(FORTUNE Magazine) – ''It is amazing,'' wrote H. L. Mencken, surveying Dixie culture in 1917, ''to contemplate so vast a vacuity. One thinks of interstellar spaces . . . Nearly the whole of Europe could be lost in that stupendous region . . . And yet, for all its size and all its wealth, it is almost as sterile culturally as the Sahara.'' No more. Super Tuesday showed that the South wields potent political influence on the rest of the country. Culturally, too, Dixie is alive and vibrant, shaping Northern tastes in ways both subtle and delightful: -- Cuisine. America's love affair with Cajun keeps a-ragin'. So many redfish have been blackened that Louisiana, to protect the survivors, has put tough limits on their fishing. Yankees can console themselves, perhaps, with Cajun popcorn shrimp at Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits, a national fast- food chain. In passing, let us not forget Coke for breakfast. -- Painting. In 1976, Georgia artist-evangelist Howard Finster received a vision while patching bicycles with tractor enamel. The message: Paint sacred art. Some 7,000 works later, Finster's apocalyptic scenes of flying saucers and portraits of such personal heroes as Elvis and Henry Ford sell briskly at New York and Chicago galleries. -- Architecture. Award-winning Mississippi architect Samuel Mockbee believes post-modernists are rediscovering picturesque elements long favored by the South: fanlights, columns, arches, and bright colors. Ceiling-fan maker Hunter-Melnor says 22% of the industry's output went to Yankees. -- Music. Mix two parts rhythm and blues with one part Cajun waltz and you get Zydeco, accordion-driven bayou music now being danced to in some of New York's trendier clubs. McIlhenny Co., sales of whose Tabasco sauce have shot up 35% in the Northeast over the past three years, will soon sponsor a national tour by the Buckwheat Zydeco band.