Strictly speaking, a New Orleans Creole is a descendant of an early French or Spanish settler,who was born in the colony rather than in Europe. Most eighteenth-century colonials were French. They dominated New Orleans cultural and social life for more than 100 years, long before the Anglo-Saxons arrived in any number. Most Creoles called themselves French, spoke French and considered themselves the only true natives. The late-coming Anglo-Saxons, arriving after the Louisiana Purchase (1803) were considered foreigners and called "Les Americaines".
Until the Civil War, the proud Creoles educated their children in France, spoke the French language, and centered their lives on their closely knit families and their cultural nexus, the grand French Opera House. They called themselves "la creme de la creme." They were out-numbered and isolated, trapped in part by their stubborn insistence on the French language, culture, and traditions. Creole men shunned manual labor as uncivilized. Many refused to speak English or socialize with those who did. As a result, the ingrown, aristocratic French Creole was submerged economically by Anglo-Saxon industry and drive.
Still, the Creole spirit lives on in New Orleans. Creole survives in many ways and is an unmistakable part of New Orleans - its food, music, architecture, and, of course, the French Quarter. Creole is no longer is a specific race or breed. Essentially, it defines that rather special New Orleans attitude toward life - a "joie de vivre". In this sense, spiritually, all New Orleanians are Creoles.
Creoles are not Cajuns, and vice versa. Both groups are French in descent, dating back for centuries, but the similarity ends there. From the beginning, when New Orleans was founded in 1718, Creoles were strictly cosmopolitan city dwellers; Cajuns, on the other hand, were rustic, self-sufficient country dwellers. They lived along the bayous and amid the swamps of South Louisiana for two centuries, isolated, clannish, devoutly Catholic, French speaking and happily removed from mannered city society.
They were hunters, trappers, and fishermen; farmers, boat builders, and breeders of quarterhorses, who worked hard weekdays and on weekends celebrated life with their fais do-do's. "Laissez les bons temps rouler" (let the good times roll) has always been a part of their basic philosophy. Lacking formal education, they lived close to the land, intermarried, and proudly retained their customs, their religion, and their own provincial form of the French language. This patois is a form of provincial French passed down orally for three centuries. It dates back to their ancestral home in Brittany and Normandy. "Cajun French" has virtually disappeared. But their distinctively accented English and their Cajun idioms prevail as do their music and food, their fetes, and their strong sense of family bonding.
The Cajuns' ancestors were cruelly exiled from New Acadia (Nova Scotia) by the British in 1765. In one of the nation's largest mass migrations, more then 10,000 found a permanent home in Louisiana. The word Cajun is a corruption of Acadian. Today, nearly one million people of Cajun or mixed Cajun blood live in Louisiana. Cajun and Creole food both rely heavily on a variety of herbs and spices. The Cajuns, in particular, like their food hot and spicy.
Paul Prudhomme, raised in a rural cabin along with 10 other children, has become world famous, introducing the glories of crawfish etouffee and blackened red.
Greater
Miami is comprised of a diverse assortment of distinctive neighborhoods,
each with its own unique collection of attractions and hotels. Miami and the
Beaches offer an immense selection of distinctive lodging that can suit any
personality or budget. From the lavish hotels that line the streets of South
Beach ....more
Venetian Hotel stands out amongst the 125 hotels in the city. Michael
Flatley's Lord of the Dance nowshowing. In Las Vegas, Center Of Strip
Venetian can be found at 3355 Las Vegas Blvd South. Strikingly beautiful
interiors. Venetian Las Vegas contains Sauna, Airport Shuttle, and Outdoor
Pool. Featuring a half-mile long canal.... more
