Music is central to our way of life in south Louisiana. My mother cooked for more than a dozen workers in the field when I was a child. It was customary for the wife of the farm owner to cook meals for the workers. But, interestingly, women in Cajun culture cook food for sustenance. When it was a special occasion with many people coming, my father cooked.
Men tend to cook here for special events or for large gatherings.
As a child, I never really paid any attention to learning how to cook or to helping. But, the palate and nose are sensitive things. Memories of our childhood come from the smallest drop of flavor. Cooking all of those wonderful dishes of my childhood comes easily to me.