Everyone is proud of his or her heritage, but when it comes to my family, no one is more proud than we are. I come from a huge, crazy, and loving family who has taught me more than any professor ever will. They are the kindest, most caring, and hilarious people I have ever met, and I am so thankful I was born into such a great environment. We are creole, and most of my family lives on Cane River in Louisiana and New Orleans. I was fortunate enough to be able to grow up as a child on Cane River at my Great Aunt "Mama Glo's" house. My cousin, "Cowboy," has a ton of land, where my family and I ride horses all day and four wheelers all night when we have family reunions. Growing up, I realized our family gatherings look quite different than my friends'. Now, as I get ready to visit my family for Mardi Gras, I have been thinking a lot about what it was like to grow up creole.
1. You get good at learning names and faces.
When you're creole, your cousin is your cousin, not your second or third cousin twice removed. I know all my second cousins just as well as my first cousins, and trust me, there are a lot of them. There's always 100-plus people at our gatherings, kissing and hugging you, and half the time I don't remember who they are. Even all of the nuns from the parish are at all our crawfish boils. It took me up until about two years ago to finally figure out who belongs to what family and get all their names down pat.
Recommended for you
2. You tried your first daiquiri when you were fourteen.
It's never a trip to Cane River unless we go and get daiquiris from Maggios, a drive-through daiquiri place in town. We usually get up, eat our meat pies, and take a trip into town to get ingredients for dinner and then a daiquiri. I will never forget the incident of 2012 when my cousin, Stella, got the family size daiquiri and was in the bathroom all day. She couldn't hang that year.
3. You know a good meat pie when you see it.
No one makes meat pies like my family does. When I was little and had to bring cultural food for class, I always made my family's meat pie recipe. And it was always a hit. It's gotten to a point where I can't eat anyone else's because they just don't compare. Starting a morning off on Cane River with a meat pie and cup of coffee is absolutely necessary. It's also just fun to be able to wake up with your whole family and gather around the breakfast table, talking about last night's antics.
4. You can't go to a seafood place without being a total snob.
We have an annual Easter Crawfish boil at Cowboy's house, so I've been eating crawfish and other seafood for as long as I can remember. When my Texas friends want to go out and have crawfish or seafood in our college town, I try to avoid it as best as I can or suggest another type of food to eat because everything tastes like unseasoned, dry, nastiness compared to my fam's gumbo, crawfish, and catfish.
5. You learned how to play flip cup at fifteen.
Once the crawfish boil ends and the drinks have set in, we sometimes start up a game of flip cup. However, when I was younger, my family would have me suck a crawfish head instead of drink. I am now reigning champ of flip cup among my friends, thanks to my many years of practice.
6. You don't mind getting dirty.
After a long day of chasing dogs, riding horses and four wheelers, and ending the night with a hog hunt in the back of a pickup truck, you learn not to worry about getting dirty. We finally, take a shower before attending mass on Sunday—don't worry.
7. You've seen a real plantation.
Once I was old enough to appreciate the history of plantations, I started taking more and more tours of them when I went to Louisiana. I always learn something new, no matter how many times I go on a tour. I think they're beautiful and so full of history. If you're ever in the area, skip the gator farm (although that is still pretty cool) and take a walking tour of the many plantations Louisiana has to offer.
8. You learn hospitality and generosity.
My family is made up of the most generous people I know. Every single time we meet up, every one of my cousins from New Orleans tells me to come stay with them any time, which I'm finally taking advantage of this weekend. They always make sure I have enough food on my plate; enough blankets at night, and always take me shopping! My Mama Glo is the sweetest person in the world, and I hope I can be half the woman she is.
Debate it all you want, but my family is the best family of all time. I'll fill you in next week of my first experience at Mardi Gras, but until then, laissez le bon temps rouler.
