Cajun Quotes

“That's man's way. To prove something. Day in, day out he must prove he is a man. Poor Fool.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

“The sky blue blue, Mr. Wiggins.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying

“Colored or not, we all pick the white man's cotton.”
― James Lee Burke, Black Cherry Blues

“In Louisiana, one of the first stages of grief is eating your weight in Popeyes fried chicken. The second stage is doing the same with boudin. People have been known to swap the order. Or to do both at the same time.”
― Ken Wheaton, Sweet as Cane, Salty as Tears

“Sometimes we're born into situations, he'd said. We have to decide if we're gonna be a part of it or if we're gonna put an end to it.”
― Suzanne Johnson, Christmas in Dogtown

“Pork and chicken grease, the aromatics of choice for the Cajun.”
― Ken Wheaton, Sweet as Cane, Salty as Tears

“Abandoned residential homes are common in the area—often the casualties of severe damage from hurricanes—but what I find fascinating is the mettle of the Cajuns we encountered and befriended. They may lose their roof and be forced to abandon their home, but it is a near surety that they will remain in the same area, raising a family. There is great cultural pride in these resourceful people, and it is evidenced by the tenacity of those who face the power of Gulf hurricanes every year, and yet remain.”
― Mike Correll, Abandoned Sulphur, Louisiana

“Colored or not, we all work for the white man's cotton...”
― James Lee Burke Red Cherry Blues

“Pushed times make a monkey chew pepper.~ Creole proverb. (challenging times inspire unique actions)”
― Myra Jolivet

“Maybe you should finally give the girl Pop's number, and I don't know, be her friend."

"Just like that."

"It's friendship, Harley, not rocket science.”
― Amy Cook, Edge of Instinct

“She couldn't promise Chandler Caillou more than she was willing to give.”
― Suzanne Johnson, Christmas in Dogtown

“The classic recipes are goat, lamb, vegetable, and/or chicken biriyani. But when I was in New Orleans, at this restaurant, they served Louisiana barbecue shrimp, which was simply delicious. When I asked the waiter what was in the shrimp sauce, he rattled off a number of spices (rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, et cetera) and so, I went with memory.
I marinated the raw prawns in mashed garlic, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, paprika, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, and onion powder, along with a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
I decided to cook the rice in the pressure cooker, added crushed cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, and a bay leaf for a minute or so. Then I added some onions and fried until the onions became golden brown. Then went in the rice, and enough water, and I closed the pressure cooker. The rice was ready in ten minutes. In a separate pan, I sautéed the marinated prawns in butter, along with extra chopped garlic and the marinade, and added them to the cooked rice. I garnished it with chopped fresh coriander and voilà, Cajun prawn biriyani. I served it with some regular cucumber raita.
Mama had been so sure that Daddy would hate prawns but I saw him clean out each one on his plate and even get a second helping. Sometimes we forget why we don't like some things and then when we try them again, we realize that we had been wrong.”
― Amulya Malladi, Serving Crazy with Curry

“Well, I was sure this handsome buck would follow us both out, but when I got back to the kitchen, there he still was picking at some leftover Cajun popcorn in a bowl on the counter.
"Oh, don't eat that!" I almost screamed. "It's awful cold. And, besides, you need to dip it in garlic mayonnaise for it to be really good."
"I think it's pretty good as is," he said, and suddenly I began to wonder if maybe I looked too heavy in the loose harlequin pants and metallic gold shirt I was wearing. "What's it called?"
"Cajun popcorn."
"But it's fried shrimp, isn't it?"
"Yeah, though over in Louisiana they usually use crawfish."
"Why's it called popcorn?"
"I have no earthly idea. Maybe 'cause people it fast as popcorn."
"What all's in it?"
I was now rinsing and drying some platters with a dishcloth and in a hurry to put out some more nutty fingers. "You do ask a lot of questions, Mr. Webster," I kidded him. "Sure you're not some hotshot chef out looking to steal recipes?"
He laughed and said, "Jerry. Call me Jerry. And no, I'm no recipe thief. I simply love good food and am always looking for new ideas."
"Okay, Jerry, there's everything in that battered popcorn except the kitchen stove."
"Like what?" he kept on.
"Like garlic and onion and a few hundred herbs and spices- and lots of love."
He smiled and asked, "Deep fried?"
"Yep, in peanut oil, but not too long- no more than about two minutes. Gotta be crisp on the outside but not overcooked.”
― James Villas, Hungry for Happiness

“We came to discover a world rich with culture, history, and bayous. This flat swampy territory is riddled with waterways, snaking like veins and arteries between forests filled with crooked cypress trees. Sulphur is home to a Cajun populace, and unlike its more well-known southeastern counterpart, New Orleans, which is predominantly Creole, it was originally settled by Acadians.”
― Mike Correll, Abandoned Sulphur, Louisiana

“My culture is no better than anybody else's culture. My people were no better than anybody else. And yet I will not accept it as a second-class culture. It's my culture. It's the best culture for me. Now, I would expect if you have a different culture, that you would feel the same about yours as I feel about mine.”
― Dewey Balfa

“But that’s Louisiana, lots of crazy Cajun stuff goes on over there. Who knows what they’re doing in those swamps!”
― Amy Weinland Daughters, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened

“Too much Cajun in you, Brooke. Too much Louisiana.”
― Will Dean, The Chamber