Most people agree that gumbo should be served with rice, although some Cajuns serve it with potato salad. C.C. Robin, a Frenchman who published a log of his travels in Louisiana in the early 1800s ...

Creole gumbo recipes might include andouille sausage ... but also in a dive bar. Is red beans and rice Creole? Sure. Bread pudding? Yes. Is fried chicken? Maybe? It’s also soul food.

One particularly prolific season for greens, they shared a Gumbo z’Herbes recipe that has since become a family favorite.

Serve over white rice (cook according to package directions ... Once drained of excess oil, add sausage and chicken to gumbo. Let simmer till done. Stir often!

I didn't have that thought though, when I had the gumbo. But I also loved it. It's just spicy enough. And I loved the classic presentation of the rice. It was just, you know, like, very elegant ...

where heaping bowls of crab-filled gumbo, comforting red beans and rice, zingy jambalaya with fettuccine noodles, and tender cornbread muffins await them. There aren’t any Abita beers ...