--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans…" description: "\"In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there. I started cooking Louisiana food. Of all the things I had cooked, it was the best-and it was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/paul-prudhomme-17819_cooking_in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-an_2158321.png" --- # In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there… ![“In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there. I started cooking Louisiana food. Of all the things I had cooked, it was the best-and it was my heritage.” quote by Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/paul-prudhomme-17819_cooking_in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-an_2158321.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/paul-prudhomme-17819_cooking_in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-an_2158321.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/paul-prudhomme-17819_cooking_in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-an_2158321.png) > “In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there. I started cooking Louisiana food. Of all the things I had cooked, it was the best-and it was my heritage.” [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Returning to New Orleans, he cooked Louisiana dishes, feeling a deep connection to his heritage through food. **In simple terms:** Cooking Louisiana food reconnected him with his roots. Key Takeaway Explore and honor your cultural culinary heritage. Themes heritage food identity Mood nostalgic proud Type culinary personal When to use this quote - family gatherings - community events - personal memoirs Key Concepts cuisine personal history culture Questions to Reflect On - What does cooking teach you about your ancestry? - How can you share heritage food responsibly? A Different Perspective Heritage cooking can be romanticized, overlooking broader cultural contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heritage/) [Louisiana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/louisiana/) [New orleans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-orleans/) ## Related quotes > [The thing about Louisiana food is that it's really good for about three months, but they only know how to make one thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-burrow/the-thing-about-louisiana-food-is-that-it-s-really-good-for-about/) [Joe Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-burrow/) > [Fine cooking is when the things you have cooked taste as they are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curnonsky/fine-cooking-is-when-the-things-you-have-cooked-taste-as-they-are/) [Curnonsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curnonsky/) > [Cajun is country food by farmers and fisherman that arrived in Louisiana from Acadiana, Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/cajun-is-country-food-by-farmers-and-fisherman-that-arrived-in/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [I needed to explain that Louisiana's coast accepts the drainage from two-thirds of the United States and, while the necessary levees constructed upstream have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-breaux/i-needed-to-explain-that-louisiana-s-coast-accepts-the-drainage-from/) [John Breaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-breaux/) > [Half of Louisiana is under water and the other half is under indictment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-tauzin/half-of-louisiana-is-under-water-and-the-other-half-is-under/) [Billy Tauzin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-tauzin/) > [I was the first black child to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana in 1960.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-bridges/i-was-the-first-black-child-to-desegregate-the-all-white-william/) [Ruby Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-bridges/) > [“Too much Cajun in you, Brooke. Too much Louisiana.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-dean/too-much-cajun-in-you-brooke-too-much-louisiana/) [Will Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-dean/) > [“Move aside Ebola, smallpox, and AIDS; make room for narcolepsy. I would become shunned and avoided. Perhaps the people at the casino thought that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-talmage-mathis/move-aside-ebola-smallpox-and-aids-make-room-for-narcolepsy-i-would/) [John-Talmage Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-talmage-mathis/) > [Do we pour $40 billion into grandiose Louisiana engineering projects or do we instead put up no trespassing- signs in the areas below sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-brinkley/do-we-pour-40-billion-into-grandiose-louisiana-engineering-projects/) [Douglas Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-brinkley/) > [“In whatever decisions you make in life, you have to run them through a series of logic tests to make sure that there aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-talmage-mathis/in-whatever-decisions-you-make-in-life-you-have-to-run-them-through-a/) [John-Talmage Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-talmage-mathis/) > [Discrimination isn't welcome in Louisiana, but as is the case often, folks running for office seem to forget that we have an obligation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bel-edwards/discrimination-isn-t-welcome-in-louisiana-but-as-is-the-case-often/) [John Bel Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bel-edwards/) > [To propel our Louisiana culture into the future seems to be quite a task, but if one lives for the music as Cedric does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-doucet/to-propel-our-louisiana-culture-into-the-future-seems-to-be-quite-a/) Michael Doucet > [When the savages of Louisiana wish to have fruit, they cut the tree at the bottom and gather the fruit. That is exactly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/when-the-savages-of-louisiana-wish-to-have-fruit-they-cut-the-tree-at/) [Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/) > [“My casino experience is to someone else their experience with their employer, of how the company has elected to behave solely for greed, profits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-talmage-mathis/my-casino-experience-is-to-someone-else-their-experience-with-their/) [John-Talmage Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-talmage-mathis/) > [Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/louisiana-s-spicy-colorful-politics-have-saddled-our-state-with-a/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) ## More by Paul Prudhomme > [Cajun is country food by farmers and fisherman that arrived in Louisiana from Acadiana, Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/cajun-is-country-food-by-farmers-and-fisherman-that-arrived-in/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [We closed the restaurant in New Orleans and brought the entire staff to San Francisco. But we had to go home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/we-closed-the-restaurant-in-new-orleans-and-brought-the-entire-staff/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [When I travel I normally eat club sandwiches or I bring my own food. When you go into a new town, it's very had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/when-i-travel-i-normally-eat-club-sandwiches-or-i-bring-my-own-food/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [Have fun. Do something nobody else had done before, or has done since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/have-fun-do-something-nobody-else-had-done-before-or-has-done-since/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [I'd like to have the first restaurant that can deliver incredible quality food to your table at your house at any time-right where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/i-d-like-to-have-the-first-restaurant-that-can-deliver-incredible/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [When I am done with this meal you can have my life. It is heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/when-i-am-done-with-this-meal-you-can-have-my-life-it-is-heaven/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [You don't need a silver fork to eat good food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/you-don-t-need-a-silver-fork-to-eat-good-food/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [I opened my own restaurant when I was 17. I went broke, then traveled around the country, learning about different kinds of foods, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/i-opened-my-own-restaurant-when-i-was-17-i-went-broke-then-traveled/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [I would work as a cook, get a little money, then open another restaurant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/i-would-work-as-a-cook-get-a-little-money-then-open-another-restaurant/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [I don't think life is to be taken too seriously. Take it too seriously, and it'll getcha.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/i-don-t-think-life-is-to-be-taken-too-seriously-take-it-too-seriously/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [When you've got a great business going, you go open another and take the risk of losing the whole thing. It's fun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/when-you-ve-got-a-great-business-going-you-go-open-another-and-take/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [The bad part about being recognized is that when I walk into a restaurant and sit down, I've got to eat everything on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/the-bad-part-about-being-recognized-is-that-when-i-walk-into-a/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [I'm a professional cook. I've worked with other cooks from all over the world, but my family is not that way - they're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/i-m-a-professional-cook-i-ve-worked-with-other-cooks-from-all-over/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [When the taste changes with every bite and the last bite tastes as good as the first, that's Cajun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/when-the-taste-changes-with-every-bite-and-the-last-bite-tastes-as/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [I'm just here and I'm doin' the best I can. If you don't understand that, then what can I do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/i-m-just-here-and-i-m-doin-the-best-i-can-if-you-don-t-understand/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) [Explore all 36 Paul Prudhomme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) ## More Cooking quotes > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [I enjoy cooking, but stick to modern dishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/i-enjoy-cooking-but-stick-to-modern-dishes/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/) [Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/) > [My Mom always cooked healthy. Greek food lends itself to cooking healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-cora/my-mom-always-cooked-healthy-greek-food-lends-itself-to-cooking/) [Cat Cora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-cora/) > [Cooking brings me so much joy. I love everything, down to the execution of the plate to picking out fresh ingredients at the market.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-budig/cooking-brings-me-so-much-joy-i-love-everything-down-to-the-execution/) [Kathryn Budig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-budig/) > [Recipes don't work unless you use your heart!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-jones/recipes-don-t-work-unless-you-use-your-heart/) Dylan Jones > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I have a great time cooking and eating Thai green chicken curry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-have-a-great-time-cooking-and-eating-thai-green-chicken-curry/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There are times when born hollandaise heads, as well as nouveaux turbot freaks and recherche escargotphiles alike crave the saignet abundance of a New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-greene/there-are-times-when-born-hollandaise-heads-as-well-as-nouveaux/) [Gael Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-greene/) > [Speaking of trust, ever since I wrote this book, 'Liespotting,' no one wants to meet me in person anymore - no, no, no, no,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/speaking-of-trust-ever-since-i-wrote-this-book-liespotting-no-one/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [Balance is key in cooking - you want a little acid, a little sweet, a little savory - the flavors should be harmonious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-simmons/balance-is-key-in-cooking-you-want-a-little-acid-a-little-sweet-a/) [Gail Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-simmons/) > [A combination of the qualities of the scholar, the master cook, the painter, the gastronomer, the sportsman and the pantologist, assisted by the skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ellwanger/a-combination-of-the-qualities-of-the-scholar-the-master-cook-the/) [George Ellwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ellwanger/) [Browse all 2,937 Cooking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there. I started cooking Louisiana food. Of all the things I had cooked, it was the best-and it was my heritage.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Prudhomme" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-and-stayed-there-i-started/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cooking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-and-stayed-there-i-started/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/paul-prudhomme-17819_cooking_in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-an_2158321.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/paul-prudhomme-17819_cooking_in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-an_2158321.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/paul-prudhomme-17819_cooking_in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-an_2158321.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there. I started cooking Louisiana food. Of all the…” — Paul Prudhomme", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Paul Prudhomme", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In '71 or '72 I returned...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-and-stayed-there-i-started/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/in-71-or-72-i-returned-to-new-orleans-and-stayed-there-i-started/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```