For those who have not been raised in the Deep South (yes, it is culturally capitalized) this post may seem a bit odd. If you can find a copy of it, I recommend reading Southern Ladies and Gentlemen by Florence King for a frame of reference. Allowing liquor in the predominantly Baptist realm has always been tricky. Considering the reputation of New Orleans, that may not make much sense, but therein lies one of the unique aspects of Louisiana. Aside from being the only state with parishes instead of counties, there is a definitive regional dividing line between North and South Louisiana. (It happens to be the small town of Lecompte). South is Cajun (I won’t use the other term) with predominantly Catholic influence and party time is fully embraced along with plenty of booze. North, however, is mostly Baptist, (and I mean serious Baptist in my youth), piney woods, and lots of teetotalers. Places like Bossier City and Shreveport (the big cities) were expected to be “wicked” with bars and such. Smaller towns, however, often remained “dry” well past when you would have thought.
Minden is an example. I don’t recall exactly when, but Dixie Inn is the little town that practically adjoins Minden. They decided to vote to go “wet” a number of years ago and for whatever reason, Minden held off. Now, we’re not talking much distance here so if you wanted a cold beer with your meal or a margarita with your Mexican food, it was a short drive. When I was here a few weeks ago, I was startled to go to the Chinese buffet place and see a hand-printed sign that they now had beer and wine (not on Sundays apparently, but that’s a different kind of post). I didn’t inquire as to what happened, but I had also driven past the Roma Italian Bistro (relatively new) on Main Street and thought, hmmm, surely they wouldn’t have an actual Italian place without wine. I popped in this trip to ask the direct question. Yes, I was assured, they not only had wine, but also a bar. A bar?! Hooray, and not surprisingly, that is where I dined last night. Good food, good service, and real, honest-to-goodness wine.
