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Papa And The Cajun Gas Station
What Do People Love To Talk About? Three Almost Sure Topics For Men And Women
My grandmother, grandfather, and I went on a short car trip in south Louisiana when I was a kid. It was just after World War II that they bought a new, black Mercury. Eventually, they had to stop at a little gas station where some fellows were talking to each other in their Cajun dialect.
Papa got out to help pump the gas and then pay the attendant, who continued the Cajun discussion with his buddy. I watched my grandfather, who looked like he enjoyed their banter. He nodded and made eye contact with each one when they had something to say, but they continued talking in Cajun, the local French patois.
Papa got back in the car, and I said, “Papa. I didn’t know you spoke French!” Mama said, “Oh son, he doesn’t, but men only know three things to talk about anyway.” For the rest of my life, I’ve wondered what they were. Fishing? Food? Love?
So — much later in my life, from my counseling experience, I have pulled together what I consider the things men and women like to discuss.
