A grandmother’s life in Louisiana: ‘We were poor but we were never hungry’

Natalie Baszile recounts a visit with Miss Rose, the affectionate moniker of her grandmother, and the elder’s two-day train ride from Louisiana to Los Angeles. A teenaged Baszile recorded her grandmother’s narrative of her life and how to prepare her signature dish of “dirty rice” — using bell pepper, onion, and celery (known as the “Holy Trinity”), long grain rice, ground beef, and a cast-iron skillet — as a way of connecting with her community.