Los Isleños

Sunday, November 14th (Afternoon)

It turns out that the owner of the property on which we are staying, is an Isleño, one of the descendants of Canary Islanders who migrated to Louisiana under the Spanish crown between 1778 and 1783. They settled near New Orleans in what is today St. Bernard Parish. Many of their descendants remained insulated from New Orleans, and continued to speak a rustic and antiquated Castilian well into the 20th century. The geographical isolation helped to preserve their language and traditions.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islenos

Well, St. Bernard is also home to Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society, which is dedicated to dedicated to preserving the Spanish Isleños heritage.  Mr. Fernandez is a big supporter of the Society and as luck would have it, he offered the use of his property for the Fourth Annual fundraiser for the Society for today.  There was a dinner, silent auction, hay ride and horseback riding for the kids.  Literally in our front yard!

The dinner was like an Amish buffet.

We ate like pigs.  Actually a roasted whole pig was just one of the menu items.  We also feasted on:

• Deer sausage (actually quite tasty)
• Pasta Salad
• Potato salad/with shrimp
• Red cabbage
• Sweet potato casserole
• Green beans casserole (apparently it’s a nationwide favorite)
• Bread

And a few tables full of desserts, including a chocolate fountain.

Sister Frances had a lucky day.  (That's her on the left)  She won the silent auctions for gift certificates to Galatoire’s (in the French Quarter) and Commander’s Palace (in the Garden District.)