CCJC Audio Podcast Episode 000107
"My husband, him, he says 'Nano Banana' is the silliest thing he's ever heard. I tell him, 'You just wait, cher.'" – Clotile ‘Tite-Tee’ Leblanc
Well then . . . the responses we got after Pierre le Nutria’s first guest appearance on our Cajun Chronicles Podcast Corporations Call-in phone lines were buzzin' louder than a disturbed hornet's nest at a picnic when we aired Pierre Le Nutria’s first interview. Honestly, we didn’t expect our first interviewee’s “The Nano Banana Brouhaha” in our newly launched podcast series, “Here’s Lookin’ At You Audio Series” to get so much attention. If you missed it there’s still time to play the recording here.
We quickly realized that a lot of folks are stressing with the ever changing techy Louisiana fickle-fiddle finger placements of wrapping their minds as they adapt to something new.. As members of one of Louisiana’s Early Tech Adopter Club, we too are on the learning curve of using new AI tools and apps.
We know mastering prompt writing is the most critical and foundational skills to have in a digital world. It's the difference between getting a bland, predictable result robotic media and something truly original, creative, and effective. As our previous interview showed, Pierre's early failures were a direct result of vague, unfocused prompts.
Pierre le Nutria previously prompted Nano Banana to "make a video about a nutria," and the AI, like a literal-minded coonass, gave him exactly that—a video about a nutria, with the most with the most newsworthy event being his near-miss with a gator.
Pierre’s first interview had our listeners clamoring for hearing more and he graciously agreed to travel back from Avery Island, to NOLA to bless us with some solutions he found when it came to what he should have written in his prompts.
The Nutria's Prompting Predicament
(Theme music: The "Jaws" theme, still on a washboard, added a ti-fer, and a fiddle. But this time with a slightly more triumphant, almost-two-step Cajun feel. It abruptly cuts to the ad for "Swamp-Gator-Proof Sunscreen.")
(Narrator, with a high-energy, infomercial-style voice): ‘Are you tired of your day visiting Avery Island turning into you being a last-minute lunch for a reptile? Do you worry that your SPF 30 isn't protecting you from . . . well, everything?
Then you need the brand-new, over-engineered “Swamp-Gator-Proof Sunscreen SPF 50+!”
My revolutionary formula uses a powerful blend of purified swamp water and what we like to call “gator-repellent ions.” Just slather it on and you won’t just be protected from the sun’s harsh rays, cher. You’ll become so incredibly flavorless, so unbelievably bland to the gators’ palette.
We Justin Wilson “gar-on-tee” they’ll swim right past you looking for a more exciting snack—like an old boat trailer tire or a rusty Bumble Bee’s Spicy Tuna tin can. It’s the only SPF 50+ Garan-teed to protect your skin and your dignity. Don't be a statistic, be a survivor! Get your bottle today. Now back to the show.’
(Laurent Thibodaux and Pierre le Nutria are heard laughing)
Domiique: Before we get started, our listeners are hollerin’ to know why you always refer to Nano Banana as a “she” like she was a voo-du queen?
Pierre (laughing): Ah, you know, me, I call her 'she' for the same reason a fisherman calls his boat 'she.' You depend on her, you try to understand her, but you can never really control what she's gonna do.
She's beautiful when she gives you a good catch, but when the storms come... well, she's the one in charge then, cher! You just got to hang on and pray you don't end up as lunch.
Laurent: Good to know! Well, Welcome back, everybody! We’ve got Pierre le Nutria back with us, and he’s lookin' a little more rested this time. The last time we saw him, he was almost a gator's snack. Tell us, Pierre, what's been happenin'?
Pierre: Ah, you know, me, I learned a little somethin' after our last episode. My video, she went viral for all the wrong reasons. The comments, they say, "This nutria, he's a fool!" and "He a meal, cher!" I started to think, me. It's not the camera or the music, it's the words! The prompts, me! A Nano Banana clip is only as good as the prompt you write!
Dominique: That's a very deep thought, Pierre. You're talkin' about the prompts you use for these new AI tools, right?
Pierre: Oui, cher, the very ones! You know, me, you put in a little somethin' and she spit out a lot of somethin'. But if you put in garbage, she gives you garbage with a little glitter on top! I found out, me, you got to be specific! You can't just say "make a video about a nutria." You gotta be smart!
Laurent: Exactly what are the rules, according to you? How do you write a good prompt?
Pierre: I learned, me, there are 3 important things!
3 Lessons in Prompt Writing from a Rodent Skipping Lunch
Be Specific, Like a Cajun Cooking a Fine Golden Roux: You can't just say, "Make a gumbo." You gotta say, "Make a gumbo with crawfish, andouille sausage, and a dark, rich roux the color of a strong black chickory colored mud after a good storm." It’s the same, me, with the nano bananas!
👎 Bad Prompt: "Make a video about me being a natural engineer."
👍 Good Prompt: "Create a funny 15-second video of Pierre le Nutria, in a hardhat made of a turtle shell, pointing out a hand-dug canal with a tiny, splintered twig. Use upbeat zydeco music and make sure no alligators or other predators appear."
📝Side Prompt Twist: Barely whispered to Laurent – "When I was vague, me, she thought the alligator was a good co-star! But when I get specific, she makes sure he’s not in the frame! It’s magic, me!”
Tell the Tool Her Person & She'll Obey You: The AI tool, she don't know nothin' about the Avert Island. You gotta tell her. "Act like a sassy New Orleans tour guide." "Sound like a crawfish boil host." That's the secret picante sauce!
👎 Bad Prompt: "Narrate a story about A very Island’s nutria."👍 Good Prompt: "Narrate a 1-minute video in the style of a boisterous Cajun fisherman, explaining how nutria are misunderstood. End the narration with a wink and say 'Laissez les bon temps rouler!'"
📝 Humorous Hint Twist: “The first time, me, she made me sound like an English fella! Like I was from somewhere castle fancy and didn't know nothin' 'bout mud. A tragedy, me!"
Be Polite But Firm: My Golden Rule of Prompt Writing: You never want to be rude to the tool, cher. You say "please," and "thank you." But you don't let her just do whatever she wants! You gotta be the boss! "Please make this video. Also, make it more spicy."
👎 Bad Prompt: "Fix my video."
👍 Good Prompt: "Please adjust the last video. It needs to be funnier and less like a horror movie. Ensure no alligators are featured."
📝 Humorous Hint Twist: "I learned, me, that if you don't tell her 'no gators,' she thinks that’s the best part! You gotta be clear about what you don't want, too!"
Dominique: That's some great advice, Pierre! It sounds like the same kind of advice my Maman gave me about dating. You got to be specific, tell them who you are, and be polite but firm!
Pierre: Exactement, me! The Jambalaya Voo-du Net, she's like a big family gumbo pot. You can't just throw in anything, cher. You gotta season it just right. And your prompts, they're the seasonings! You gotta get them right!
Laurent: Pierre, we all stand back in admiration. We thank you so much for traveling from Iberia Parish just to share with our audience your brilliant prompt insights. To recap them:
Four Ways Prompt Writing is a Game-Changer
From "Just Gumbo" to "Family Gumbo": As Pierre learned, you can't just throw everything in the pot and hope for the best. A well-crafted prompt is like a family secret recipe. It specifies the ingredients (the visuals), the cooking method (the style and tone), and even the desired outcome (the feeling you want to evoke). Without this detail, the result is a generic, unseasoned digital mess.
Establishing the Persona: Nano Banana has no inherent personality. It's a blank slate. By telling it to "Act like a sassy New Orleans tour guide," you are, in effect, creating the character that will deliver your content.
This is essential for a brand or story to have a consistent voice. Without a defined persona, your output can sound like a robot or worse, like an "English fella," as Pierre experienced to his horror.Setting Boundaries & Saving Your Hide: Pierre's most painful lesson was that without clear instructions on what not to include, the tool will make its own assumptions. He didn't explicitly say "no alligators," so the AI, recognizing the dramatic tension of the predator-prey relationship, kept inserting them for comedic effect.
This highlights a crucial rule of prompt writing: you must define what you don't want as much as what you do. It's the digital equivalent of telling a gator, "Don't even think about it, cher” before you start zig-zagging running for your life.”The Humility of the Human: Ultimately, prompt writing is a humbling process. The humor in Pierre's story comes from his repeated attempts to control the outcome, only to realize he was working against the tool, not with it.
He thought he was writing a tragedy about an outcast, but his poor prompts turned it into a comedy about a lunch special. The final takeaway is that we can't always control the results, but by understanding and respecting the rules of prompt writing, we can at least ensure our creative failures are intentional.
Dominique: That's all the time we have for today! A big thank you to our guest, Pierre le Nutria, for sharing his wisdom and not getting eaten on-air this time! Stay safe out there, cher, and we'll catch you on the flip side!
(The washboard and fiddle play a short, lively outro)
Narrator Voice-Over With the music playing low in the background:
And so, mes amis audience, Pierre le Nutria taught us a valuable lesson today.
We're all on this digital swamp hayride, all of us trying to create our own little "Nano Banana" videos in our own niches that make sense.
But remember if we don't learn how to talk to this new technology, this powerful "she" that has a mind of her own – we'll all end up in a gumbo of boring canned misunderstanding.
Start brainstorming your prompts right, be specific about what you want, and for the love of all that is holy-trinity right ethically, always make sure you tell her to leave the alligators out of it!
20 Suggested Examples of Beginning Prompts for Pierre's Rebranding
"Levee Life: A Nutria's Guide to Erosion Control" - A video showing how their burrowing can be managed to create healthy water channels.
"Orange Teeth, Green Swamp" - A post about how their constant gnawing helps maintain wetland vegetation and prevent overgrowth.
"Swamp Architects" - A visual of a network of their burrows, explaining how they help aerate the soil.
"The Unsung Weed Whackers of Avery Island" - An ad highlighting their role in controlling invasive plants.
"Got a Problem With Water Hyacinth? Hire a Nutria!" - A humorous promo showcasing them eating the stubborn invasive aquatic plants.
"A Nutria's Guide to Responsible Burrows" - A video explaining their digging habits and how to coexist with them near human infrastructure.
"The Original Louisiana Hydro-Engineers" - A nano banana video showing how their activity moves water and nutrients through the marsh.
"Meet the Marshes' Most Efficient Mowers" - A reel of them swiftly eating through tall grasses, creating open water habitats for birds and fish.
"From Outsider to Ecosystem Influencer" - A blog post detailing their century-long journey and their new, positive role.
"The Nutria's Role in a Balanced Bayou" - A short educational video explaining their place in the food web without mentioning alligators.
"The Marshland's Furry Landscapers" - A time-lapse of a family of nutria clearing out a dense patch of wetland.
"Webbed Feet, Honest Work" - An ad showing their webbed back feet paddling gracefully, highlighting their aquatic skills.
"Nutria Nano-Facts" - A series of quick-cut videos sharing one surprising positive fact about nutria in each clip.
"The Marsh's Cleanup Krew" - A video explaining how they eat decaying vegetation, helping to keep the waterways clean.
"Why the Gators Love Us & Why You Should, Too!" - A bold title that indirectly acknowledges their place in the food chain by focusing on how they're a desirable and abundant food source for another species.
"The Unsung Heroes of Sediment Control" - A post that uses technical jargon to make their mud-moving habits sound impressive and intentional.
"From Habitat Wrecking Krew To Habitat Helpers" - A video showing them creating clearings in the vegetation, which new birds use for nesting.
"A Nutria's Promise: From Nuisance to Necessity" - A heartfelt plea for acceptance, acknowledging their reputation but highlighting their evolving role.
"Eating Our Way to a Healthier Wetland" - A video with a fun, upbeat tone showing them chewing on different plants.
"What the Scientists Are Really Saying About Us" - A video featuring text overlays of real scientific quotes about their role in the ecosystem, followed by a playful, positive spin.
A Word of Wisdom:
Our fictional and non-fictional tales are inspired by real Louisiana and New Orleans history, but some details may have been spiced up for a good story. While we've respected the truth, a bit of creative license could have been used. Please note that all characters may be based on real people, but their identities in some cases have been Avatar masked for privacy. Others are fictional characters with connections to Louisiana.
As you read, remember history and real life is a complex mix of joy, sorrow, triumph, and tragedy. While we may have (or not) added a bit of fiction, the core message remains, the human spirit's power to endure, adapt, and overcome.
Cajun Chronicles Audio Podcast - Bringing you the heart of Louisiana. All images and Artwork generated with Google Docs Image Maker or Gemii Pro.
© Jerilee Wei 2025 All Rights Reserved.
