[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 45 (Monday, March 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S1790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA

 Mr. VITTER. Madam President, I wish to recognize the city of 
Lafayette. Southern Living magazine has named Lafayette ``South's 
Tastiest Town.'' Lafayette was chosen as the winning city by nearly 
35,000 votes in the first annual competition, with more than 500,000 
online votes cast for the 10 finalist cities. Lafayette will be 
formally recognized in Southern Living's April issue, along with third-
place finisher New Orleans. In fact, both Louisiana cities combined to 
receive nearly half the total votes, and Lafayette received almost 
200,000 votes.
  Southern Living's top 10 towns were chosen based on a number of 
criteria: food as a cultural identity, growth of a culinary-minded 
community, diverse cuisine at a variety of price points, local 
sustainable food practices, chefs on the rise, and an abundance of 
significant food events. Clearly, Lafayette excels in all these 
categories, and I am proud of this achievement.
  Lafayette and its people are at the heart of all the great Cajun and 
Creole qualities that have made Louisiana's cuisine unparalleled. 
Throughout our State's great history, our unique culinary identity and 
love of food have been at the center of many of family and friend 
gatherings. Louisianians take tremendous pride in the dishes that 
represent our culture, the traditions they symbolize about who we are, 
and the devotion to preserving our heritage.
  It is my pleasure to congratulate the city of Lafayette on this 
honor.

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