Chatting with Buckwheat Zydeco at a concert in Livingston, MT!
You'd be surprised to hear of the number of people from Louisiana living in Bozeman, Montana. I've met close to 50 myself. No telling how many more there are that I just haven't met yet. You'd think that we all were forced to be here, and long for the day we can move "back home".
Interestingly enough, except for one couple who were so homesick for Louisiana (until they moved back) they used to watch Paula Deen on cable and tear up when they heard her strong southern accent, most of us would not trade the fresh, invigorating mountain air and clear, cold trout streams for anything - well, almost anything.
There are times that I mourn the lack of REAL Cajun food available in Montana, and around Mardi Gras time, the only party decorations I can find are gold, purple and green beads at JoAnn Fabrics. No way anyone north of the Mason Dixon line would devote an entire shelf to Mardi Gras items - they skip directly from Valentine's Day to St. Patrick's Day without so much as a nod to the "better than any Superbowl Party" celebration called Mardi Gras.
Soooo, I decided if I couldn't go to Louisiana to as they say in French, "Laissez les bons temps rouler", I'd bring Louisiana to Bozeman in the way of the Bon Temps Social Club - a loose association of expats from the Pelican State, locals who have lived or visited (and fell in love with )Louisiana, and those who have no Louisiana association at all, but I invited anyway, since they seemed like they'd add a little extra spice and flavor (Lagniappe in French) to our otherwise relatively small group.
Sunday, Feb. 19th we are getting together at a local pub to celebrate in the traditional, time-honored Mardi Gras way - Food, Friends, and Festival! Everyone will bring a dish and the music will be loud and Cajun proud - and I hope, like last year's first official Bon Temps Social Club Mardi Gras Party, that we will all "pass a good time, sha!"
No comments:
Post a Comment