Louisiana - The Happiest State in the United States

It's a new year, and it's time to focus on making the new year a happy one. Gone are the old regrets and negativity. Let's bring on the happiness, hope and positivity! 

A couple weeks ago, USA Today published a story on which states in the US are the happiest states,based on surveys of 1.3 million people throughout the US. 

Louisiana is the happiest state. There are probably many reasons for this, including the sunshine, the people, the food, the music, the culture, Mardi Gras, and more. 

I have only lived in New Orleans, so I can't speak for the whole state, but I can at least say what I loved most about New Orleans. It had the best culture, best food, and best party vibe of any city I have lived in. I also found that you could easily talk with strangers there. People didn't seem to be in a rush like they were in other cities. It was very laid back. I loved the diversity there too.

One of the many things I took with with me when I moved away from Louisiana was a higher tolerance for spicy food. Tabasco sauce seemed to be on every table there. 

In the video above, BBQMyWay teaches us how to make Traditional Creole Jambalaya. He'll describe more of the history behind it too. You may not be able to bring the state of Louisiana to your state, but you can definitely try some great old fashioned Louisiana cooking. Thank you to BBQMyWay for posting it to YouTube. 

To see the USA Today article, and to see how your state ranks in happiness, look here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-18-happiest-states_N.htm