Job Discussion Forums

[Ailian]

There's a big difference between Cajuns and Creoles, you know. The Cajuns were the Canadians thrown out of Canada by the British; they took the Acadian name with them ("Cajun Country" is also known as the "Acadian Triangle", "Acadiana", or simply "L'Acadie"), along with their language and lifestyle. The Acadians (Acadien->Cadien->Cadjen->Cajun) settled in the swamps and became trappers, trawlers, and fishers, living a life well apart from the Creoles who came from France or Spain and settled along the river or in New Orleans. The two cultures couldn't be further apart! Cajuns were (are) "swamp rats"; they adopted words into their Canadian-like language from their surroundings -- Native American languages, Spanish, and (later) English and Creole; they had a joie de vivre unlike our more stuffy Creoles' and would accept anyone into their group; their food is more provincial, heavily spiced (to me, though it's nothing like the Cajun food outside of LA!), and often fried. Their children are more likely to go to LSU ("Hot boudin, cold cush-cush/Come on, Tigers, push, push!") or ULALA ("Oh, la la!" in Lafayette, the "capital" of Acadiana) than the Tulane or Loyola that Creole children would be encouraged to attend. Creoles speak an old, Napoleonic French (it's become increasingly influenced by Cajun, though -- they are the majority -- and is in some areas indistinguishable outside of accents) or Creole (more on that below); our food is based on traditional ("classical"?) French cuisine (with local ingredients -- Galatoire's is my favorite Creole restaurant in New Orleans, if you've the envie to try our food ); and, as I stated before, we're quite stuffy as a group.

New Orleans ("Nawlins"? Aie!) itself is a Creole city (Cajuns? In New Orleans? I know of a few, but they're mainly old couples who moved to the city to be near their grandchildren), but it's also been heavily influenced by other cultures. New Orleans has the same joie de vivre that I love most about the Cajuns; we party for any reason at any time (even at death with jazz funerals). Our language is tainted with our French and Spanish past (lagniappe, making groceries, etc.). Cajun, Creole, and other cuisines (gumbo [literally "okra"] and jambalaya from the mulattes, that nasty cabbage from the Irish, muffalettas from the Italians [actually, this is a home-grown food, though it's thanks to the Italian immigrants], etc. along with our local red beans and rice, beignets, poor boys, et al) abound in New Orleans, which is great for us as we love to eat almost as much as we love to talk about food. The city itself has an underlying rhythm that I can't quite describe. The rhythm is different from that of the Creole riverside or Acadiana or Baton Rouge or anywhere else I've ever been; to use a phrase from a local news personality, it's that little something that's "Naturally New Orleans".


To talk again about people, there are also the mulattes who have adopted our name, "Creole", to describe themselves and, hell, they are rather Creole in their own way. Some of their families may have once spoken the Creole language (a French-based creole that is dying out and/or being absorbed into Cajun), but it's difficult for me to refer to them as "Creole" without thinking about it first. But, hey, whatever floats their boat! "Creoles", I think, gave birth to most of the "bests" of Louisiana. The best music to come out of Louisiana, aside from jazz (which also may have been "Creole"-made), is the Creole (language)-sung zydeco (literally "green beans" -- "haricots") and the best cooks in Louisiana are truly the "Creoles". (The best looking people, for that matter, are usually the "Creoles", but that's neither here nor there.)


Okay, I think that I've rambled a bit too much on this.

[tbiehl2000]

I'm American. I guess I feel compelled to respond. It's not that I want to go to Europe so bad. It looks as though I will be teaching English somewhere in Eastern Europe this winter. I'm not a big fan of cold weather but I'm going anyway. I worked in Florida last winter and I made some pretty darn good money (by my standards). The weather was beautiful. I was miserable. I was tired of the mindless work, the lack of autonomy.... I had a fat paycheck and great weather but I was not happy. I love to travel, I love to experience new cultures, and my guess is that I will love teaching English, but we shall see.
I have no kids and no significant other so I can get up and go whenever I'd like. I did some soul searching. When I am 90 years old and on my death bed, will I be gratified by the all the retirement money I accumulated doing something I didn't particularly like? I would rather have the memory of touching peoples lives by doing something ehhh...noble. Ok maybe noble isn't quite the word I am looking for.
At this time in history it is very beneficial to much of the world's population to learn English. I will not be teaching English to get rich. Maybe I simply want to help my fellow man. I can always return to the US to make American dollars but someone from Romania doesn't have that option. Man cannot live on bread alone. That's just the truth.
Hey, I still practice prudence. I contribute to my retirement account, I just may have to retire with a little less in the IRA. I'm lucky. I'm from a country that has plenty of jobs. I am currently working as a waiter at a resort here in the US. I can move to Florida this winter and easily gross over 20,000 US dollars for the winter season. Is it because I am especially skilled or highly intelligent? Absolutely not. I'm just lucky to be from a country that has lots of employment opportunities. Ask a Russian if they can go to their ski resorts and wait tables for a decent wage. The opportunites just aren't there.
The greatest thing someone can do in this life is help someone out. Teach English.

[Seth]

ailian, that's a big slice of louisiana that few of us can even fathom.

i was told in my american history classes that the acadians weren't exactly kicked out of canada by the british, but that they didn't want to live under a protestant monarchy since they were french. since louisiana at the time was owned by spain, a catholic monarchy, they went there.

let us not forget the 'red sticks,' that ragtag group of escaped slaves and native americans who formed their own rebellion. known, in creole, as 'baton rouge', the state capitol of louisiana.

while i'd never want to live in the deep south, to a yankee northerner like myself louisiana is an enigma wrapped in a mystery.

i do love fried dill pickles

[Ailian]

I've never had fried dill pickles, but they sound like an amusing treat (like something a pregnant woman would request ) that I'd like to try at least once.

The deportations did occur, though:

[Celeste]

Ailian- Thank you for a thoroughly fascinating post! I have long loved the food of your region (though I question the authenticity of cajun and creole cooking done on the West coast of Canada) and I would really like to go there.

In keeping with the original posting on this thread I am of mixed heritage (all four of my grandparents were displaced after world war two and eventually made their way to Canada when my parents were children) and I am a first generation Canadian. When I was in elementary school, we had "multi-cultural days" at school when parents and grandparents would come to the school and would bring food from their countries of origin (even if that country was Canada!) and we would also have people come in and teach us words from their native language or traditional arts and crafts. I have visited Europe before, and I plan to go back. It is a region of the world that has remarkably well preserved historical buildings and art. In the part of Canada that I am from, most of the old buildings were made of wood. The first nations people from my area built longhouses from cedar planks, and these structures succumbed to the ravages of time and weather. As well, much of the native art from my region was made from wood and likewise disappeared. I must say I was rather taken aback when I went to the British National museum and I saw Haida art and burial objects including a bentwood box coffin. It struck me as really out of place and creepy and really made me rethink my previous feelings about Egyptian and other artifacts I'd seen on display in museums far from their countries of origin.

I like when tourists and students show an interest in the place I am from. I do find it funny when I see tourists buying plastic totem poles and paperweights from the souvenir shops, but I understand that they just want to take away an affordable souvenir of the place that has made an impression on them. (The really good Haida art can be very collectible, and very pricey!). I think that it is a positive part of globalisation that people want to find out about their roots and celebrate the past. To let a grey uniform world culture develop that does not celebrate the past and the differences would be tragic.

[Atlas]

Not to intrude upon whatever you folks are talking about, but has anyone tasted ocean eel before? It really is quite good. Like crab meat, sort of. And how about that Yao Ming? Man, that guy is tall.

--signed,
American and loving it

[Hod]

Thanks Atlas, despite being American, your post was about 97 sentences shorter than those of any of your countrymen here.

Brevity is an art - Hod (c)2004

[justcolleen]

[yodetta]

hey colleen,

so, do they sautee or deep-fry pierogies in your whereabouts?

Y

[Sweetsee]

Hod,


This is too funny. "Doo do do do, doo do do do". (theme from twilight zone)

I was born in France and grew up in America.

I have family from both parents in two EC countries.

I studied French and used to spend summer vacations with my grandparents.

When I visit France I feel like I have come home. I was there last summer for 3 weeks with my grandparents, uncle and his family and love it there.

I am looking forward to a change after spending the last 15 years in Japan.

The funny thing is that I just posted on another thread that is my dream to teach in earth floored classes in Africa.

There you have it.

[justcolleen]

[Hod]

[Bindair Dundat]

[JosephP]

Bindair Dundat writes, "In Europe, it's the beer and the whores."

No kidding? Wow, usually Thailand gets the nod for that kind of thing. Good on Europe for beer and demimondaines.

[Aramas]

Perhaps the Seppos (Septic Tanks = Yanks) see Europe as a proto-Disneyland. They can go for a ride in Frenchland, Swissland, Italianland, Englishland etc, pick up a cuckoo clock and an Eiffel Tower snowscene thingie then haul their saggy buttocks back home and brag to their equally ignorant and parochial friends (That's certainly true of my Australian family - peasants!)

Anything that keeps them from levelling middle eastern countries and torturing and murdering civilians has to be a good thing, right?