By Sallie Bachar
Catholic Herald correspondent
Gumbo, Louisiana style, to be served in the Northwoods
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MERRILL -- In the city of Merrill, gumbo has come to be synonymous with Holy Cross Sr. John Marie Simien. For the past several years, Simien, who is of French Creole descent, has been cooking up huge batches of authentic Cajun gumbo and serves it to the public on Mardi Gras, the day before Lent begins. Her cooking helps to raise funds for Bell Tower Residence, an assisted living facility operated by the sisters.
Simien makes the gumbo herself with little help. "I cook by taste," she said, "and not by a recipe." "It's hard to tell someone else what to do when you cook by taste."
Preparations begin early on Monday. "To taste the best, gumbo should be made a day ahead," she said. The flavors come out and the excess fat and grease are easily skimmed off. This year she will make four large, institutional-size roasters of the Louisiana favorite.
Gumbo, literally translated, means soup, but Louisianans would be offended if you called it soup, she said. A special roux forms the base to which sausage, chicken and seafood are added. This year's Mardi Gras menu includes sausage and chicken gumbo, shrimp and chicken gumbo and shrimp gumbo, all of which are served over rice. "The trick is the Cajun seasoning," she added. You won't find "Slap Ya Mama" seasoning on the grocery shelves in Wisconsin. Family and friends send Simien the spices and roux base she needs directly from Louisiana.
Gumbo was the main staple in hers and other large families when she was growing up because a little stretched a long way. "It has been said that Cajun and Creole food are a poor man's meal that is so tasty, that it is fit for a king and queen," she said. Just in case anyone thinks Simien's gumbo is too spicy, "It's milder than what it used to be at home," she quipped. "Northerners don't like too much spice."
Simien was born and raised in Louisiana and moved to Merrill at the age of 20 to join the Holy Cross Convent. She is the 14th of 15 children and can trace her roots back to the colonial days of the mid-1700s when her father's great-great grandfather settled there from France. Growing up, her family spoke only French, but the Cajun cooking that was the mainstay of family life was actually a blend of Spanish, French and African foods, all of which formed the culture of Louisiana.
Creole is not to be confused with Cajun, however. Cajuns were the people who fled present day Nova Scotia in the 1700s when the English tried to force them to convert from Catholicism to the Church of England. They settled in the bayous of Louisiana, keeping to their own culture, with the hope of always returning home some day.
Simien recalls fond memories of celebrating Mardi Gras as a child. "New Orleans is always associated with Mardi Gras," she said, "but that is the commercialized version of the original meaning."
Mardi Gras, which translated means Fat Tuesday, was originally a religious celebration in preparation for Lent. The people in the small towns and farming communities of Louisiana would sing and dance in their homes on the Tuesday before Lent and would then go from door to door asking for food to prepare one big meal for all the townspeople to share. They gathered in the town square, eating, celebrating and making a "big deal" of all they would give up for Lent.
Fasting followed the big supper in the square, and dancing, weddings and other celebrations were put on hold for the next 40 days in order to appreciate even more the blessings of life, faith, family and community, she explained.
Costumes and masks were also part of the revelry, as they are today. Simien herself will dress in a colorful beaded jacket with more strands of purple, green and gold beads around her neck. The colors of the beads are significant, she said. Purple symbolizes royalty, a reminder that we are a royal people who belong to God. Green stands for hope and the belief that God is faithful to his promises, while gold symbolizes good fortune. "In giving all things up, God will bless us with more abundance," she added.
Simien made her final profession of vows in 1962 and has been teaching most of her life. When she is not cooking, she works with students who, for various reasons, cannot stay in school, and helps them finish their high school education. She is also part of the formation program of the Holy Cross Sisters, training new candidates and associates and is their first contact.
© Superior Catholic Herald, 2008