re: Sam the cooking guy does Jambalaya

After raging at a couple of people here in Atlanta bout the 1 inch chunks of crunchy trinity, I realized they kept referring to them as "vegetables" and asking why I would want my "vegetables' to be so small and soft that I couldn't enjoy them or even pick them up with a fork and bite into them. They asked why wouldn't I want my "vegetables" to have a little crunch or bite to them. They don't realize, dem sh!ts ain't "vegetables," they're SEASONINGS.

Just like they don't realize that what makes a jambalaya a jambalaya isn't the spice or proteins (although those are important), it's the rice being cooking in the seasoned broth along WITH the proteins at the same time that makes it a jambalaya (regardless of what version of jambalaya you're making).

This is also their misconception of gumbo ... apparently it's all about having a ton of different seafoods and spice in one pot, bringing it to a boil, and that's it. They think a po-boy is basically any two pieces of bread with seafood between it (I've actually had people out here argue with me that there was no such thing as a sausage or roast beef po-boy, and that a po-boy can be on a hamburger bun).

Non-Louisiana natives usually don't comprehend that our cuisine is part of our 300+ years of Louisiana TRADITION and CULTURE. Just like Mardi Gras isn't just a themed party we made up, these dishes aren't just some "recipes." They don't get that this isn't just some casserole or meatloaf. Because of that misconception, they think our dishes are ingredient driven, rather than TECHNIQUE driven.

THAT's why they keep putting 1 inch crunchy vegetables in "their spin" on Jambalaya, Gumbo, Etouffee, Etc.

Rant over.