1. Mardi Gras.
North Louisiana: A very modernized, urban form that sneaks up in February/March. There are a few weekends spent with bad traffic, terrible attempts at King Cake, and a few decent floats.
South Louisiana: It’s a holiday, a rite of passage, and everybody and their mother is there. Practically, the entire town is closed; all local businesses, schools, you name it, all closed in honor. Toss in a Mardi Gras Ball and a chicken run, and a North Louisianan is in a foreign country.
2. Lent menus.
After Mardi Gras comes Lent. Then every restaurant in South Louisiana is serving seafood.
North Louisiana: Good one! There’s no specialized menu for Lent.
South Louisiana: The Catholic religion runs rampant in South Louisiana, so much so that every restaurant in town offers a Lent menu. Featuring seafood, seafood, and more seafood. All I’m saying is that McAllister’s Lent menu is top notch. Try the Cajun Shrimp Caesar wrap.
3. Sha.
It took me several months to realize that this was a word not a typo. It took me even longer to understand that it was a term of affection equivalent to cute or precious. "Sha" also can have close relations with the phrase “bless your heart."
North Louisiana: Sha? This can’t be English. If you ask a South Louisianan what "sha" means, laughing will occur. They will refer to you as "sha." You’ll be confused. Confusion is natural. Proceed on my friend, one day you will master the use of "sha."
South Louisiana: Everyone uses it for everything. A response to a North Louisianan’s confusion of the meaning of "sha" would probably go something like this: “Sha, you poor Yankee.” Translation: You poor soul that lives above I-10.
Now guys, never ever refer to someone your own age as "sha," because you will get some awkward side glances. "Sha" is reserved for the old ladies and gents holding hands in public, and baby turtles crossing the sand dunes to the ocean.
4. Egg pocking.
The art or science of “pocking” is simply at best a battle.
North Louisiana: Dyes eggs for Easter. Lets the dyed eggs rot in the trash for a week.
South Louisiana: Dyes eggs for Easter. Proceeds to battle. One person taps on another person’s egg, and whoever’s egg breaks first in the tapping process loses.
5. Weather.
It's somehow hotter, more humid, and rainier in South Louisiana.
North Louisiana: All four seasons. Even snow sometimes.
South Louisiana: There's two types of seasons. Cold and rainy. Hot and rainy.
These images capture the weather perfectly in North and South Louisiana.
My parent’s backyard in North Louisiana on Feb. 25:
Me chilling in my car on Feb. 25 in South Louisiana:
