I grew up in Ruston, Louisiana. If you haven't heard of us, we hold the Guinness World Record for the largest fruit cobbler and are the proud home of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. I go to college in Texas, so when a Texan says their state pledge or jokingly threatens to secede from the union, I am reminded of what makes my home state unique. In the words of Louisiana Ca$h, "I'm from Louisiana. We call it that boot."
To those who know what I'm talking about, you might be from Louisiana too.
1. Humidity doesn't phase you.
2. You know someone who wrote a letter to Boosie in jail.
This was my local Smoothie King on that fateful day when he was released.
3. You think "Feel the Bern" means that feeling that you get on your lips after eating crawfish.
Don't eat the dead ones.
4. You believe that Tony Chachere's complements every meal.
5. You are starting to wonder if you will ever escape the Robertsons.
The Robertsons are a nice, good-hearted family, but they have taken camouflage to a whole new level.
6. You vividly remember the few times when it snowed.
Here's that one day when it snowed and we thought that we were in Antarctica, so we wasted the entire yard's snow on this dirty igloo.
It was also the same year when the Saints won the Super Bowl.
7. Half of the guys in your class were absent on the opening day of hunting season.
What do you mean, this isn't a national holiday?
8. "Jambalaya" and the "Battle of New Orleans" are songs that speak to your soul.
<span id="selection-marker-1" class="redactor-selection-marker"> </span>"In 1814, we took a little trip."
9. You always wanted to be the kid who found the baby in the King Cake.
Nothing quite beats the rush of finding baby Jesus between those bites of cinnamon goodness. Your mom hated it, though, because it meant that she had to bring the cake for next year!
10. You aren't surprised to find crickets, crawfish, ice cream, ammunition, and pizza in the same store.
This convenient store has a name in my town: Cranford's.
11. It makes your skin crawl a bit when someone pronounces "New Orleans," "New Or-le-ans."
12. You know someone who has planned their wedding around the LSU football schedule.
You don't mess with LSU football.
13. You've tried alligator. It tasted like chicken.
However, you do not, I repeat, DO NOT have one in your backyard.
14. You've got a lot of heart.
Louisiana may be literally sinking into the bayou, but nothing can bring us down. We've got good food, good music and good people. What more could you ask for? I asked my friend and proud Louisiana native, James Davison, (who is featured in the cover photo), why he loved our state so much. He summed it up well: "The South is known for its sweetness, from sweet tea to sweet home Alabama, but what separates Louisiana from everybody else is this thing called spice!"
Photo by 
