When the History Channel created this show they really chose the runts out of the litter to follow, but who else would hunt alligators for a living anyway? Not trying to be mean by saying that, just saying that what you see as coonass, cajun, southern boys, well, they are not all like that, just a few here and there, not everyone in this humid region is like that though. But it still can be quite the cultural shock if you have never been here before. I know it was for me, I have lived in this area for about 4 years now. Moved down here from a fairly large city in Oregon, it was like moving to another country for me.
CULTURAL SHOCK HAS SET IN
Well, the very first thing you will encounter when visiting the South, home of the Swamp People is the accent. It is one of the more harder things to overcome when visiting. My first encounter was at a McDonalds drive-thru. For the life of me I just could not understand what the woman was saying through the speaker, apparently when you ask for a coke down here they will in turn ask you what kind, so 1st tip, when ordering make sure you are being very specific in your ordering techniques and God forbid if you ask for a pop, they will look at you like you are an extraterrestrial creature from another planet. I have put my "pop" phrases behind me and have moved on to something not so complex to order, like tea for instance. The accents are definitely hard to get use to, Louisiana in particular as you have seen depicted on the show. It would be so awesome if people here came with built in Closed Captioning, would make my life so much easier.
The Foods of Louisiana
Another thing that takes some getting use to is the food. I am a person that refuses to eat seafood, I don't know what it is, I just hate it, the smell, the texture, the way it all looks, just so unappetizing to me. I am a very picky eater so living here is especially hard for me, if you too are a picky eater tread lightly and learn to love fast food and cooking at home. Everyone around here eats fish of all kinds, rabbit (gross),turtle(ewwww),frog legs(.....),and of course alligator meat. Some of the more well known dishes are gumbo,jambalaya,oysters, fried catfish, and of course fried chicken (Popeye's says it all). A family event here usually revolves around a crawfish boil with spicy red potatoes and corn on the cob all with a kick, everyone cooks with hot sauce, if you don't have a bottle in your fridge how dare you.
Some of my favorite New Orleans style deserts would have to be Beignets and Pralines, if you have never tried them you are really missing out. If you are a coffee drinker and love a bold blend, a New Orleans style chicory is a perfect choice, it is VERY strong.
It's Getting HOT!
Remember last weeks episode where they had to wet a blanket and put over the alligators? Well, that's because of the heat here in Louisiana. They said on Swamp People they had to do that to keep the meat from going bad.
If you can't stand the heat, then this certainly isn't the place for you. I know in some places in the US you don't even need to own an air conditioner for the summer months, well I can assure you it is not like that here. Everyone has an air conditioner and anyone with a porch has outside ceiling fans attached to their porch. It really is that hot. Not only is it hot but boy is it humid! Go outside and you will instantly feel your skin getting sticky and feel your hair become damp and if you are wearing glasses or sunglasses, expect a light fog.
I know this post isn't exactly inspiring, but I really think everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Try some Gumbo, eat a beignet, drink a cup of chicory and sit outside and enjoy the hot weather. If Swamp People can do it, so can you!
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