Boudin (and most other sausage of that general size) is still made from pig intestines. They're cheap (a few dollars for 100 feet, mail order), they work well, and the sausages have a characteristic "snap" when properly cooked. There are cellulose artificial casings, but they don't work as well - they're not as elastic, and you can't make balloon animals out of them, like you can with pork casings.
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The word “cling” in the sub headline led me to think this was going to be a snarky, condescending take on fun rural tradition. I’m glad I was wrong.
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The Swamp Cabbage Festival is today in LaBelle, FL, near Lake Okeechobee.
Armadillo races start at 10 AM.
Come celebrate local heritage, food, culture, and terrifying the local fauna.
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@noelle Okay, I’ll be the specter at the feast: Why is terrifying animals fun? The photo of children chasing a terrified piglet while surrounded by cheering adults is a sad comment. And that’s without the sound effects of the animal squealing in terror that I’ve heard at fairs. Just because something has been practiced for years doesn’t mean it’s a good practice. Why don’t we teach children to be kind to animals?
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Very pleased to see we've gotten past sacrificing queens to guarantee the harvest. All through farm country. Beautiful, inclusive.
What's for lunch?Tell em ladies.
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I'd like me a big bowl of that Shrimp and Petroleum gumbo!! Yum yum!
There used to be a difference between "style" and "camp". But they seem to be enjoying themselves, so what the Hey.
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Although I'm Texan from birth my mother grew up in a large family on a rice farm near Estherwood (well, that's where my grandmother would pick up the mail) which is near Crowley. When I was a child I spent a lot of time there and my cousins would all talk about the Rice Festival. It always sounded wonderous to me. It still is a big dang deal there. This article captured well the part of Louisiana I know. It's definitely changing. I was astounded about a decade ago when I was driving out to the farm and discovered the dirt roads had been blacktopped!
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I can't believe we share a national identity with people who celebrate a "Swine Festival". That poor piglet is probably terrified.
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@Alice People all over celebrate that from which they provide for their families. Up here we have blueberry festivals, potato festivals, Maple Day every Spring etc. I think it’s sweet. But I agree about that poor animal. That needs to be stopped, and it goes on all over the country.
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And finally we have climate change promoting the shows of eccentric garb. What else -- perhaps a meteorite on a collision course with the Earth? A presumably ill-boding shooting star?
Why is Petunia a pet and not eaten? Honestly makes no sense. Nothing in this story makes sense, especially when you think of it being included in the "style" section.
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Where is the Diverse Agricultural pageant held?
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north carolina has several similar festivals, including the croaker festival of oriental, which garnered a mention in "i know what you did last summer," a movie by favorite son kevin williamson; and the collard festival of ayden!
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Louisiana is a cultural and culinary treasure full of incredibly kind and interesting people. This is a great story and I think we all should stop once and a while and give thanks to rice, or shrimp, or pageant queens.
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Mardi Gras in the French Quarter of New Orleans and the Breaux Bridge Crayfish Festival (pronounced "bro bridge crawfish) are fabulous. Brilliant. So much fun, and oozing with culture. From age 18 to 26 or so (this is the 1970's), I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans (the only place outside of Rio de Janerio in Brazil) every year. Today, they celebrate "Mardi Gras" all over the state. They are ubiquitous, therefore, it is not nearly as unique. A "watered down version". I also went to Breaux Bridge. Both were awesome. People were so cool; friendly. I mean, I was raised here, so I know. Today it is much more commercial (of course). The first year I went to Mardi Gras, I was 18 (old enough to do anything legally) years old. 5 of us drove down on the Friday morning before "Fat Tuesday"; Mardi Gras Day. We stayed in friend's homes on their floors. Without taking any drugs (which was very odd for us), we only slept an aggregate of 10 hours in 5 days. This was from so much drinking alcohol. We kept getting kicked out of each house because we were so drunk. We would come in at 4am and the sun would wake us 2 hours later with monsterous hangovers. Without any drugs, our only choice was to start drinking again. We went to all the big carnivals (parades). My 15 year old friend from next door had blonde hair down to his waist. He got the rarest thing possible from a carnival float. This was at the Zulu parade, which was all black. They had carved coconuts with faces. My friend got 1.
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Opelousas, Louisiana used to have its Yambilee Festival, when the surrounding farmlands produced yams and sweet potatoes in abundance. This story mentions Senator Kennedy crowning a festival queen. That same year he rode in a convertible car in the Yambilee parade. The actual farming of sweet potatoes moved elsewhere in the state, and the annual festival dwindled to nothing, and finally was cancelled, as Opelousas itself dwindled to a shadow of its former bustling self.
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In 1970, we got stopped in East Texas by State troupers for being "hippies". We were coming back from Dallas. My friend Dale was driving. His driver's license was real, of course. He was from Opelousas, LA, and lived on "Railroad Avenue". They thought it was a fake id because they couldn't pronounce the name "Opelousas". However, we had a pound of weed (they didn't find it). There was also a large glass bong under the seat. They didn't find it, either (idiots). However, they found a tiny "roach" small piece of a joint) in the ashtray. They got excited. We had to follow them to the State Police station. On the way, we went through 2 successive "S curves". I threw the bong out of the window. The police eventually let us go. I mean, we had not been drinking or anything like that. Smoked a joint or 2, yes. The troupers were really ignorant. To quote "Joe" from "Country Joe and the Fish" at the original Woodstock Festival (I think it was Joe), he said "If you're big strong and stupid, we want you"! Boy was this true. It was a line from a song they did. Anyway, the festivals are all great fun for all. Please check out the "Breaux Bridge Arts and Crafts Fair" (it used to be the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival) near in Breaux Bridge, LA. It's great. Of course, Mardi Gras in the French Quarter of New Orleans is awesome, albeit commercialized. Outside of Rio (Brazil) it's the best one.
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This is the kind of story that is an oasis in the grim desert of daily news. Thank you. And congratulations to all the Queens!
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