Be From Louisiana If…”

• The crawfish mounds in your front yard have over taken the grass.
• You greet people with "Howzyamomma'an'dem?" and hear back "Dey fine!"
• Every so often, you have waterfront property.
• You've ever had Community Coffee.
• You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas but can't spell it. (Also, Thibideaux, Ponchartrain, Ouachita, Atchafalaya, and Natchitoches.)
• The waitress at your local sandwich shop tells you a fried oyster po-boy "dressed" is healthier than a Caesar salad.
• You know the definition of "dressed."
• The four seasons in your year are: crawfish, shrimp, crab, and King Cake.
• You "wrench" your hands in the sink with an onion bar to get the crawfish smell off.
• You're not afraid when someone wants to "ax you sumpin."
• You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.
• You don't realize until high school what a "county" is.
• Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.
• Your burial plot is six feet over instead of six feet under.
• You pronounce the largest city in the state as "Nawlins."
• You know those big roaches can fly, but you're able to sleep at night anyway.
• You've ever given up Tabasco for Lent.
• Your boat has a higher appraised value than your house.
• You played your first game of Bourre while sitting in a high chair.
• You have relatives whose first names are "Taunt" and "Nonc”, and you have a "Parrain" instead of a godfather.
• You think a seven-course meal is a link of boudin and a six-pack.

Laissez les bon temps roulez!