Pan-Louisiana Fusion

He'd never heard of the definition of Creole used in New Orleans that's derived from the Spanish criollo and means whites of pure European stock born in the New World. When I read it to him out of the dictionary, he complained that the dictionary was prejudiced.

"The word 'Creole' is a fucking minefield," says my friend Pableaux Johnson, a Cajun food writer and author of the just-released foodie guidebook Eating New Orleans. "Every time you use it, you piss somebody off." If the argument forces people to think about the complexities of Louisiana's culture, then maybe that's a good thing, he rationalizes.

Well, if you like complexity, what do you make of a restaurant that serves "Cajun Soulfood"? Since Cajuns are descendants of the French Acadians who once lived in Canada, they are mostly white, Johnson explains. But there are plenty of African-Americans who married into Cajun families and hence have Cajun ancestors, so you have to be careful making blanket statements. Anyway, Johnson doesn't think the term "Cajun Soulfood" should be taken literally.

Based on my description of the menu, he says it sounds like the same "pan-Louisiana fusion" that has become common in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It's a mixed bag of Cajun food, soul food and the many definitions of Creole. And while this jumble of poor boys, red beans and rice, jambalaya, crawfish pie and filé gumbo may not be authentic, it gives the tourists what they're looking for.

I think he's right in guessing that the food at Soul on the Bayeaux doesn't represent any specific tradition. But it is obviously made with great care. And as Rick Bayless once said about that inauthentic cuisine called Tex-Mex, "When you cook from the heart, there isn't a right or wrong way to do it." I highly recommend this cozy little "Cajun Soulfood Restaurant," especially if you work downtown and are looking for an interesting new place for lunch.

And if you're picking up a pen right now so you can write an indignant letter about what Creole really means, let me save you the trouble: Your definition is absolutely correct, and I'm an idiot.