FW Louisiana

Louisiana. Some may say that it is just the same as any other state, but I would argue that it is as close to foreign you can get without actually leaving the country. There is a wide mixture of people and cultures all put together and they have formed a very unique culture unlike anywhere else. I served my mission there and was able to experience a lot firsthand. For example, they have lots of unique food. The people down there love their food- no offense, but you can tell just by looking at them that they take food seriously. They have a wide variety of seafood, southern home cooking, and then the Cajun style is mixed in. The Cajun spices add such tremendous flavor that it just simply can't be described. And then they sometimes have crawfish boils and shrimp boils. A boil consists of making a large amount of your choice of seafood, corn on the cob, potatoes and Cajun spices. Then when it is ready to eat, you pour it out on a plastic table cloth and you dig in with your fingers. It was one of the most amazing things ever.
As far as language go, you may say that the state official language is English, but it isn't. Not really. You see, I speak English, and I've met people with all sorts of accents, but never before have I had to pray for the gift of tongues when listening to someone speaking "English". This comes from the Cajun and Creole influence.
Then, most people know about Mardi Gras and the New Orleans idea of celebrating, and what beads are for. But most people don't realize that beads are used at EVERY holiday, they have parades all the time and throw beads and it's considered to be a family event.
In Louisiana the people are very warm and welcoming. They don't mind if you're a stranger, but you should probably make an appearance in the daytime just so they can see you better. I met some of the greatest people on Earth in Louisiana.