Monday, August 3, 2009

Things this Jersey Girl has learned about LOUISIANA

I'm still learning a lot about my new home. Here are some of the silly things I've already learned.



- May/June-October is ridiculously hot. You think it gets hot and humid in Jersey.. YOU ARE MISTAKEN.

- "Fall" might as well be summer.. it is still 80 degrees most days.

-They eat beignets not donuts or bagels.

-They definitely don't know how to make a cheese steak or pizza correctly (no offense to any New Orleans establishments. They make a mean muffuletta!)

- They eat Po'Boys .. nothing like a hoagie... except the kind of resemble each other and are both sandwiches.

- There is NO last call at bar, and no open container laws.

- They have Drive-Thru Daiquiri places... you literally drive up to the speaker box (like at any Wendy's ect.) order your drink and drive up to pay and pick it up... then drive away with it. You know how it's legal? You aren't allowed to put your straw in the top while driving... CRAZY!

- EVERYWHERE SELLS ALCOHOL. (now I'm not a drinker, so this doesn't really benefit me) You can get it at grocery stores, gas stations, even Rite Aid sells it.

-Parishes are what you live in not Counties.

- At night they drive around in these pick-up truck and spray everywhere for mosquitoes (though they say the mosquitoes are bad here, Doug and I think NJ was worse, but I'm sure its because they DO spray here.)

- At night they also drive around in the back of a pick up truck and shoot Nutria in the canals on the highways.. and they will even pay you something like 3 dollars a tail.

- You can't make a left anywhere like in NJ, but instead of jug handles, they make you go through the light and make a u-turn.. There are more u-turns here then anywhere ever.

- The pronounce things very French.. like Hebert and Richard are pronounced "a-bear" and "re-shard".

-When you go to the store to buy groceries.. people here say their "makin' groceries". I've also heard when its someone's birthday instead of saying "so-and-so turned 25. They say so-and-so made 25.

- They call a canoe a pirogue.

- At restaurants instead of ketchup on the table its Tabasco.

- NO ONE works on Mardi Gras Day. And Mardi Gras is really 2 weeks of parades and concerts, leading up to the full day of parades all over the area.

-Even though the Gulf of Mexico is right below us.. there is no beach. You gotta go to Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida for that.

- In the summer almost every day it is super hot and it rains.

-It's a soft drink, not a soda.

- I live RIGHT near the longest bridge in the WORLD over water. The Lake Ponchartrain Causeway is almost 24 miles long and there is no shoulder.. how crazy is that?!

-Bourbon Street is very touristy.

- I say Metairie like met-ar-ie, some locals say it met-tree.

8 comments:

Rockin' Momma said...

LOL.... that was fun to read... funny how things are different everywhere.. like whoa a daiquiri drive thru!! WTF!!!!!!!!

and over here they sell alcohol everywhere too Rite Aid, CVS, Grocery stores etc, 711, am/pm etc .. but I thought it was like that everywhere!! I asked CLitn and he said indeed some places only sell liquor at liquor stores... whoa!! I'd have a shit fit! I drink well when I am not pregnant of course haha.. and I love that they sell it everywhere cuz we go wherever its on sale lol...

and thank you it's SODA not soft drink or pop! lol.. even in spanish people call it soda it's supposed to be called "refresco" but no one really says that..

We have a last call of 2am I wish we had one mor elike at 4am .. but oh well...not like I really go out much anyway..


you need to visit San DIego if you ever have a chance! you'd have a culture shock but you'd like it.. it's hot here too but it's breezy not humid or dry.. especially since I live on the coast :)

{Kimber} said...

you are learning lots...
you know as much {if not more}
than me!!
that was a great post!

{Kimber} said...

My friend Tammy took the pic of SOPHIA & I {just embrace it--she is Sophia :)}
we had our Mommarazzi shoot last night...remember my mommytography class I took we went out on a shoot and it was super fun...I'm going to post about it later...
she is having another class on Aug 8th...you should come!! she is awesome!

{Kimber} said...

It's me ---comment hog--I wanted to tell u to try an editing program called picknic...it is free ..good..and easy

Emily said...

So I'm kinda jealous that you live in louisiana. I've kinda wanted to live there for as long as I remember. In 2 years ill be there going to LSU! Yey!

Melissa A. said...

Wow, this post makes the Sookie Stackhouse novels I've been reading make much more sense! Thanks! I've always wanted to visit Louisiana, but never have. Maybe when it starts getting cold here in Indiana!

Melissa A. said...

Oh you have to read them - they're great! The Sookie Stackhouse novels are by Charlaine Harris (there's 9), and the setting is in Louisiana - Renard Parish to be exact (so the parish - county thing makes much more sense now). The first book in the series is called "Dead Until Dark". I'm on the 6th book, and I'll admit they're not going to whip you into a mental frenzy, but they're fun to read. Check them out!

Melissa A. said...

I almost forgot...Have you heard of the show on HBO called True Blood? It's based on the Sookie novels.