Growing Up In Louisiana – Do You Remember This?

I didn't spend my entire childhood in Louisiana, because I was 13 years old when we moved from California. However, I did spend a large portion of my adolescence here and I have lots of great memories. Because I came from the West Coast to the South, I can truly say kids have a much different upbringing in the Bayou State versus those where I'm from.

For example, a great Christmas gift where I'm from would've been a boom box or a Sony Walkman! In Louisiana, the perfect would've been a BB gun or a fishing rod. So, the lifestyle is definitely different. I'm reminiscing about the good ol' days I remember some of these things:

1. FROZEN CUP

There had to be at least 3 people on my block who sold frozen cups for 25 cents. They were so good and sweet on a hot day! We would suck the juice out of the ice and then drink the juice.

2. HOT PICKLE WITH PEPPERMINT IN THE MIDDLE

I couldn't wait until the bell rang to go to the choir room and buy a hot pickle and peppermint. Mrs. Chavis would sell those single-stick peppermints and big giant pickles every day after school. They were so juicy and peppery. She would dump most of the pickle juice and add a jar of jalapenos, then take a fork, poke holes in them, and let them sit overnight! Man, they were so good!

3. THE FIRST TIME IT SNOWED 

That was a trip! I was born in Boston, so it snowed a lot. I don't recall it because I was a toddler when we moved to Cali. It barely rains out there, so you'd have a better chance of seeing a unicorn than snow in the valley. Funny, I thought the same thing about Louisiana until it snowed in 1988! It was awesome, but I didn't have enough sense to take a picture of it.

I took a photo and video of my yard when it snowed hard enough to stick for about one day in 2017. My entire neighborhood was covered in snow. It was just like this back in the 80s, and it was amazing!

4. Swimming 

My and I would swim at the University, YMCA, Foreman Reynaud, or 2nd Avenue Pool every summer. When we were young, the city had public pools everywhere.

5. Charles Cinema I, II, III, and Oak Park Cinema 6

To this day, I love going to the movies and playing video games in the arcade. Back then, it was cool to hang out at the movies. I don't know why, but for some reason, the Charles Cinema had the best popcorn ever! I can remember the movie theaters in that place were huge! I'll never forget seeing a Friday, The 13th sequel, with my cousins. My mom dropped us there, but we told her we'd walk home when it ended. That was a bad idea. I lived a couple of blocks from the theater, but that was looonnnng run home with Jason hot on our trails ( or at least that's what we imagined.)  I never ran so fast in my life. Thank God we were faster than Jason!

6. Going To See LSU Play At Tiger Stadium

We went with my uncle and had an absolute ball! Like most people in Louisiana, he was a big LSU fan. He was decked out in all the merch and lost his voice before halftime. It was so funny because he still tried to scream for his team, but nothing would come out! I remember having to wear earplugs because it was so loud in the stadium. I also remember the food. We ate ourselves silly. People wanted to feed us in every tailgate tent we passed. And they wouldn't take no for an answer!

7. HOLDING A BABY ALLIGATOR

We went on a school field trip to one of those gator farms and learned about Louisiana's favorite reptile. I have to say it was an excellent experience. Nothing extraordinary happened, but I remember going and thinking, now, here's something I wouldn't ever get the chance to do in San Jose!

What do you remember about growing up in Louisiana? Help us grow our list, and let us know in the comments section below.