A Merry Cajun Christmas to Yall! (page 2)

Frannie Banannie

Damn, I'm spending too much thyme on this site, I understood that foreign lingo that Fran used. Back atchya Frannie

Lolol, Steve! Thanks, cher...

I think I need more lanquage lessons for this one.....

CW, enter "Cajun language" or just "Cajun" in Google toolbar...it's fun to peruse the Cajun sites...heh

Nor is it a written language. It has been passed on through the centuries by word of mouth. But alas, I fear it may someday disappear.

Yeah, Kenneson, I have a really hard time deciding how to spell some of the words I know how to pronounce....and I often see different Cajun phrases spelled differently by different ppl....kinda like Gumbo....the recipe is different in each Cajun home. And it's so sad to consider that Cajun language may disappear.....those old Cajuns oughta get busy and teach the younguns before it's too late.

I was one of those who learned Cajun before English, so it has never left me.

You are SSSSO lucky, cher! I'm always trying to "pick up on" Cajun words and phrases I hear and just recently learned that "wherey'at?" means "how are you?" in Cajun lingo. I've often wished I was familiar enough with Cajun to carry on a conversation. It's such a delightful patois! Cajuns, their traditions, sayings and language totally fascinate me. I had an Aunt (by marriage) that was Cajun.

I feel that Cajun music and Cajun food are here to stay. The latter has always been popular and there has been a revival of the former.

You got dat right, cher! I was raised down here in the SE corner of Texas, 'bout 25 miles from Louisiana and we are mightily influenced in this Cajun corner of Texas.....so much so, that back in 1994, when Maalox came out with their Cajun crabhouse TV commercial with the Cajun music and I was dislocated in California, I got so homesick everytime that commercial came on TV that I moved back to SE Texas!

Thanks for the post, Kenneson! It was totally interesting....

Frannie B (of the "Do you know what I mean, when I say 'chou cha, oui'? (sp?) Class")

morty

Merry Cajun to you as well Frannie!!! Christmas Angel

Your avatar is Bananaly Cute!

Merry Christmas Frannie Christmas Tree

Love Morty

Frannie Banannie

Those are wicked kewl graphics, Morty!! Thanks, cher! And thanks for noticing my new FB avatar....Ce Bon, oui.....I was tickled pink to find it.

Have a good'un, ya hear?

Frannie B

Prudence

Hi Frannie!!!

Merry Cajun Chirstmas to you too!

Thanks for the story.

P.S. Your new avatar really is perfect!

Prudence

Country Girl

Kenneson:

I was always attracted, since I was a kid, to the Cajun language, lifestyle and especially *the food.* I can cook a mean Gumbo or Ettoufee now, heheheh. N'awlins is my favorite place in the world: I go every year. Hey, Breaux Bridge! I know some Chaberts from there. Heard of them?

CG

frenchbabyface

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY MERY CAJUN XMAS ! FRANNNNNNNNNNNNNIE B !
Talk about melancoly ... back in 1996 just near the Greyhound station in Lafayette 100 meters on the left there was and probably still an hotel (not a motel) with probably the most nice couple I ever met (was already ready to get retired) If I do remember there name it was I guess "MOUTON" maybe plural like "MOUTONS"

They were selling there hotel and restaurant 200 K$ but only the furnitures of the bedrooms and the decoration (very nice and quiet authentique (Most vintage worthed at least 3 times the 200 K$) we told them ... but they said they didn't have kids and didn't care about the monney, they asked what they just needed. they just wanted to sell and rest ! ... It was a plaisir to hear their accent and specific French

We also went to a special place "don't remember the name" still in Lafayette : it is like a little Layette as before you can see how was the houses, taste the food, listen to the music, dancing etc ... It was kinda magic to me cause in fact creoles really look like and cook like my own creole people (with little variants) I felt most in my place their than I never felt in Martinique. I mean for some reason they are most like Canadiens (they smile, they laugh, more, I mean somehow they look more happy)

I also was quiet suprise because one guy was showing is grand Familly house that have been deplaced (to build this special place) telling us about what when a girl over 18 was considared as a mess and how their parents have to deal with to make sure she will find a husband ... very interesting (the had to tint the cheminee - like to say please ask for my daughter)

Then we went in his particular kitchen where you could taste different kind of cakes (pecan pie etc ...) there was a big black fat MAMA. you know the kind of one you feel to plunge in her boobs to feel safe. She gave us a few things to taste and we were "OMG ... that's good" and she was answering each time just like an old cliché : OOOOOOOOOOOH OUI ... (for OH YES - very instistant on the OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH thing just like a music - also like an old advertising from here) Before, I thought it was an exageration ... but NO)

We also met lots of handicraft women and men (I LOVE HANDICRAFT) also a guy that take care of horses ... this guy was talking like a grand father (never got any grand father on my side both dead because of WW1 & 2 both back but fucked up because of the gazes) talking about his tools, and how this and how that ... my ex and him exchanged an little knives (his favourite one for an OPINEL from france - there were both happy).

I could seat there and listen to that guy all day long even would like to learn the entire stuff ! that is when I realised that If I had the choice from the begining I would probably have choosed to work with wood, iron and fire (kind of creative and it smells like serenity ... )

OMG sorry I've wrote too much ... but Well it was just to say ... CAJUN's really got my heart !

Kenneson

Country Girl,

I've heard of the Heberts, but not the Chaberts. Have they been in Breaux Bridge a long time? I have a friend who still lives there. I will ask him if he knows them.

Frenchbabyface,

Yes, the Moutons are one of the founding familes of Vermilionville (later named Lafayette). Two brothers, Jean and Marin Mouton, originally settled near Bayou Carencro and were soon followed by others. The town of Carencro sprang from that settlement. Jean established a plantation at Vermilionville (now called Lafayette for the General Marquis de Lafayette) and donated land for the courthouse and the first Catholic Church (now the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist). He was also responsible for the parish seat to be established at Vermilionville in 1824. The Mouton family is very prominent in Lafayette history. One of Jean's sons, Alexandre, became governor of Louisiana in 1843. See "Mouton brothers stake claim in Vermilionville" at

http://www.lft.k12.la.us/chs/la_studies/cajun/series_6.htm

Now, to learn something about the town where I grew up and the school I graduated from check out

http://www.cityofcarencro.org#

The living history museum and folklife Cajun and Creole village you visited is named Vermilionville after the original settlement. You can see more about it at

http://www.carencrohighschool.org/la_studies/french/Vermilionville.htm

Make sure you read the section on Beau Bassin. This house was originally located in a settlement called Beau Bassin and is about 2 miles from where I still own a house and land in rural Carencro. The house was moved to the Vermilionville project in an effort to keep it preserved.

Vermilionville was not the first to recreate such a replica. Acadian Village was. I worked as a guide at this tourist center until my move to Tallahassee in 1989. There are some pretty good photos of the site at

http://www.coonass.com/acadian.htm

It is not as large as Vermilionville, but it was the pioneer in efforts to preserve Cajun structures by moving them to its site to recreate an Acadian Village. And it was well known for it's Christmas Come Alive (annual Noel program) where the whole village was transformed by the Junior League into a storybook fantasy land. Thousands of Christmas lights and decorations dotted all the houses, trees, bridges, etc. and there were all kinds of live performances. Throngs of tourists visited at this time of the year.

frenchbabyface

Oh thanks !!!

I was a bit frustrated with the link you gave me cause no pics (and the only pics I had are in my ex hands) ... but thanks for giving me the name of the place ... I was just a bit dissapointed cause the guy on the pic is not the guy we've met ... I was way older than that ! not that old but maybe 60 or more ...

I would just love to meet them all again ... (nostalgia)

http://www.vermilionville.org/vvmain.html (I found pics with the name) but still they really should sell this place better than THAT !!! (I don't understand - too many people already or what ?) anyway too many tourists would be a mess !

Again

Kenneson

Frannie,

You mention that you live in the Cajun Triangle of Texas. What is it again? Is it Port Arthur, Orange and Beaumont? Or am I completely off the mark? I know some Cajuns who moved to Port Arthur and they said there was quite a contingency there.

I'm going to visit my sister who lives in Plaquemine, 20 miles south of Baton Rouge, for the holidays (beginning tomorrow until the 27th). She always makes gumbo for me. I love it so much; I think I could eat it for every meal this whole week coming. But I know she will have other "surprises" for me, more than likely crawfish and other seafoods, etc. I can almost savor it all right now.

Hope you have a Blessed Christmas and happiness throughout the New Year. And I wish the same for everyone else on this Board.

frenchbabyface

She always makes gumbo for me.

Lucky YOU !!!

A Merry Cajun Christmas to Yall!

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