Thanks for the explanation. I was struggling!
joie de vivre -- joy in living
I love this phrase. And so admire these people.
Cajuns (coonasses, acadian people, french refugees and many others), are a unique bunch of people.. We are actually a minority, but.. We applied to become a recognized minority and we didn’t have enough people to qualify.. So, we just stay like we are..
Seriously, cajuns are a great bunch of people.. I am one, even though my ancestory is German/Danish (kind of like an orange danish, just better), we came down here from Canada with the french people when they were exiled from France.
My family had a plantation, slaves and all the things that went with that type of life back then.. The path to now for cajuns have been nothing less than an extraordinary story of survival, adaptation, strength and just plain old hard headedness to make it this long..
If you ever get around the “Real Cajuns”, you will find that “Talking Funny” can be a distinct advantage for cajuns.. Do not take that as a sign of stupidity or uneducated. I have the cajun accent(very nicely I may add and folks stop me in New Orleans and comment, talk to me and enjoy the whole adventure), and having this accent in a business world, helps me maintain a distinct advantage over those folks.. As Bush once said - Mis-underestimated.. and then they wonder how a dumb cajun could have gotten over them so easily.. LOL... Did this once in DC.. Those DOI lawyers still have not figured out what the hell happened to them, they just scratched their heads and could not believe they had been outsmarted and outwitted by a dumb idiot, can’t speak correct English, stupid cajun.. Now they know.. and I am sure they won’t make that mis-underestimated mistake again..
Come to Louisiana, come see the sights you have heard so much about, come experience the cajun hospitality that is world famous, the food here is only found here, the people are unique, the sounds are diverse and you will enjoy that down da bayou atmosphere..
I have been to alot of places in my 32 years in the oil and gas business..Very successful, still working in the business and now have a condo in the French Quarter, New Orleans.. I would never leave my home here to live anywhere else..