Get a dose of Cajun culture Dec. 10

Author Sam Irwin will read from his new book, “It Happens in Louisiana: Peculiar Tales, Traditions and Recipes from the Bayou” at the Joie de Vivre Café here on Thursday, Dec. 10, starting at 7 p.m.
“It Happens in Louisiana” is Irwin’s newest book to detail Louisiana’s idiosyncratic lifestyle. Irwin will also present a short video about the book.
In addition to Irwin’s reading, Breaux Bridge filmmaker Conni Castille will show excerpts from her critically acclaimed documentary “T-Galop.”
“To paraphrase Tom Petty, everything in Louisiana is done with a Cajun accent,” Irwin said. “Cajun ways are often lost in translation and this book hopes to explain a bit about south and north Louisiana in a way that hasn’t yet been told.”
It Happens in Louisiana features more than 100 photos from Irwin’s travels across the state as well as shots from well-known Louisiana photographers like Greg Guirard, Ron Berard, Philip Gould and David Gallent. It covers events like the Easter egg Pâquer competition of Avoyelles Parish, Le Tournoi jousting traditions of Ville Platte and the loss of unique swamp and marsh cultures caused by man-made and natural Mississippi River flooding. Stylized graphic maps reminiscent of Louisiana’s highway café culture also illustrate the 18-chapter work.
The 160-page book also includes recipes from Chef Marcelle Bienvenu (seafood gumbo), Cajun fiddler Tracy Schwarz (chicken and sausage gumbo), a recipe for boiling crawfish for 20,000 people by Baboo Guidry and Glen Pitre and a tasty fried green tomato dish termed an Anti-Hero Sandwich to acknowledge Bonnie and Clyde’s mark on Louisiana.
Irwin, a Breaux Bridge native, previously published Louisiana Crawfish: A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean in 2014. He blogs at www.LaNote.org and www.CrawfishReport.com.
Castille, along with fellow filmmaker Allison Bohl, produced “I Always Do My Collars First” in 2007, “Raised on Rice and Gravy” (2009) and “King Crawfish” (2010). She is currently working on a new documentary examining Louisiana boat building traditions.
“T-Galop” is an exploration of the Cajun/Creole cowboy and cattle culture and features footage from Le Tournoi and Calvin Borel’s stunning Kentucky Derby wins. Irwin’s book also includes a chapter on Louisiana’s equine traditions.
The Joie de Vivre Café is located at 107 N. Main Street in Breaux Bridge. For more information, call (337) 442-6354.