The
next day, everyone in the Rabalais clan had plans, so I decided to
explore one of the local historic plantations. Just past LSU's Tiger
Stadium is a hidden gem called Magnolia Mound Plantation.
Founded in the late 1700's, the plantation still has several of the
original houses. I was first to arrive and so I had my own personal tour
guide take me around the plantation house. She was trilled to have such
a captive audience and treated me to a little historic "lagniappe" -
just a little extra info and local folklore.
It turns out Mark Twain even expounded on "lagniappe"' in his Life on the Mississippi (1883).
We picked up one excellent word — a word worth travelling to New Orleans
to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word — "lagniappe." They
pronounce it lanny-yap. It is Spanish — so they said.
.... It has a restricted meaning, but I think the people spread it out a
little when they choose. It is the equivalent of the thirteenth roll in a
"baker's dozen." It is something thrown in, gratis, for good measure.
The
plantations cash crops included indigo, cotton, a bit of tobacco, then
eventually sugar cane. It also boasted a stand alone open-hearth
kitchen complete with reflector ovens and a waffle iron. I, of course,
was distracted by the garden's pointy moss covered fence posts and the
wrought iron shutter
latches.
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