| Cross-Country Ramble 32:
Acadiana! Sent: 98-03-19 20:07:43 EST
"You've just got to take them to Bork's." We had arrived at the
Country House B&B in Washington, LA, just a few minutes before, and
are now relaxing on the porch drinking coffee and tea with our host
June and two of her friends. One of her friends has just make the
recommendation, and June agrees. They've decided that we must
experience a real Cajun band in its natural setting. "Of course," we
say, and rush upstairs to scrape the salt off our bodies and get
ready.
Three days before, we'd ridden out of the piney woods of western
Louisiana and into Eunice, "Louisiana's Prairie Cajun Capital." We'd
stayed over a day to learn a little about Cajun culture at the Jean
Lafitte Prairie Acadian Cultural Center and to hear Cajun music at
the Rendezvous des Cajuns weekly radio show (imagine Prairie Home
Companion in French). We'd eaten shrimp etouffee (A-2-fay on one
menu) and seafood gumbo and catfish made several great ways
Now, we're on our way to Bork's. Out in the countryside past
Opelousas, we only have to stop and ask directions once. "No
problem," say the guys drinking in the parking lot outside a
convenience store, "Just down this road and take the first road on
the right." We pass a dirt track on the right and decide that must
be it. Once we're on it, we know we're right. The road is lined on
both sides for fifty yards with mostly pick-up trucks. Down the
road, I can already see the sign over the narrow door of a low
no-windows building: "Borque's."
We pay our $1 cover charge as we enter, and are welcomed with a
pat on the back by the armed deputy. I'm not sure what he says; the
band at the other end of the long smoke-filled room is well
amplified. Most of the long tables are already full; we're waved
toward the end of a half-full table by the folks already there. We
get a Bud and a Coke (for $2.50) and take a look around. The band is
typical Cajun: button accordion, guitar, fiddle and drums. Every
number the band plays fills the floor with enthusiastic couples.
Their spirit is catching. I watch the steps closely; suddenly they
look familiar. The two-steps look a lot like the polka step I
learned at every-Saturday-night wedding dances when I was in high
school. The waltzes look familiar, too. We haven't danced in a
while, but Carol & I are inspired to dance. We're a little rusty,
but it's great fun and I don't see anybody laughing and pointing at
us, so I guess we're doing ok—at least we're within a couple
standard deviations of normal.
As we drive home, June tells us that dancing has been an integral
part of Cajun life since they arrived in the late 1700's. "They work
hard and they play hard," she says.
Ken
Itinerary (days from Ventura, CA, in ( )'s)
- Day 8 (67) DeQuincy, LA
- Day 9 (68) Kinder, LA
- Day 10-11 (69-70) Eunice, LA
- Day 12-13 (71-72) Washington, LA
- Day 14 (73) St. Francisville, LA
- Day 15 (74) Denham Springs, LA
- Day 16 (75) Hammond, LA
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