Most folks from South Central Louisiana pepper their speech today with “before Katrina” or “since Katrina.” Some are old enough to have lived through Betsy and Camille, and more than a few still carry the trauma of Audrey. But the fact remains, after the storm, life must go on… and such was the case in Arnaudville after Katrina. This is the story of how the Arnaudville Experiment began and continues today.
Katrina came and went – as did Rita right on her heels. And when it was over, the people of Arnaudville looked around to see what they had left. Whatever it was, they knew that, from now on, those would be the crops on which their future would rise or fall. Since Arnaudville sits on the St. Martin – St. Landry parish line, the economies of both parishes would have to be taken into account. In St. Landry, the major crops are soybeans, trees, and sugar cane, as well as sweet potatoes. In St. Martin, the major crops are sugar cane, soybeans, and rice. Both parishes raise crawfish, with St. Martin Parish designated as the Crawfish Capital of the World. In addition, both parishes raise some of the best looking poultry and cattle found anywhere, with St. Landry raising all the milo we need to keep them that way. So – Arnaudville was obviously not going to starve, but it would take time for those industries to recover. What Arnaudville (and surrounding areas) needed was a resource that could function even in the midst of a hurricane and its aftermath – and, as their assessment of their resources continued, the crop they needed soon became apparent.
What Arnaudville and its surrounding small towns discovered in their midst were hundreds of writers, poets, artists, artisans, photographers, sculptors, furniture builders, theater folks, and musicians. As amazing as it sounds, they actually had the good sense to accept the talent of their people as a valuable resource and, according to the Chamber of Commerce, set immediately about farming that as a crop. The principle at work here is… in Louisiana, the French people can grow anything – and do so quite successfully, we might add. The stranger the crop (at least to others), the more successful the French people in Louisiana will be at cultivating it (i.e. crawfish!).
To market, to market… Oh! How to market this new found crop? ….and what would be the soil in which it would grow? The answer to both questions is “culture.” The French people of Louisiana are going to write about their culture and sing about their culture – and nothing can keep them from it. They have a burning desire to show the world what a magical place they have inherited and will pass on to their descendents. Whether they are cooking Cajun, Creole or a mixture of the two, their food is the best food found anywhere. …and as for language, everything sounds better in Cajun French and it wouldn’t matter if it didn’t – They’re not giving up their food, their language, or their music – not now and not ever!
And so that settled the issue. Talent would be the crop and culture would be the rich soil in which to grow it. They had more than enough of both. The rest is current history told no better than by George Marks on The Arnaudville Experiment.”
Today, the doors of the Arnaudville area have been thrown open wide to talented people everywhere. Come and enjoy the best of life here with us. And – to set your mind at rest about a somewhat weighty issue, studies show that plenty of dancing is an excellent antidote for having been blessed with a steady diet of Cajun and Creole cooking.
