I'm gonna get Everything but the Squeek next Sat. I'm grateful that I've been to a Boucherie. It started early in the morning when the pig was shot to late at night when all the sausage and meat was being cooked. Somewhere I had video footage that I took but I think it's gone since Katrina passed. A relative had a copy of some of my grandpa's VHS and Super8 home movies. It's like watching a Les Blank movie. People drinking, dancing, eating. Oh yeah, that was the good times.
I didn't know Floyd's had a video section. Next time I'm in Ville Platte I'll check it out.
Some of my fondest memories growing up were of the boucheries. We didnt do any dancing that I remember, but man the food. Luckily most of the food that we had can still be bought in many stores there. Doesnt have the atomosphere though.
My grandmother used to make the rice dressing and put in a big bowl with one big spoon in it and set it on the big table where we were all cutting. Everyone just used the one spoon to grab a bite everynow and then.
Boucheries used to bring together my extended family that we usually only see for funerals now.
Like I said, I've only been to one but what a time. The only one that didn't have a good time was the pig. But, man, the sausage, the pork meat, the hogshead cheese, the "fess de cochon". Man that was some good.
Unfortunately, I was raised by strict Christian parents (no negative comments about Christianity, please) so I kinda had limited access to my grandpa's side of the family (which was part of the culture). I did miss alot of the barbeques and boucheries because my mom feared the "beer drinkin" and the "cussin" would corrupt me and the ones I did attend, my mom watched me like a hawk and wouldn't let me get to close to the crowd because I'd pick up a new bad habit or cuss word. Go to a dance hall, FORGET IT! "those people are all drunks. All they want to do is drink, sin, and cuss.", well, true, but not as horrible as my mom made them out to be. Now that most of those "good ol days" are gone, I miss them dearly. Yeah we have barbecues and get-togethers, but it ain't NUTHIN' like it used to be, not like you see in those videos.
The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week
