Where in LA exists authentic French/Cajun culture (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: restaurants, plantation)

[SnazzyB]

We've done swamp tours a couple of times, and I loved them. We saw plenty of gators, and the last one we took, we saw a family of about 5 wild pigs.

And the swamp is beautiful.

[sluggermatt15]

Originally Posted by SnazzyB

We've done swamp tours a couple of times, and I loved them. We saw plenty of gators, and the last one we took, we saw a family of about 5 wild pigs.

And the swamp is beautiful.

They are pretty fun. Whereabouts did you take yours? I took one in Orange, TX which is pretty close to Lake Charles.

[victimofGM]

Originally Posted by Lodestar

We enjoyed time spent in Lafayette and Breau Bridge touring, eating and learning about Cajun culture. The people are gracious hosts and the environment is lush.

Our swamp tour forever changed the way I think about what a swamp is. Our guide was the real deal - a strong, toothless senior with a good sense of humor and a wealth of knowledge about the ecology of swamps.

There is beauty in the swamps. Early morning when the fog is low and the sun begins to rise. Blooming wild flowers. Birds. Spanish moss draped Cyprus trees.

[victimofGM]

Originally Posted by unemployed_developer

I heard only 5% of all people in Louisiana still speak French. What are some of the most predominate areas that still speak French as their "in-home" language?

Are store signs bilingual? I remember in Miami seeing English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole on some signs in a Walmart!

Are people discriminated against for speaking French?

Start with Lafayette parish (Louisiana’s name for county). Think of it as a central hub from which you can go out in all directions to experience a bit of Cajun culture. Acadian Village and Vermilionville offer a glimpse of old traditional Cajun homes. You may seen an occasional street sign using “Rue” instead of road and an occasional billboard with Cajun French included.

[Datfiyah]

Originally Posted by sluggermatt15

I dated a girl from Ville Platte for a few years. Her grandparents spoke Cajun French.

Lafayette, Baton Rouge are Cajun country for sure. I would also consider up to Alexandria and west to Lake Charles as well.

Oh baby, Baton Rouge is NOT Cajun country. It in fact, doesn’t even really fit in with the rest of Southeast Louisiana

[SnazzyB]

Originally Posted by sluggermatt15

They are pretty fun. Whereabouts did you take yours? I took one in Orange, TX which is pretty close to Lake Charles.

Aw man! I just saw this. We took the Honey Island Swamp Tour, which was part of the Pearl River eco system. It was really beautiful.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by Datfiyah

Oh baby, Baton Rouge is NOT Cajun country. It in fact, doesn’t even really fit in with the rest of Southeast Louisiana

It's not Cajun country but that's just stupid. You can say that for Bogalusa, sure. But not BR.

[Coney]

Originally Posted by SnazzyB

Aw man! I just saw this. We took the Honey Island Swamp Tour, which was part of the Pearl River eco system. It was really beautiful.

I don't think Slidell is authentically Cajun.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by unemployed_developer

I heard only 5% of all people in Louisiana still speak French. What are some of the most predominate areas that still speak French as their "in-home" language?

Are store signs bilingual? I remember in Miami seeing English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole on some signs in a Walmart!

Are people discriminated against for speaking French?

Southwest Louisiana is the Cajun area of Louisiana, despite New Orleans being considered that by some.

I am half Cajun (French from Nova Scotia) and half French (other half directly from France) - that was centuries ago. Only one ancestor who wasn't French, that we know of.

My Cajun grandma spoke French before she spoke English. My father is fluent in Cajun (a variation of French), but can also speak French.

In country areas in the southwest La. region you'll still find "Frenchy" people, but for the most part, Cajuns, like many ethnic groups, are Americanized. When I was young, speaking Cajun was discouraged, and being Cajun was nothing to be proud of. The Cajuns were country sort of people. However, later there was a movement to resurrect our heritage, and it became sort of popular not only in the Cajun region but throughout the country, to be ethnic Cajun. I don't speak Cajun French because of the era I was raised in (although i can speak a bit of it...if I still remember it). I grew up in some smoke filled rooms with Cajuns drinking alcohol or dark coffee and speaking Cajun, so I picked up bits of the language and most certainly picked up the accent and cadence.

The Cajun background is everywhere in SW Louisiana, now. It's promoted and is considered something to be proud of. Most people here have that background, as you can tell from the prevalence of the French surnames (me included). I liken it to something like the Italians in NYC, only the Italians retained more of their heritage than the Cajuns did.

Being Cajun is a business decision, as it became the norm to make money by selling farmed crawfish, promote Cajun food dishes, popular or famous Cajun chefs on TV, etc.

But everywhere you go in the country, when you travel to ethnic areas, they really are basically American areas with a flavor and a history of the ethnicity that predominates there.

Few people speak Cajun these days. My father says it's been many years since he's had to use his Cajun French language, or even could, if he wanted to. The whole country is pretty much Americanized, unfortunately.

The New Orleans area is more of a creole area...not Cajun. Cajuns are not creoles or vice versa.

The Cajuns came down from Nova Scotia centuries ago. My ancestor came from Nova Scotia in the 1700s and landed in sw louisiana, and there the family stayed to this day. Few people in our family ever moved away. In fact, only one did...Aunt Feenie (Josephine). She moved to CA when she got married and ended up in an institution (sounds like early onset Alzheimer's). She became the example of what happens when we move away. I moved away to work in a big city decades ago. My family held that against me for years. I have moved back after retirement, at my father's insistence.

People say the Cajun food is wonderful. I suppose it is, if you like heavily spiced foods, seafood, etc. I love it and grew up eating it. Still do...on occasion, because it's unhealthy. Since I'm older, I can't eat Cajun food regularly and stay healthy.

But if you want a truly Cajun area where they speak Cajun as a first language, you'd have to go way out in the boonies and look for isolated small towns to find that.

[Datfiyah]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

It's not Cajun country but that's just stupid. You can say that for Bogalusa, sure. But not BR.

You from BR. That’s why you’re saying that but even y’all accents are different different from Lafayette and NOLA’s. More “typically” southern.