Rogers Catches a Cowan

 Rogers calls in to the Tasse de Cafe' radio program weekly, sometimes a few times a show. It was a little dream fulfilled when I met him tonight at the Cajun Smokehouse, and got to record a little story he told about catching toads by the tail, fish and alligator snapping turtles with his hands in the mud. The mayor introduces him, and he goes on about possum oil, blesses and compliments the crowd, says he got bit twice by snakes and all he did was spit some tobacco on the bites. He then makes a couple of language jokes saying after all that turtle catching he still has all his fingers but he still owes. It doesn’t translate . He is something else! 

Transcript 
(corrections welcome)

Mayor: Y'all finally can put the face with the voice!
Charlie: oh yeah, I know it! I knew who he was.
Rogers: Qui c'est ça que j'dis?
C: Hein!?
R: z'autres veux que j'dis quelquechose?
C: Ouais, Yeah!
Woman: Ti conte!
Jim Soileau: Mais, ein ti conte!
R: Ca fait....j'étais à la maison après assayer de attrapper des crapeau par la tchu.
C: Combien gros t'en a attrappé, Roge?
R: J'ai pu pas n'attrapper ein... l'attrappes et ça gone...(can't understand)...pas l'attrapper...
Woman: Oh my gosh...
R:.. I'm glad to see all of yall! Glad to see all of yall...
Mark Layne: eh, eh, Roger.
R:... an God Bless allllll of y'all...!
Mark Layne: Mister Roger! You were telling us how- me and Jim and Charlie, what do we have to do to have big voices? We have to...we have to drink something?
R: La graisse de uh.. rat du bois!
C: ohh!
M: La graisse de rat de bois!
R...bois...ca siffle!
Women in crowd: whistles, "ça siffle!"
C: A quelle boutique ti peux acheter ça?
R: Ça, ça, quand ti bois ça, ça siffle!
J: Ouais, mais Charlie dit en quelle boutique t'achete de la graisse de rat du bois?
R: Mais, moi, j'ai ça à la maison,  j'suis troisième cousin à Nonc Dud! Troisième cousin à Nonc Dud! heheheh... yes!
J: ...Ça faisait du gratons quand c'après pend les rat du bois pour faire de la graisse ça serve les boules et les gratons du rat du bois l'huile...
R:R:  hehhehehee...Y'all all some nice people...I like ta hear y'all
Mayor: We like to hear you, too!
Mark: Mister Roger, one question, you told us many times that one of your jobs, one of the things you liked to do.. you go into the waters and you used to do...hand fishing, you'd go in there and you'd grab fish with your hands.
R: A lot, yeah! I used to dive all in dere...
Mark: Comment ti dis ça en français?
R: Attrapper les poissons à la main...
M: ok, we...I thought there was a term...
R: To catch fish with ya hands!
Woman in crowd: Choquer!?
R: I used to catch some turtles dat's a jaw was comin like dat, I would see a...a...uh...j'voyais ein couenne après venir, je l'ai (...?glissé?) dans la geulle...tourner la geulle...la j'passait ma main comme ça,...là, quand la tortoue a touché ma main, alle restait tranquille, là qu'a changé de bouts je l'attrappé sa tchu...mis la dans sac...easy easy easy easy easy...
Mark: Plus brave que mon...
R: Là tu mis à les choquer avec les rods de wagon! Et dans la boue je peut connais juliement qui borde sa tête allé , j'fouillé ma main dans la boue, les attrapper la tchu, sortir avec....laughs... et j'ai jamais été moudu par einne! not one of em! Y'a pas ein qui m'a mordu! Yas Sir!
C: Now monte t'as tout tes doigts...
R; oh, yeah, J'ai tout mes doigts...
C: Tout tes doigts...
R: j'ai tout mes doigts...
C: Et tes orteilles ausitte!
R: Ouais j'ai ça... J'ai tout mes doigts mais je dois quand-même!
Woman: Careful of them fingers!
R: Si j'ai pas d'doigts, je te dirais j'ai pas mes doigts, mais là j'ai tout mes doigts et je dois!
C: Et tu dois tout! 
Woman: You neva caught a snake?!
Rogers; No M'am, I got bit two time, one on my finger right there and one on ma leg, and I didn't go to the doctor.
Woman: You musta put some possum grease!
R: I had... I was chewin some tobacco. J'au eu du tabbac, J'ai chiqué du tabac.. Il a (pro...?).. endans, eh? Ca q'a guerrisait... yas sir yas sir, j'étais manière tard mais je dis j'vas aller-les là bas quand-même...Mista Charlie, on a.. c'est des année que je t'connu, oui.
Charlie: Et j'était après t'ésperer, ouais!
R: Yah, Mais, boy, j'ai assayé, oui.
C: Et y'a du monde 'citte ein peu s'informé, il dit, Rogers après venir? J'ai dit j'ai charré avec la semaine passé, il m'a guarantee il été après venir!
R: On yas sir, Mais, J'ai fait mon bes, yah.
C: Ein homme se tein sa parole.
R: That's right, that's right that's right that's right...ya..
C: y'a quelqu'un qui me dit quelquechose, et ca fait pas...
R: Ça fait pas de chose...yah...
C: C'est pas bon, ca!
R: Ça dit allons boire!...Mais, qui ça le "boire"? Par on a dit allons "boire" C'est du bois?
C: J'crois ça été discuté à ce matin avec Jim!
R: Allons tout Boire!
C: Mais, Jim peux repondre sur là..
R; mais, c'est du bois, ça...Allons bois!
hehehehe  heheehehe  ehehehhehe.....

Your First Cajun French Lesson

If like most young people in Louisiana, you took years of "Perisian" French in high school and felt the disconnect between the class French and the one you heard your parents and grandparents speak at home, this lesson is for you.

I am not an expert in Louisiana French, or a native speaker, but I taught it and have lived among it my whole life. More importantly, I understand the perspective of young Louisianians who would like to learn the "Cajun French" of their grandparents, so that this thing isn't lost.

One thing I noticed is that Louisiana people, myself included, don't like to deal with VERB CONJUGATIONS. I found an easy way to get around that (mostly) and speak Louisiana French more easily.

Using the word APRÈS + VERB INFINITIVE to express action in the process, "-ING" form

How to say things like:

I am doing something.

She is making boudin.

They are acting like the donkey.

What are you doing?

1. First, you have to learn ONE conjugation, just one. In Cajun French.

Etre - To be

j'suis                    I am

t'es                 you are

il/elle est        he/she is

on est                we are

vous-autres est  yall are

ils est                they are

2. Now a list of a few verb infinitives. These are the "to forms" of the verb, the simplest form. These are the things that you have to conjugate, but here, just learn what they mean. You probably already know them.

manger- to eat

boire- to drink

danser- to dance

faire- to make/do

bouder- to make boudin

faire le bourriquet- to act the donkey

dormir- to sleep

marcher- to walk

charrer- to chat

passer- to pass

3. Now, put it all together: This is the equation:

SUBJECT + ÊTRE* + APRÈS + INFINITIVE = sentence

*conjugate, as above in #1

 J' + SUIS + APRÈS + MANGER = I am eating.

T' ES APRÈS BOIRE. = You are drinking.

Il EST APRÈS CHANTER = He is singing.

ON EST APRÈS FAIRE le bourriquet. = We are acting the donkey.

Variations you can read:


Quoi t'après faire? = What are you doing?

QUI t'après faire? = What are you doing? (quoi/qui can mean both mean "what")

J'après faire le bourriquet. I am acting the donkey.  
(sometimes, the "etre" is not pronounced much, so "j'après" sounds like "shha pray")

J'suis après manger. I am eating.

J'suis après manger du boudin. I am eating boudin.

C'après mouiller. It is raining.

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When I figured this out the language opened up to me a lot.

In French class, you learn that "après" is a preposition meaning "after". That is right.

So, being a good French student, you would read this sentence: 

Moi, J'suis après manger.

as

Me, I am after eating.

And you would be right. In Louisiana, we say we are 'after' doing something. As in, we are in the process of perusing it.

Bayberry Wax

Bayberries on the wax myrtle

about four pounds of bay berries

sifting bay berries

Rough disk of fresh bayberry wax cut with 20% beeswax

A red assassin bug in rendered  bayberry wax

Cajun Music ECards Part 2

It's the Cajun Blues. I just want to get drunk, and when I get drunk I just want to dance and make love all night long.

Let us search...search...search...

If you wouldn't have listened to the counsel of the others you would be here with me today.

Oh the games people play. It hurts me to see them do that.

Hold my dentures! I am going to show you how to dance.

And then they saw I was mad, dear, they brought back my sled.

Let's go to the Courtableau Bayou, little world. To collect some sticks, ya yaille. To make a fire, baby. To boil fiddler crabs.

Now I got lucky, and I made a pile of money and no matter where I go, everyone wants to date me.

On your left hand, there is a wedding band that says turn, turn turn around.

Every time I pass in front of your daddy's door, your daddy is sitting there with a pipe in his smiling mouth.

Oh, let us talk of drinking, no, not of marriage. Always regretting the pretty times past...

Little girls are so cute, but women are deadly.

Open this door and come her, I want to poison you.

Dear everything.

They stole my sled, dear!

Girls from Ville Platte, I don't know what is wrong with them. They are cute, but they are sneaky.

Let's dance Colinda, dance close, Colinda. Let's dance, Colinda, to make the old ladies mad.

Don't look at that, it's not for you.

Cajun Music ECards

If you always wondered what those Cajun songs were saying, here are some ecards that I made mostly from song lyrics.

Oh the people of Crowley are always in the roads. Always in the roads, looking for trouble.

Dear pretty one, give me that one, and if it ain't that one, I don't want any at all!

Hey Mom, I am always your little boy.

Young people from the country, don't ever get married! Look what I did, always miserable.

Sunday morning, he is all kinds of sick. Pass him the glass of lemonade.

The Mardi Gras are not evil-doers, they are just beggars.

Well look what you did: cut the mulberry branch, so i can see you pass in front of your daddy's porch.

Little or the big, Madame Edward, it's all the same price.

Open that door and come here, I want to poison you!

Go west young man, go west, and go to Mamou. ( For Lu dit LaRose)

And when we get home, Grandmother is going to make a fish stew in the style of the choupique fish.

Oh Madeline! You slept outside! Oh Madeline! Outside in the big fog!

Oh unhappy girl!

We know that the Native Americans have big rights in America.

It's nothing if you tell me no, for to marry you, for to marry you, at St. Mary's Church

You had some, you wont have any more! You had some, you wont have any more! You had some, you wont have any more! What's left is for us!

One problem with the program: it won't allow accent marks. If anyone can fix this, let me know!

Things heard on the Tasse de Cafe Radio Program

KVPI RADIO

The following are snippets of conversations, expressions, and local commercials in Evangeline Parish French as heard on the Tasse de Cafe Radio Program on KVPI, Wednesday and Friday mornings, 8-9 am. The program can be heard online, by phone or through phone app.search kvpi.
KVPI RADIO

Bonjour! Qui que parles?!
Hello, Who's talking!?

Ain autre call, Charlie!
Another call, Charlie!

Bonjour, you're on the air!
Hello, you're on the air!

Q: Comment va les affaires?
How are things?

A: -Oh, on après brasser une bonne sabotière de la crème...
Oh, we're stirring a good ice cream maker of ice cream.

-Oh, on après faire le balai avec une balai tout neuf! T'as jamais fait la balais avec une balai tout neuf?
Oh, we're sweeping with a brand new broom! You ever swept with a brand new broom?

-Oh! Ca fait la grande course!
Oh! It makes the big race!

-Oh! ca va pic-à-poc!
It goes pick a pock.

...On était perdu dans le grand bois, apres attendu le cris d'hibou...et tout mes cheveux se dressait comme ça...ça fait peur!!
...We were lost in the big woods, hearing the cry of the owl...and all of my hairs stood on end like that, that was scary!!

Oh! Le pain perdu! On l'as trouvé à ce matin, c'est pu perdu.
Oh! French Toast (lost bread)! We found it this morning. It's no longer lost.

On va vous parler garçon à garçon, figure à figure, en anglais ou en français, il vont vous servir comme vous-autres veux.
 We are going to talk to you boy to boy, face to face, in English or in French, they are going to server you like you want.

Ca va vous fournir tout la viande fraiche, du tasso, la viande salé, viande boucannée que t'as besoin. c'après boucanner la viande tout la journée que pour vous.
They are going to furnish you with all the fresh meat, tasso, salted meat, smoked meat that you need. They are smoking meat all day long just for you.

Some women take offense to you callin' them cher, they think you hittin' on them. I love to call people cher. I call men cher. I hope they dont take it as a compliment...

Comment ti crois, hein!?
How you think!

Tu conais ils appelent les 'love bugs' les bêtes d'amour...ou les petits carencros! Ou.. des bessons...
You know they call love bugs the bugs of love, or the little buzzards, or the little "kissers"

 Rapelle-toi de White Rose Petroleum Jelly?
You remember White Rose Petroleum Jelly?

After Hurricane Issac: Et comment les Pecanières chez toi? C'était socoue'?
And how are the pecan trees at your place? They were swayin?