One of the things we re proudest of in Acadiana is our culture. A big part of it is music and dance. Cajun and Zydeco. There are similarities and notable differences between Cajun music and dance, and Zydeco music and dance. Leaving aside for the moment the intertwined Acadian and African influences, one major musical…

In Acadiana there are a number of Holy Trinities. There’s the original, Christian, one. There’s the roux: onions, peppers and celery. And there’s the Acadian Agricultural trinity – Sugarcane, crawfish, and rice. In the rice capital of the world, Crowley Louisiana, The Falcon Rice Mill has been a family business since 1950. It’s the only family-run rice mill…

We generally talk about heroes in a time of crisis. When we’re in some kind of life-threatening danger, a hero is an ordinary person who does something extraordinary. In the normal course of events, in a small town, a hero can be almost the opposite. A hero can be an extraordinary person who does something ordinary….

We often hear people lamenting – mostly politicians – that manufacturing in America has hit an all-time low. The catch-cry you hear frequently repeated is, “we don’t make anything here anymore.” Here in Acadiana we know that’s not true. We make pretty much everything. On this edition of Out to Lunch Aileen Bennett sits in for…

If you travel around Louisiana, you see enormous differences from north to south. And even more from east to west. It’s always been this way, to some extent. But the differences have arguably never been as extreme as they are now. Here in Lafayette, and in Acadiana in general, we’re going through some pretty major…

Just 135 miles apart, a 2 hour sprint on the interstate or a scenic ramble on the 90, New Orleans and Lafayette are two of America’s most culturally interesting cities. Economically, though, they’re different. New Orleans is booming and growing while Lafayette is facing headwinds from a depressed oil economy and the continuing after-effects of floods…

If you had a dollar for every time someone on radio or TV said, “Here in Acadiana we’re known for our food,”  you probably would have made about a hundred dollars this month already. You wouldn’t be as wealthy, though, if you were collecting a dollar on the sentence, “Here in Acadiana there is a sizeable…

A few football seasons ago, after years of losing, the Saints suddenly started to become a winning team. People back then would explain the change of fortune with a knowing look and two words – “Drew Brees.” In Acadiana, people have recently started exchanging that same knowing look when they talk about the impressive number…

There’s a great deal of uncertainty in the oil business these days. When times are tough and margins are slim, oil producers find ways to trim costs wherever they can. But, no matter how big or small your company is, there are only so many people you can lay off. There are only so many wells…

If you’re a certain age and in business, you might have had a business mid-life crisis. It’s not about getting a tattoo and a Harley Davidson, it’s about being confronted with a massive change in the way business is done, and deciding what to do about it. If you started out before the internet, before…