Barn Dance

Saturday night in Cajun country...what to do?  

Following a tip we received from Marc at the Savoy Music Center, we headed out to Lakeview Park.  This RV park turned community gathering place was hosting Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns in their dance barn.  

The setting was perfect in its authenticity, sense of community, and all-around awesomeness.  

The high energy performance got even a somewhat reluctant John out onto the dance floor and we threw down with the locals.  Quite a nice way to spend an evening in rural Louisiana.

As a side note, we stayed at Lakeview's sister RV park, L'Acadie Inn while we were in Eunice.  It was a restful stay surrounded by pasture, with a quick walk to the pool.




It provided a nice setting to prepare some food, such as bacon from the Eunice Superette and our own rendition of pineapple cilantro lime margaritas, after the ones we had at El Gato Negro during our day in New Orleans.

Locally Processed Bacon from Eunice Superette, LA

Pineapple Cilantro Lime Margarita .... Homemade!

Finding Food in Eunice LA

At the Jam Session at the Savoy Music Center, we learned from retired rice farmer Albert that there were several options for getting some locally produced food in Eunice LA.

Fortunately for us, the farmers' market was just getting started.  So we left the jam session and headed into downtown Eunice.

The curbside market was really just five or six tables of folks selling food from their kitchens or their gardens.  This worked well for our purposes, as we were able to get blueberries, purple hull peas, lemon tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplant.  We rounded it out with a couple of large cantaloupes from the back of a truck on the way back to the trailer.




Showed up about 10:30 at a Saturday Farmers' Market which started thirty minutes earlier.

We also needed to get some meat, so we headed over to the Eunice Superette Slaughterhouse.

It was an amazing thing to find this place, right on the edge of town but next to a subdivision.  It was SLAMMED with people.  I took a little video to give you an idea of what it's location was like.







The line when you get in is long, but it moved fast.  You've got frozen selections to look at while you wait.


Specials are listed along the whiteboard behind you.  Both grain and grass-fed beef are available.



A crew of about 20 people work at the slaughterhouse (in back) and the butchershop (superette) out front.



Some decidedly cajun offerings can be found, including pounce.



The facility is not that big...there are quite a few outbuildings, but they are mostly small.



So much from which to choose!  We settled on a fresh rib steak, smoked bacon, and TASSO!

One thing to note...we were able to get a 1.25 # steak for $6, 2 # smoked bacon for $8, and three big chunks of tasso for $2, totaling $16 in meat purchases.  At the usual farmers' market in NC, that would cost about three times as much.    I don't know the cause for difference in pricing, but I would guess it might be numerous factors...lower cost of living, shorter supply chain, and a strong cultural connection to real food (allowing all parts to be sold).



We were also able to pick up locally-grown rice, locally-grown dried beans, jalapeño relish, and seasonings.  Yay!!!

a quickr pickr post

Jam Session at Savoy Music Center

On Saturday mornings in Eunice LA, locals gather to continue their music tradition at Savoy Music Center.

Fortunately for us, our campground was but a quarter mile away, allowing we late risers to still make it in time for the 9 AM gathering.  

There was no address given for the shop, neither by locals or on the Savoy Music Center website.  It's the sort of place that you're supposed to know where it is if you have any business being there.  But the general clue we were given: look for all the cars parked along Hwy 190.

As folks began to gather in this accordion maker's shop, turned jam session on Saturdays, we found ourselves drawn to each and every handwritten sign.



Owner Marc Savoy takes deep pride in perpetuating his cultural traditions, and he is one of those who puts his beliefs into action.  By hosting weekly jam sessions, young and old are able to gather and continue to pass the musical tradition down.


Beyond the basic premise of the jam session outlined in writing on the door, there was very little in the way of formal structure.  Folks gathered at the front with their instruments and began to chime in once someone started a tune they recognized.



Those of us not playing sat in a half-dozen rows and enjoyed the gathering.   For many, it was obviously their Saturday morning habit.  Some folks even had their newspapers there to read while they listened.  I recorded some music for you all to hear on YouTube.



It's not just cajun music being preserved at Savoy Music Center.  Folks were encouraged to bring boudin and cracklins or make a contribution to the boudin / cracklin' fund.



Despite not having time for a shower or a full breakfast before getting there, we were glad we made it.



After purchasing a few CDs from Marc, we shared our quest to know more about the state of farms and food in the area.  He went and found a retired rice & soybean farmer for us to talk with.



Albert was kind enough to share his experiences as a farmer in LA.  On his 1800 acre farm he grew rice and soybeans.  We had noted a lot of cattle in the area and he explained that the three commodities make a great rotation: rice > soybeans > cattle.

Although he retired in 1985, transferring his acreage to a neighbor, Albert was able to tell us about farming both now and then.  One thing that baffled him was to think about the enormous capital expense for equipment.  A combine he had used might have cost $500; the comparable equipment today would cost $200,000.  Granted, it might be able to do the work of 10 people, it would still require huge capital investment to acquire.

He noted that although farm size (in terms of acres) seems to be increasing in the area, LA is fortunate that most of the landowners are local and not absentee.  Another thing they have going for them: there seems to be a lot of infrastructure in place.

Albert mentioned both the rice mill as well as the slaughterhouses in the area.  In fact, it was at his suggestion that we found our next stops: the Eunice farmers' market and the Eunice Superette Slaughterhouse.

a quickr pickr post

A Day in New Orleans

We only had a day to spend in New Orleans.  Following our friend Ben's advice, we took a drive through the Garden District before heading over to the French Quarter to walk around.


Sign in the French Quarter reminds us of our friend Michael Shuman and his book, Small Mart Revolution.


No Cat Selling. Period.


Color everywhere in the French Quarter in New Orleans, LA.


There's an eclectic and diverse vibe which permeates New Orleans. This sign in the French Quarter captured that quality.

After a while, we were hungry and thirsty.  Our friend Karen gave us a heads up on where to go...El Gato Negro.

El Gato Negro, across from the French Market, served up the best drinks we ever had. Pineapple-Cilantro-Lime and Blackberry Margaritas, each chock-full of whole fruit. Unbelievable.

Later that night, we met up with Karen and her partner Mike at the Apple Barrel.  We followed it with dinner at Adolfo's, an unimposing creole italian restaurant upstairs.  It was delicious. 

At this hole-in-the-wall neighborhood bar just a block off the French Quarter in New Orleans, stories abound. Decades ago Miss Lilly, former barkeep, began the tradition of pinning currency up on the ceiling above the bar. Her husband, a ship captain, and his mates would hand over foreign bills from their trips at sea. The tradition has evolved to include US currency and visitors leave messages on the bills they leave pinned to the ceiling.

a quickr pickr post

Bay St Louis MS

While staying at Buccaneer State Park in Waveland, MS, we took time to visit neighboring Bay St Louis.  There seemed to be quite a few earth projects underway along the shore, judging by the equipment and the Corps of Engineers' signs.

Nevertheless, it was a perfect spot to watch the sun reflect on the clouds and look across the bay at Gulf Shore.

Check Your Pants

Doing laundry in Bay St Louis, MS. Next to Clawzilla's

Waveland MS

We arrived in Waveland MS, at the nearby Buccaneer State Park.  Until we discovered the damage en route from FL, we didn't realize that when Katrina hit, it the brunt of the storm landed in Waveland.







As you can see from these pictures of what was once downtown Waveland, it completely obliterated the place, and the park was only just reopening.


Given the damage to the place, we were lucky to find ourselves any shade at all, and it took us a while to get settled.  This was the first time we had been to a park where there were so many options available (there were almost 200 sites from which to choose).  We found ourselves suffering from too many choices.

As it turned out, we had a great spot.

Another great thing....on the way in, we spotted a roadside stand.

I thought they were advertising that they had country girls there, and admired the marketing idea.

As it turned out, that's the name of a local dairy.  We were able to stock up on milk, butter, and more.