The Big Texan

I’ve heard a lot of flack given to Texas and most of it is deserved. But Texas is definitely a place where there is more than meets the eye. For starters, let’s talk about the food. Some of the best Mexican food north or south of the border is in Texas. We had great luck at María’s Taquería on the Manchaca in Austin. Gruber gave us some crazy directions but it was worth the wait. I also fondly recall a stop at JD’s BBQ on the side of the road somewhere outside of San Antonio. JD himself dished out a pulled pork sandwich and some beans with a look of great Texan pride, especially when he saw our smiles after biting in. Most everybody mentions Austin as a place for non-Texans and non-Republicans to enjoy, and it’s true, Austin is one of the most creative, progressive, environmentally conscious cities in the Union. But San Antonio is also worth a look. Quirky, a bit, and elegant. Texan, but not over-sized. You have to see the Alamo, too. I don’t see what the big deal is. Santa Ana was a dick but I would have rooted for the Mexicans (I am a man to follow my stomach and I love my tacos). A wag of my finger to Port Arthur, the world’s ugliest city. A nightmarish, post-apocalyptic, post-Chernobyl wasteland with signs impossible to read, this refinery town was the home of Janis Joplin. It’s no wonder she got outta there.

Something must be said for the Texas Hill Country and the arid wind-swept plains of Texas’s desolate highways peppered with yucca plants and gigantic jackrabbits.

Texas, in many ways, is like the rest of the US. But on steroids. Everything’s bigger, of course. And everything’s just more nuts. It is a stronghold of all the best and worst qualities of the US. Texas maintains an absolute faith in itself that some might find ostentatious. It has strong-rooted values and boasts of great hospitality. Its name comes from an Indian word meaning friendship. The downfalls of Texas, or at least the parts that outsiders don’t like, are wrapped up with that infamous Texan pride. They, like so many Americans, are so obsessed with the notion of “freedom” that they feel “free” to do anything they like without thinking of others. Examples would be the litter problems of streets and highways or people who drive over-sized trucks.

The Big Texan represents a carnival depiction of the Lone Star State.