This made me laugh

[Wilfrid]

2 hours ago, Sneakeater said:

I don't remember too much about New England's role in this in "Evangeline" either.

Although to tell the truth I've tried to drive that poem out of my mind to the extent I could.

I know but it’s so central to the Harlem Renaissance isn’t it?

[small h]

4 hours ago, Sneakeater said:

Maybe they thought they were going to Upper Manhattan and they ended up in Louisiana by mistake?

This has happened to me. i don't have much sense of direction.

[Sneakeater]

1 hour ago, Wilfrid said:

I know but it’s so central to the Harlem Renaissance isn’t it?

Harlem Renaissance, Longfellow.  They're practically the same thing.

[Sneakeater]

2 hours ago, small h said:

This has happened to me. i don't have much sense of direction.

Every Passover I remark that you don't need divine punishment to explain Jews' getting lost in the desert for 40 years.

Edited November 26, 2023 by Sneakeater

[small h]

17 hours ago, Wilfrid said:

have a dollar says whoever made up this nonsense thinks that Cajuns are Black.

Or actually means Creole, not Cajun. 

[small h]

9 hours ago, Sneakeater said:

Every Passover I remark that you don't need divine punishment to explain Jews' getting lost in the desert for 40 years.

I just figured no one could agree on the best route. "The traffic's gonna be insane through the Negev." "Yeah, but there's construction on the Sinai, and two lanes are closed."

[Wilfrid]

2 hours ago, small h said:

Or actually means Creole, not Cajun. 

Not that creole would make any more sense. (Spellchecker capitalizes Cajun but not creole).

He has shrimp and grits and cornbread on the menu, so there’s a hint of actual relevance to Harlem.

[small h]

Creole at least has some African input.

[Wilfrid]

Yes, but don’t forget the Cajuns got ingredients like okra from their African neighbors.

[small h]

Yes, there's a lot of cross-over, obviously. My point was that Creole at least might be Black and thus connected to Harlem, whereas Cajun is likely not.

[voyager]

Much ignorance about the meaning of either.   Same geo area now, therefore "interchangeable" mind set.

[Wilfrid]

3 hours ago, small h said:

Yes, there's a lot of cross-over, obviously. My point was that Creole at least might be Black and thus connected to Harlem, whereas Cajun is likely not.

I agree with might be Black, but “thus”…no. 

Per @voyager one of the only two plausible Cajun dishes on the menu, the gumbo, lists “creole chicken” as an ingredient. There is a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, celebrating Harlem’s historic links with Tennessee (I made that up).

[small h]

I'm trying to come up with a possible train of thought for whomever created the sign/menu. I'm not trying to argue that s/he has a case.

[Wilfrid]

It’s good of you, but why? Damn thing is entirely stupid.

[small h]

I'm trying to avoid the stuff I actually should be doing. Please assist me in this, won't you?

[Wilfrid]

I will stick with my first guess which is that the person responsible actually thinks Cajun cuisine is a kind of Black cuisine, and nobody else who saw the messaging could be bothered to think about it.

[small h]

That is certainly a strong possibility.

[Sneakeater]

Wait a minute.  I think Jackie Sibblies Drury is brilliant, but now she's doing it, too:

Quote

I’m really invested in having conversations across race that don’t include white people. There are many points of intersection and alignment: K-pop and amapiano, Viet Cajun identity, Chinese investment in Africa.

[Wilfrid]

I admit I was ignorant of Viet Cajun cuisine. This overview at least knows who the Cajuns are:

Quote

Most of the Cajun population lives in the state of Louisiana. The Cajuns’ ancestors were French-speaking colonists who came to the southern United States from an area that is now part of Canada

.

[StephanieL]

There are a LOT of Viet-Cajun seafood houses over here.

Edited November 29, 2023 by StephanieL

[Sneakeater]

You know where I think the misperception that Cajuns are Black comes from?

Everybody knows Zydeco, but people don't realize that Zydeco is Creole music rather than Cajun.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Sneakeater

[Mitchell101]

You should come to Jazzfest where one of the 12 stages is dedicated to Zydeco AND Cajun music. 
 

My favorite Zydeco band is Little Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers because they throw some New Orleans funk into their songs. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Mitchell101

[Wilfrid]

44 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

You know where I think the misperception that Cajuns are Black comes from?

Everybody knows Zydeco, but people don't realize that Zydeco is Creole music rather than Cajun.

I would have got that wrong.

[Sneakeater]

Even though Zydeco performers are mostly Black?

[Sneakeater]

Cajun:

Zydeco:

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Sneakeater