A&E

Go vote Lafayette - it's almost over

by Anna Purdy

Today is the last day to vote for Lafayette as winner of Southern Living's "The South's Tastiest Town" contest and you just need to vote. Okay?

You, Gentle Reader, probably need no more pushing and prodding to go to southernliving.com/tasty and vote. Yes, you must fill out your name, email address and inane captcha that aims to eliminate "robovoting." Yes, being asked repeatedly on your social media feeds is probably a pain, but c'mon. It takes less than 30 seconds.

For the past several days Southern Living has been keeping who is ahead a secret. If you've been paying attention you must know that Louisville, Ky., has been our main contender, our two cities going neck-and-neck to a photo finish. When last we saw the numbers, Lafayette was ahead. But it isn't enough to win by a small margin - we need to win by an embarrassingly huge margin. The kind that leaves no doubt that our culture's food, created over years by mixing cultures and spices into pots and pans, is the best food there is in this competition. If we can be so passionate about football surely we can spare a few beatings of our hearts to be passionate about winning this.

New Orleans is up against us. And we love you, New Orleans! We do. But you've had years of glory and if you could share a tiny slice with us, we'd appreciate it. So we beseech you even if you are from New Orleans to vote Lafayette.

And today is this contest's final day.

The exposure is much more than food. The winning city is profiled in April's Southern Living magazine and the tourism boost alone is public relations no one can buy. The more tourism expands the better it is for all of Acadiana's businesses. As mentioned by the Houston Press recently, our area is more vehement about supporting local businesses than most anyone.

Surely that sentiment is worth 30 seconds? Vote here.