One of my friends from long ago, a professional writer, wrote to me that good writing, like good food, leaves you wanting more. Her simile captures my life experience as a Cajun. Part of our culture is to turn the everyday act of eating into art. To take that which other cultures reject, and turn it into a celebration.
To get an understanding of how Cajuns perceive food, read the Introduction from Paul Prudhomme's first book, The Louisiana Kitchen. Chef Prudhomme transports the reader into his remembered childhood experience of the true flavors of fresh vegetables, seafood and meats when he describes what tastes Cajuns are trying to capture in their cooking. Reading Chef Prudhomme's visceral experience of spices is more insightful to me than any oenophile's description of fine wine. He had to stretch the meaning of words to convey the taste sensation when food is spiced just right. I recall that he referred to the combination of black pepper, red pepper and white pepper as creating a "round" flavor in the mouth. His description was a transcendent moment for me. I immediately recalled the first restaurant meal of my life, at Chester's in the Chacahoula swamp, when I was served Crawfish Etoufee'. I remember the family who took me, that the day was Sunday and where I sat at the table.
I was seven.
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