As Seen in the Prairie des Femmes

A Typical Sunday sight in Prairie of the Women.

Reppin Hard for Exit 11

Prairie des Femmes, Exit 11 (dis wat made me)

 

Facebook message I sent to my old student, who was raised up by Exit 11

The area around nearby Grand Coteau, Louisiana was called Prairie des Femmes in a land grant as early as 1776. These days, off of I-49, the Grand Coteau/Sunset exit is Exit #11.  The small towns are similar in size, and straddle the interstate, where are concentrated a few modern conveniences: the Chevron, Beau Chene Truck Stop, the Grand Coteau Popeye's and the new McDonald's:(.  The towns themselves are quite small and lie back about 1/2 mile off of the exit in either direction. Sunset, on the west side, seems to harbor many of the utilitarian services that her sister town needs: a grocery store (Janise's), restaurants,  a pharmacy, doctors, dollar stores, etc. Grand Coteau, French for big ridge, is a charming, historic village. She is known as the Holy Land of the South (and heavily Catholic South Louisiana) because of a miracle that took place there.  Grand Coteau was spared a burning in the civil war because the girl's school, the Academy of the Sacred Heart (founded in 1821) lay back in the fields, and it was said one of the northern generals had a daughter that was a student of an Academy of the Sacred Heart elsewhere. As a result, the school was spared and the town unburned. Today, the main drag, Martin Luther King Drive (Hwy 93) is lined with antebellum acadian style and Victorian homes, colorful with antique shops, facing the manicured grounds of a Jesuit retreat center. You'd think that the town was an affluent historical hamlet from the look of MLK drive. Historical it is, but the town's streets are shallow, and the houses behind MLK spread into a few historical homes, a few modern ones, old shacks, and trailer homes. What I mean is, the culture of the back streets does not mirror the mecca of Catholic antiquers the main drag attracts, rather, this is the real culture of Exit 11, as I have observed, as follows:

King Bobb's Tat, Reppin hard for Exit 11

Ain't that the damn truth

As you enter Grand Coteau...

and across the Street, King Bobb, reppin his car...

Looks like some people love ole Exit 11 as much as I do...

Mais Jamais de La Vie! Carême Traditions.

A reminder from my favorite priest, Father Jason Vidrine

Here, from the Tasse Cafe Radio Program, Lena talks about the traditions of local Catholics during Lent, or Carême: 

 

1. People fasted starting at age 21.  

2.  No meat was eaten on Wednesday or Friday.

 3. One meal of meat was allowed per day, except on Sundays. 

4. No snacks or "in-between meals" except on Sundays. 

5. During a fast, the sum of your three daily meals (breakfast, dinner and supper) should equal the amount of food eaten at one usual sized meal. 

6. People fasted and practiced abstinence.

7. Tu peux pas aller au bal during Lent, until Holy Saturday. 
(You can't go to the dance during lent until Holy Saturday.) 

8. If March 19, the Feast of Saint Joseph, falls during Lent, you can break fast that day, go to the dance, eat all you want. 

9. Nowadays you can choose your penance, except you still can't eat meat on Fridays.

10. They not strict like they used to be.

In the old old days, it was a sin to go to the dance during Lent, but Lena's aunt had slept out one night and went anyway. When she went to confession, the priest refused her absolution! To this, Jim Soileau exclaims, "Mais, jamais de la vie!"(Well I never!/Never in life!) But it was ok, because she went to another priest, who forgave her, but she sure didn't want to tell Mamere that she didn't have absolution!

Another Reminder from Father Vidrine

Manglier Tea, it's Nasty!

When I taught at Beau Chene High School, I asked the students to tell me about home remedies that their families used. The students all told of the "nasty tastin'" mongreae tea. I hadn't heard of it, but the students all nodded their heads. One boy, Chwayne Esprit said, "ma grandmother makes dat mongreae tea! She try to put some peppermint or honey in there or something, but it don't work! it still tase naaaaasty!! the tea works, though."

I offered extra credit for this mysterious mongrea plant, and the very next morning, Kelly Carmouche showed up with a branch wrapped in a plastic grocery bag and hung it on my doorknob before school. I immediately recognized it as a "trash" scrub plant that grew in utter abundance in our fallow field and along every ditch and coulee in Saint Landry Parish. I have since learned that manglier means mangrove (and come to think of it, the bushes do resemble a mangrove, but they grow in the prairie, not the water).

According to Wikipedia, Baccharis halimifolia is unusually salt-tolerant, and often found along salty or brackish shores of marshes and estuaries, and the inland shores of coastal barrier islands on the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the eastern United States.
 

How I do it: Boil two or so cups of water with a handful or two of manglier leaves. Boil the leaves, strain. Sweeten the tisane with a peppermint, cough drop, honey, lemon, whiskey, or any combination of each. Drink a cup three times a day, and even to ward off a cold or sore throat.

Information from:

Groundsel Bush, Manglier
Baccharis halimifolia
Asteraceae
Respiratory, Flu
Leaves, Stem, Root; Tea
Perennial, Tree, Shrub

Groundsel Bush
“When someone gets a fever, give him some tea made with manglier. Serve it in a coffee cup three time per day.”
Manglier is the hidden jewel of the medicinal plant collection. Little seems to be known about it outside of Louisiana, but it is well known by our Native American, Cajun and Creole communities as an excellent remedy for fevers, chills, congestion, and other cold or pneumonia type symptoms. The leaves of the plant are boiled to make an aromatic yellow/green brew. Because of its strong, bitter taste, it is usually served with honey and lemon, a cough drop, or some whiskey to cut the flavor. Whole branches can be dried and stored for later use. The tea can be made several times using the same leaves.

Manglier
“Quand quékin gain la fiève, donne li di thé fait avéc menguilié. Donne li ein ti tasse à café trois fois par jour.”
Le manglier est le bijou caché de la collection des plantes médicinales. On le connaît peu ailleurs au monde, mais il est bien connu des communautés amérindiennes, cadiennes et créoles comme remède excellent contre la fièvre, les frissons, la congestion et d’autres symptômes associés avec un rhume
ou la grippe. On fait bouillir les feuilles pour en faire une tisane aromatique. À cause de son goût fort et amer, on la sert d’habitude avec du miel et du citron, une pastille ou du whisky pour la rendre buvable. On peut faire sécher des branches entières et les garder pour plus tard. On peut réutiliser les memes feuilles plusieurs fois.

The Basile Mardi Gras Song

The Capitaine of the Basile Mardi Gras called in to the Tasse Cafe' radio Program, and they asked him to sing the Basile Mardi Gras Song: 

The Basile Mardi Gras song sung by Capitaine Rider, a pretty awesome name for a Capitaine. 

The Basile Mardi Gras Song

Sung by Russell Potic Rider and the Basile Mardi Gras
in the Basile Town Park Barn immediately before the start of the courir, February 16, 1999
Capitaine, capitaine, voyage ton flag et hale ton camp.
Chorus: Tout le tour autour du moyeu.
La route est grande, la nuit est longue, et les belles sont pas invitées.
C'est les Mardi Gras, ça vient une fois par an demander la charité.
Une fois par an, c’est pas trop souvent pour vous quand même.
Chorus: C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
C'est les Mardi Gras ça devient de loin, ça devient de l'Angleterre.
Chorus: Tout le tour autour du moyeu.
C’est les Mardi Gras c’est tout des bons jeunes gens,
Des bons jeunes gens ça devient de bonnes familles.
Chorus: Tout le tour autour du moyeu.
C’est pas des malfecteurs. C’est juste des chamondeurs.
Chorus: C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
C’est les Mardi Gras, ça demande à la maitresse,
À la maitresse pour une petite poule grasse et du riz ou de la graisse.
Chorus: Tout le tour autour du moyeu.
Pour faire leur grand gumbo ce soir à Grand Basile.
Chorus: C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
Tu me promettrais ci, tu me promettrais ça, mais tu m’en donneras pas.
Chorus: Tout le tour autour du moyeu.
C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade
Capitaine, Capitaine les sauvages ça peut plus chanter à force que leur gorge est sec.
Chorus: Tout le tour autour du moyeu.
Une bonne petite bière fraide [froide] les ferait chanter meilleur.
Chorus: C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade.
C’est hip, c’est hip, c’est hop, et mon cher de camarade

---

English Translation

Capitain, capitain, wave your flag and let’s get going.
The way is long, the night is long, and the women are not invited.

Chorus: All around the hub.
The Mardi Gras come once a year to ask for charity.
Anyhow, one time a year is not too often for you.
Chorus: It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
The Mardi Gras come from far, they come from England.
Chorus: All around the hub.
The Mardi Gras are all good people
Good people who come from good families.
Chorus: All around the hub.
They are not wrong-doers. They are just beggars.
Chorus: It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
The Mardi Gras ask the mistress,
The mistress for a small fat chicken, some rice, or some grease.
Chorus: All around the hub.
To make their big gumbo this evening in Big Basile.
It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
You promise me this, you promise me that, but you don’t give me anything.
Chorus: All around the hub.
It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
Capitain, Capitain, these wild Indians can no longer sing because their throats are dry.
A good little cold beer would make them sing better.
Chorus: It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
It's hip, it's hip, it's hop, and my dear camarade.
Based on a French transcript by Helena Putnam supplied by the Basile Mardi Gras Association.

Dans d'Autres Nouvelles à Ce Matin

In Other News this Morning:                          Dans d'autres nouvelles à ce matin:

...avec possession de marijuana, possession de crack cocaine et drug paraphernalia. (with possession of...)

... suspension, pas de turn signal, possession de crack cocaine et soliciting prostitution. (suspension, no turn signal, possession...)

...Tioga High School, les étudiants, le faculty, le staff a était en bas lock-down pour plusieurs heures...après une maîtress d'école a reçu un email, ça t'après la menacer. (the students, faculty and staff were under lock-down for many hours, after a teacher received an email that which was the menace(?))

...le email reste en bas d'un investigation et il peux pas faire des comment à ce temps ça icitte là là...(the email is under investigation and they can not comment on it at this time here, here.)

...Wal-Mart dans la Ville Platte après sponsor un Blood Drive
(Wal-Mart in Ville Platte is sponsoring a Blood Drive)


...le nouveau "Cork-sicle"...ça c'est un corkscrew, et ça va garder le vin froid. (the new Cork-sicle, is a corkscrew that keeps your winw cold.)

...les butt-hams boucannés (smoked butt hams)

...les filets de barboue les gros morceaux (Catfish filets, big pieces)

...et les pork chops, les coupes du butte (Pork chops, the end cut)

...sur le chemin Chataignier (on the Chataignier road)

...le nouveau Fusion Hybrid vous offre le milleur dedans les classes de sauver dessus le gas, class fuel economy, les nouveau 2012 Fuel Economy Ford Expedition XLT avec les seat en cuire une paquet de leather seat package (the new Fusion Hybrid offers you the best in class to save on gas, class fuel economy, the new 2012 Fuel Economy Ford Expedition XLT with seats of leather, leather seat package.)

...quoi faire éspèrer plus longtemps? (why wait any longer?)

...Et vous-autres va find out que c'est votre meilleur ami! (And yall will find out that that's your best friend!)

...C'est les nouvelles en français à ce matin (It's the news in French this morning)

...Aujourd'hui c'est vendredi c'est le premier jour de le mois de février (Today is Friday, it's the first day of the month of February.)

...pour le gros bal de Swamp Pop Reunion (the big party for the Swamp Pop Reunion)

...Mister Ankles Freeman! (Mister Ankles Freeman!)

...Dans d'autres nouvelles à ce matin, Chef. (in other news this morning, Chief...)