1. Everybody Will Ask You What Living In New Orleans Was Like
And when you say you’re actually from Shreveport they’ll ask how far that is from New Orleans. Well… a bit of a drive actually.
2. And You’ll Forever Be Explaining That LA Doesn’t Mean Los Angeles
No, not Los Angeles. Louisiana. That state that’s nowhere near California.
3. They’ll Try And Fail To Imitate Your Accent And It Will Be Terrible
And it doesn’t matter which of the many Louisiana accents you have—everyone else will inevitably butcher it.
4. Then They’ll Ask Why You Don’t Sound Like Their Other Louisianan Friend
“Uh, maybe because we’re from towns that are at least a ten minute drive away, so obviously we have totally different accents.”
5. Drinking On The Street Means Brown Bagging It
And it’s generally pretty frowned upon. Grabbing a beer to go or a daiquiri at a drive through will be a thing of the past.
6. When You Say You’re From A Parish Everyone Assumes You’re Super Religious
Regardless of whether you actually are or not, no one gets that a parish is just a county.
7. You’ll Have To Explain The Difference Between Creole and Cajun
And at some point someone will rave about this amazing Cajun restaurant that you will then visit only to find out they’re serving Creole food.
8. Small Talk Is The Absolute Worst
When you ask someone how they are, they just say, “Fine.” Fine. What are you supposed to do with fine? No one knows how to just sit and talk like Louisianans.
9. Everyone Is An Expert Because They Went To Mardi Gras On Spring Break
Yeah… that’s great and all, but living in Louisiana actually means a whole lot more than Mardi Gras. (Even if LA does do Mardi Gras better than everyone else ever.)
10. You’ll Never Find Decent Boudin Again
So live it up and eat as much as you can while still you can!
11. All Other Football Fans Are As Fair-Weather As They Come
Were the Saints always good? No. Did you love and support them unconditionally? Of course. Because that’s what you do. You stand by your team! WHO DAT?
12. There Is No Replacement For Community Coffee
When someone suggests Starbucks, you’ll want to cry. Be prepared for some serious caffeine withdrawals.
13. A Whole Lot Of Newspaper Goes To Waste
No one really knows how to do a crawfish boil like Louisianans. Other southern states may claim they can, but your taste buds know the difference.
14. Outsiders Pronouncing Louisiana Town Names Is Endlessly Amusing
Just ask someone to say Thibodaux, Meraux, and Maringouin, and enjoy.
15. Everyone Will Think You’re Calling Them A Famous Singer
Cher means something totally different outside The Pelican State.
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16. You Have A Much Higher Tolerance For Creepy Crawly Things
Living in Louisiana gives you a kind a superpower. You’ll laugh in the face of measly little spiders while everyone else runs scared.
17. Tomatoes In Gumbo Is A Crime Against Humanity
Or at least a crime against good taste! And yet there are people who actually make gumbo with tomatoes and think it tastes great.
18. You’ll Long For Warm Summer Nights At Louisiana Music Festivals
Whether you were a Zydeco, swamp pop, country, blues, or jazz fan, Louisiana music festivals were always the best thing ever.
19. People Are Way Too Stressed Out All The Time
Louisianans move at their own pace—a nice, natural, calm pace. Everyone else loves to brag about how tired they are and run around like chickens with their heads cut off all the time. Just hold onto your laissez-faire attitude and leave the stressing to everyone else.
20. And No One Knows How To Celebrate The Little Things
Louisianans can whip up a feast and gather forty friends and family members in a room together in two hours for a reason as little as the weather being nice that day. Who else can do that? No one, as it turns out.
21. Ask Your Relatives To Send You A King Cake
Because honestly, nothing is going to compare to what you can get in Louisiana and going through king cake season without a king cake is the worst.
22. You Are Not Prepared For A Real Winter
Remember all those times you wore a jacket when it was seventy degrees outside? Yeah, well… it wasn’t actually cold then. And that half-inch of snow wasn’t “a lot of snow” either.
23. Rice And Gravy Is The Perfect Homesickness Cure
And you’ll need to eat a whole lot of it if you ever leave Louisiana.
24. Your Mardi Gras Beads Are The Coolest Gift Ever
If you’re willing to part with a few pieces from your collection, you’ll earn a reputation as the best gift giver ever.
25. Louisiana Snack Foods Are Just Better
No other snack food will ever measure up to Zapp’s or cracklins, no matter how much locals love their lesser potato chips or some fancy popcorn that’s big there.
26. You’ll Have To Find A New Way To Fill Any Humid Days
Sitting on the porch, drinking a gallon of tea, and gossiping with neighbors isn’t the norm most places.
27. It’s Hard Not To Go On The Defensive
If you’re from any sort of flood zone in Louisiana, everyone will ask why you didn’t leave earlier. Well, too bad for them, because you can think of at least a million (not an exaggeration) reasons why.
28. It’s A Whole Lot Harder To Make Friends
Louisianans can make a friend out of any stranger, but not everyone is as open and trusting. It’s a good thing Louisianans are great at overcoming any obstacle.
29. The Hunt For A Great Beignet Takes Awhile
You can’t just stop in any hole in the wall cafe and eat the most glorious powdered sugar covered treat in the world anymore.
30. You’ll Realize Just How Beautiful Louisiana Is
It’s easy to take all that beauty for granted, but between the gorgeous and diverse nature, the interesting architecture, and the wonderful people, Louisiana is pretty much paradise.
What do you miss about Louisiana? Tell us in the comments below!
