Posted on 09/06/2001 7:34:30 AM PDT by HAL9000
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Justin Wilson, the Cajun humorist and chef whose distinctive accent delighted viewers of his "Cookin' Cajun'' television show, has died. He was 87.His daughter Sarah Sue Easterly said Wilson died Wednesday in Baton Rouge. She would not give details but said more information would be released later Thursday.
Over Wilson's career, he released five cookbooks, 27 albums of short stories and an album of Christmas songs. He was host of several cooking programs, including "Louisiana Cookin'.''
He referred to himself as JOOS-tain and became known for the expression: "I ga-ron-tee!'' (guarantee), from the Cajun "J'vous garantis.''
"Cajun cooking is the ability to take what you have and create a good dish and season it right,'' Wilson told The Associated Press in 1990.
"It isn't all that hard, but so few people know how to take what they have and put it together and season it properly,'' he said. "It's creative cooking -- that's all it is.''
"I am a gourmet, but I am more of a gourmand,'' he explained. "A gourmet is somebody that's an epicurean. But a gourmand is somebody that's a P-I-G hog and that's what I am.''
A native of Amite, La., Wilson had lived in Summit, Miss., for about six years, his daughter said.
His last syndicated series of shows was titled "Easy Cooking.''
Wilson called himself a "half-bleed'' Cajun. His father was Louisiana's commissioner of agriculture for 32 years, and his mother, Olivet, was Louisiana French. She taught him how to cook.
"She was a great improviser,'' Wilson said. "She'd cook a dish and we'd go 'Mama, w'at's this here, hanh?' And she'd say, 'Children, that's a mus-go. It mus' go down yo' t'roat.'''
Some Cajuns found his fractured language annoying, but Wilson insisted he didn't mean to ridicule. He said his critics were "people who take themselves too seriously.''
Originally a safety engineer, he was inspired to pursue a career in public speaking after he met Will Rogers in the 1930s.
"He told me always to tell 'em clean, and always tell your audience something serious -- or they'll think you're a complete fool,'' he recalled.
Survivors include three daughters.
Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
His funeral was scheduled at noon Saturday at St.
Luke's Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, with
visitation Friday evening and Saturday morning.
He will be buried in St. Williams Cemetery in the
Livingston Parish town of Port Vincent, 19 miles
from Baton Rouge.Over Wilson's career, he released five
cookbooks, 27 albums of short stories and an
album of Christmas songs. He was host of
several cooking programs, including "Louisiana
Cookin'."His white hair, big smile and bright red
suspenders were well known. He wore a belt, too,
saying it was because he was a safety engineer.But he didn't play it safe on TV. He worked
without a script, taping before live audiences and
refusing to let mistakes be edited out or canned
laughter edited in, said Carl Fry, who produced all
of his Louisiana Public Broadcasting shows."He would say, `I'll tell a joke. If they like it, they
like it," Fry recounted.SNIP
Wilson used to say that he "granulated" from high
school at 16, then spent five years at Louisiana
State University "majoring in girls" before he gave
up on college without a degree.He "hoboed around the country," picking fruit,
washing dishes, digging ditches and whatever
other work the Depression afforded.In 1934, Gov. Huey Long hired him to police the
state's grain warehouse industry, starting a
career as a safety consultant and law
enforcement officer.He was inspired to pursue a career in public
speaking after meeting Will Rogers in the 1930s."He told me always to tell 'em clean, and always
tell your audience something serious -- or they'll
think you're a complete fool," he recalled.His recipes for television and cooking were
similar."Cajun cooking is the ability to take what you
have and create a good dish and season it right,"
Wilson told The Associated Press in 1990."It isn't all that hard, but so few people know how
to take what they have and put it together and
season it properly," he said. "It's creative cooking
-- that's all it is."
"A momma crawfish and her lil baby crawfish were walking along a wet pasture after a rain."
"Next thing you know, the lil baby crawfish go 'flap, flap, flap, flap' in reverse."
"The momma crawfish said 'What's the matter lil ones? Why you running away?'
"The lil baby craw fish said, 'We scared of that big thing mommy!'"
"The momma craw fish said, 'Oh! Don't worry bout that! That's just a cow. They don't harm us crawfish.'
"A little further down the pasture, the lil crawfish go flap, flap, flap, flap in full reverse."
"The momma crawfish asked 'What is is now? Why you so scared?"
"The lil crawfish say, 'Oh momma, we are scared of that!'"
"The momma crawfish said, 'Oh you lil crawfish! That's just a horse. They don't bothor us crawfish.'"
"Walking a lil further down the pasture, all a sudden the momma crawfish high tails it in reverse...flap, flap, flap, flap.."
"The baby craw fish asks, 'Momma! What's wrong?'"
"The momma crawfish told the lil crawfish, "Now you see that there is a cajun, and they eat anything!"
Wow!
Only took 16 posts for someone to try to trash a dead man.
That may be the record.
Pathetic.
It has been years since I have seen any of the shows...wish the would replay them.
Boudreaux was catching fish when nobody else in the bayou could catch a cold.
The game warden, a fella named Fontenot, came to visit Boudreaux.
They chat it up a bit and Boudreaux agrees to take Fontenot fishing the next morning.
They arrive at the bayou bright and early the next day and unload the boat
Boudreaux navigates out to his fishing hole and reaches under his seat for a cigar box.
He pulls out a stick of dynamite and crimps a cap on the end, Fontenot sees this and jumps up.
Boudreaux, you can't be doing that, it's against the law. Boudreaux calmly lights the fuse and hands it to Fontenot.
Fontenot, he says, are we gonna talk or are we gonna fish?
Boudreaux was sitting on his porch bragging about his best hunting dog.
This dog can pick up a quail a mile away, Boudreaux claimed. A small boy was walking down the street and all of a sudden, the dog goes into full point.
Everybody starts laughing, Boudreaux that dog ain't worth a dang.
Boudreaux scratches his head for a moment and calles the lad over.
Son, you got a bird in your front pocket?
No sir.
You got a bird in your back pocket?
No sir.
Boudreaux scratches his head some more, his dog is never wrong.
Son, what's your name?
Bob, the lad replies.
What's your last name?
White, the lad replies.
I appreciate you!
Thanks for the memories!
Exactly where I learned to do that also!
I can just hear him saying this...."A little further down the pasture, the lil crawfish go flap, flap, flap, flap in full reverse."
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