LOUISIANA, USA – With the unification of North and South Korea in recent weeks, it appears that we are entering the curtain call days of the Korean War.
The Korean Peninsula, however, remains a long way away from Louisiana both in distance and in harmony, with no end in sight for peace between the Northern and Southern areas of the state.
The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) still remains intact and highly active, with authorities at Checkpoint Opelousas reporting at least two dozen attempts at smuggling real gumbo into Northern Louisiana each week.
Morale within the wastelands of Northern Louisiana is as low as ever, with residents travelling hundreds of miles on foot to reach the promised land of ‘Shreveport’, only to find that it’s – well – Shreveport.
Life in the South remains far more prosperous however. Food is plentiful and cooked the right way. People speak in semi-complete sentences unlike their Northern neighbors that still communicate in little more than grunts.
And ultimately, we are still no closer to uniting the state.
Peace is still nowhere to be seen. The South continue to show aggression to the North for “not knowing how to make a damn roux, let alone a gumbo”, with cropdusters regularly flying close to the border on observation missions.
Pressure continues to mount on the North to “just join Arkansas already”, although this is regularly met with resistance.
But the Korea talks have given residents hope. They continue to believe that Louisiana can be united, and not divided by little more than an interstate. They continue to believe that recipes handed down from generations can be shared freely, giving everyone the chance to create true Cajun meals.
That day, however, is not today.
My Daddy warned me never to date anyone that lives north of l12!
There is great southern Louisiana gumbo made in northeast Louisiana in Monroe that’s better than gumbos made south of Interstate 10 !
You shut your mouth!!
I seriously doubt that. If they do have a good gumbo there, they got the recipe from southern, La which is where the dish originates.
Lee please do me a favor and take the cooking sherry away from her she is going to start a war .Tell JUSTIN to put her in a padded cell protect the south at all cost
Not funny, just mean and ugly.
Cry a little harder
Lol. Enjoyed this article so much. I have moved from Home Town Monroe,La. moving southward, but returned to Monroe. Remarried lived in Monroe 10 yrs and moved to Ohio for three years and moved back to Louisiana. Central Louisiana is as far as I’m going, but not for any bias because I love all of Louisiana. I’ve lived through the disasters, hurricane, flooding, multiple tornadoes and fires. So far we have been safe and able to help others. Thank you putting a smile on my face and to my friends and families in the Deep South: “laissez les bon temps rouler” (pronounced “Lay-say le bon tom roo-lay”) just means “let the good times roll.”
I love the article because it was in fun. HOWEVER, I diasagree with the criticism of north Louisiana gumbo. I grew up in a Cajun community just south of Alexandria and later moved to the Bayou country of south Louisiana and while I love the seafood and other Cajun dishes, their gumbo is very light and more resembles a soup rather than the dark hearty gumbo my mother cooked. Gumbo is great everyone but individually depends on the cook.
Gumbo is supposed to be a soup but can be a little thicker like a stew. Gumbo originated In southern Louisiana and is a mixture of French, African and Native American (Choctaw primarily) influences. I have been to Alexandria and it’s environs and know that there are “Cajun” Restaurants there but I was not aware of a Cajun Community that far north. What is the name of that community? Just curious. I know there was a “Cajun Pawn Stars” filmed in Alexandria but no one on that show seemed Cajun to me. The accent was definitely Southern, nothing like the Cajun accent. I assumed the show’s creators thought everybody in Louisiana was Cajun and just went with it because Cajun themed reality shows were in vogue. Just curious, Thsnks.
Where the hell is North Louisiana?
It’s an oxymoron. 🙂
Sonny, it’s GOD’s Country; known only to a few, with vast areas of beauty with “Big Sky”, Sunsets that will make you weep for joy, people who care about each other, who love football almost more than the Barbeque, deer chili, purple hull peas with corn bread and good country cooking that WE are so famous for. Come on up and see us sometime. You won’t leave our tables hungry or a stranger! This was fun! We Love our poor southern neighbors who have to eat out of ditches.GOD bless us all!
I think it’s to the east
Love this site!
North Louisiana is north of Alexandria!
I loved the humor in the article. Being a girl born and raised in Palmetto, La, I’ve brought the taste of Central La to Texas…hahaha.. and I still speak incomplete sentences at times.. just for fun.lol
Y’all keep voting Democrats in down there and there won’t be a south Louisiana to worry about lol. Detroit of the south!
Oh boy. You guys.
Checking in from Hattiesburg. You know. That pseudo tony ‘Metropolis’ somewhere north of Slidell.
We lived at the border of Washington and St. Tammany Parishes for a decade. Yes, it was like being in a DMZ. Indeed, our little town was the first “wet” place south of Washington Parish and Lower Misisip on the weekends. We told the kids to never hang out down at the crossroad stores on the weekends. Too dangerous, what with pickups full of half smashed ‘necks screeching in for more suitcases of suds all day Saturday and Sunday.
Luckily for me and mine, I married a Metairie woman who learned to cook from her honest to goodness Acadian grandmother. (Don’t you dare call her a Cajun! She was French! She spoke French around the house my wife says.) So, don’t be sad. Good gumbo can be made wherever fresh file and fresh okra can be obtained. The smaller the okra, the better. (We grow our own for the Cooks peace of mind.)
Oh, and, Justin Wilson was from North Louisiana. I met him and heard it from his own lips.
Be sweet!
Remember the hikers who got arrested for accidentally crossing into North Korea a few years back? Well, same thing happened to me in the Kisatchie. I am NOT joking about this. Didn’t get arrested, but actually had to dive for cover when a fleet of Warthogs actually flew outside of the bombing range boundaries (oopsie!) and strafed a hilltop about 200 feet away from the Wild Azalea Trail — with live ammo!
They all moved to Houston. Wait, that’s South Louisiana.
“Just join Arkansas already” … lol. best line
Having lived in both north and south Louisiana..I love it all but would rather be in the DMZ..more action and chance to get some black market gumbo!!
This was hilarious! Some people need to see it as the funny article that it is & was written to be & just move on.
Your article is spot on, but your graphic leaves much to be desired. While you have accurately depicted the divide between North and South Louisiana, you have completely ignored the fact that everything west of Jennings is located in East Texas. All of the dispersions you cast on North Louisiana cuisine can be easily doubled when describing the “food” of East Texas.
With a last name like Guillory, I’m guessing Avoyelles Parish. That’s definitely Cajun Country and the last part of the state before the Bible Belt starts.
I am a bit confused, though. I though the line was at Bunkie, not Opelousas.
Having been born and raised in the heart of Acadiana, Acadia parish, and lived in Winnsboro for around 15 yrs, this article rings very true. Sure there are anomalies in everything including gumbo but this is very accurate.
Go to hell Sonny… and the war rages on