The southernmost region of Louisiana (below Interstate 10) has a special place in my heart. As a kid, it was my favorite place on the planet. The fishing, the golf, the food, the people, everything about Cajun country was all I wanted. I thought that LSU in Baton Rouge was my college destiny, but everything changed when I first laid eyes on Boulder, Colorado. Nonetheless, my love for Louisiana has remained steadfast. While I am not sure if I will ever call it home, I know that it will always be a place of refuge.
Last November, I was able to spend a month in Berwick, Louisiana. This is the town my dad grew up in, and where my grandmother (Mimi) still lives. I took the camera out at a few points and snapped some fun pictures. I hope you enjoy!
The best fried chicken you will ever have. It tastes even better when the Tigers are winning. Also, what more could you want from a sign? Besides the slightly terrifying image of someone eating a chicken leg, it’s perfect. Danny’s has been around since 1968 and is a piece of history for the area. I doubt their sign has changed in those past 56 years, I hope it never does. Don’t forget to smile!
I like playing cards, but I’m not a fanatic. That is until I enter the house of my Mimi. Something about that table brings out the card shark in me and all I want to do is drink a gin and tonic while the deck gets shuffled. If you sit down at this card table, be prepared to stay up way past your bedtime, listen to Zydeco, and probably having your ass handed to you by some Cajun lady.
In case you’ve never heard Zydeco, give that song a listen. If you’re sitting down, be careful! You may just jump up and start dancing.
That same card playing Mimi, using a pecan cracker from her father. I cannot imagine the pounds of pecans that tool has gone through. Pecans are my favorite nut by a long shot purely because of pecan pie. I cannot think of a better dessert, especially when its made from scratch with Berwick pecans.
The local Mexican restaurant Si Senor has some of the most colorful and well-aged yard art in the whole town. That is quite the title in a town where nearly every single establishment has plenty (too much) yard art.
The Big Chill, aka the Snowball Stand. My go to order is Tiger Blood. Do I have any idea what’s in it? Not a clue. Hell, I don’t even know what it tastes like! But it’s the best thing imaginable on a hot Louisiana day.
A beautiful southern live oak, a species of tree that is on par with a redwood. While they may be very different trees, both have an elder wisdom that inspires me to sit under their branches for hours and hope they tell me a secret. In California, I felt pretty comfortable hugging a tree, Louisiana not so much. Therefore, I just give this ole pal a firm handshake.
Tree hugging aside, these trees are magnificent. Some live well over 500 years. This one is probably in the 300 year old range. Meaning that this tree has been around longer than the state of Louisiana. Even more reason to sit underneath and hope it tells you a secret or gives you some otherworldly wisdom.
Big Daddy is the local shrimp boat for Berwick. During the season, the skipper will post on Facebook when he’s headed back into town. Once he arrives, he sells out in an hour or two. The shrimp are incredible: perfect size, as fresh as you can get, and straight from a local fisherman. What more could you ask for?
Berwick sits as the last town before the Atchafalaya River makes her way to the Gulf of Mexico. The seafood and access to the wetlands is incredible. If you go up river, you can catch bass and brim, shoot deer and run crawfish traps. If you go down river, you can shoot ducks, run crab traps, drag shrimp nets, and catch redfish, speckled trout, flounder, tuna, and snapper, just to name a few. The access to the outdoors is absolutely incredible. That is probably why they call Louisiana the Sportsman’s Paradise.
Clifford Watson Field. Named in honor of my grandfather, who as you may have guessed, I am named after. Pawpaw, as I called him, was a man that I wish I could have known better. He died when I was eleven, so I never had the chance to ask him the questions that float around in my brain. Pawpaw was a coach, principal and teacher in the Berwick education system for over three decades. His influence on the town and the people that lived there was immense.
Great pictures!!
Awesome article. I am telling you now; you need to keep these articles and write a book. I will help $$$ the printing process. Amazing job. 💙